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Barren Island scuba diving - wall and drift dive site at India's only active volcano, 140 km from Havelock
Course Code: FRG-BRN-SCUBA

Barren Island Scuba Diving from Havelock – India’s Only Active Volcano

₹35,000 + GST
4.9 1,989 Google reviews

Barren Island scuba diving from Havelock - wall and drift dives over volcanic basalt at India's only active volcano. 25-40 m visibility, Open Water certified+. ₹35,000 + GST for 2 fun dives. Trips run depending on sea conditions.

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2 fun dives, full scuba kit, divemaster, lunch - all included

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About Barren Island scuba diving

Barren Island scuba diving is wall and drift work over volcanic basalt, around 140 km from Havelock. The slopes drop steeply on all sides, the substrate is volcanic rock partly recolonised by hard and soft corals, and the open-ocean position pulls in pelagic fish - tuna, GTs, jacks, occasional manta and reef sharks. Visibility is usually 25–40 metres.

Open Water certified and above only - Barren Island scuba isn't a beginner site. Departure from our Havelock base, 8–10 hours round trip, calm-sea days. Two fun dives at separate sites where conditions allow, hot lunch on the boat between dives, GoPro footage delivered the same day.

Total Duration
8–10 Hours
Underwater Time
2 × ~30 min Dives
Max Depth
30 m · 40 m for AOWD+
Visibility
25–40 Metres
Difficulty
Open Water Certified+
Operates
Depending on Sea Conditions

Trips run depending on sea conditions. The open-sea crossing to Barren is only safe on calm days, so we operate when the weather and sea state allow it. The boat takes six divers per trip - we hold dates with a ₹5,000 refundable deposit if you want to commit ahead of time.

About the dive site

Barren Island sits ~135 km north-east of Port Blair, rising from a 2,250-metre seafloor to a 354-metre summit. Underwater, the slopes drop steeply on all sides - this is wall and drift diving. The substrate is volcanic basalt, partly recolonised by hard and soft corals, with sand chutes and boulder fields between the coral bommies.

Location

  • Site: Barren Island, ~135 km NE of Port Blair, ~140 km from Havelock
  • GPS: 12.280° N, 93.860° E
  • Boat time: ~3.5 hours from Havelock in calm sea
  • Geology: active stratovolcano, 354 m above sea level, ~2,600 m total cone height from seafloor

Conditions

  • Current: mild to moderate; can pick up sharply on the corners. This is a drift dive.
  • Visibility: 25–40 m typical; higher than the inshore Andaman sites because of the deep open-water position
  • Water temperature: 27–29°C on operating days
  • Sea state: sheltered on the leeward side, swell on the windward; surface chop on the open-sea crossing
  • Entry: negative entry from the boat at the start of the drift

When we operate

  • Trips run depending on sea conditions, not a fixed calendar window - the open-sea crossing has to be calm enough to be safe
  • Calm-sea days give 35–40 m visibility and the cleanest current
  • Plankton-rich periods bring more pelagic activity and increase manta sightings, with slightly shorter visibility
  • If the sea is rough we don't operate - safety on the open-sea crossing is the rule, not the schedule

Depth profile

5–10 m Reef top - baitfish schools, fusiliers
10–18 m Wall start - soft corals, sweetlips, snapper
18–30 m Main fun-dive zone - pelagics, GTs, jacks
30–40 m AOWD drift zone - tuna, occasional manta/shark

What this site is good for

  • Volcanic basalt substrate supports sponge and soft-coral species not seen on inshore Andaman reefs
  • Pelagic-rich water - tuna, GTs, jacks, occasional manta and reef sharks come close to the wall
  • Low diver pressure - fewer diver-days per year than the Havelock sites, so behaviour is less habituated
  • Wall topography - depth control matters here; come prepared

What you'll see at Barren Island

Barren is a pelagic site, not a coral garden. The species mix is different from Havelock's reef sites - fewer reef constants, more open-water predators and volcanic-rock specialists. The marine-life list isn't long, but the encounters tend to be larger.

Pelagics & predators

  • Dogtooth tuna - cruise the wall edge in the 18–30 m zone; can be 1.5 m long
  • Giant Trevally (GT) - hunt in pairs and small groups; aggressive and fast
  • Bigeye and bluefin trevally - tighter schools, more colour, also active hunters
  • Yellowfin tuna - occasional, usually deeper than 25 m
  • Wahoo and Spanish mackerel - rare but possible passing the wall

Schools & reef fish

  • Fusilier walls - dense and fast-moving, cover the reef face during current
  • Snapper schools - two-spot, midnight, and red snapper aggregations
  • Sweetlips - hover in groups at cleaning stations
  • Bannerfish, butterflyfish, angelfish on the wall
  • Triggerfish, parrotfish, surgeonfish on the shallower coral heads

Big-animal sightings (seasonal)

  • Manta rays - possible during plankton-rich periods; not guaranteed but realistic
  • Whitetip and blacktip reef sharks - resident; usually solo, occasionally in pairs along the wall
  • Eagle rays - solo and small groups crossing the sand chutes
  • Marble rays - resting on the sand at the base of the wall

Volcanic-rock specialists

  • Lobsters - painted and slipper species, in the basalt crevices
  • Octopus - den in the lava-rock cavities; visible to patient divers
  • Frogfish - camouflaged on the basalt; the dive guide finds them
  • Moray eels - giant and white-eyed species in the rock fissures
  • Stonefish and scorpionfish - perfectly camouflaged on volcanic substrate; don't grab the rock without checking
  • Nudibranchs - less abundant than Havelock but unusual species composition

Why the species mix differs from Havelock

  • Open-water position - pelagic predators come close to the wall in a way they don't on inshore reefs
  • Volcanic basalt substrate - supports a different invertebrate community than Havelock's limestone-coral substrate
  • Low diver pressure - a fraction of Havelock's diver-days per year; behaviour is less habituated
  • Upwelling currents - nutrient-rich deep water surfaces along the cone, feeding the food chain from plankton up

One honest note: Barren is not a coral garden. If you came for dense hard-coral cover or Havelock-style anemone-and-clownfish photography, dive the Havelock reef sites instead. Barren is for pelagics and remote-site conditions.

What's included in your dive trip

The fare covers everything on the boat - both dives, kit, food, and media. Permit fees and GST are billed separately at the dock.

Included in the fare

  • Round-trip private dive boat charter from Havelock
  • 2 fun dives at Barren Island, separate sites where conditions allow
  • Tanks, weights, full scuba kit (BCD, regulator, wetsuit, mask, fins)
  • Certified divemaster guide on every dive
  • Hot lunch and unlimited drinks (water, juice, tea) between dives
  • GoPro underwater photos and videos, both dives, delivered same day
  • Forest Department permit assistance (we file the paperwork)
  • Free Havelock hotel pickup and drop
  • Full safety equipment on board: oxygen, first aid, life rafts, marine radio, satellite phone

Eligibility

  • Open Water Diver certification minimum (PADI / SSI / RAID equivalent)
  • Advanced Open Water strongly recommended for the deeper drift zones
  • 20+ logged dives required for the deep AOWD drift sites (30–40 m)
  • If your last dive was over 12 months ago, book a refresher in Havelock first
  • Dive medical declaration required from every diver before boarding
  • No flying within 18 hours after the last dive of the day

Paid separately at the dock

  • Forest Department permit - ₹500 per Indian national / ₹2,500 per foreign national. Cash only. We file the paperwork; you pay the fee.
  • 5% GST on the listed fare

Cancellation & weather policy

  • Free cancellation up to 60 days before departure - full refund
  • 30–59 days before: 50% refund
  • Inside 30 days, or no-show: non-refundable
  • Trip cancelled by us due to weather, sea state, or volcanic activity: rescheduled or refunded in full
  • Refundable ₹5,000 deposit holds your slot for advance pre-booking

Not for beginners. If you're not Open Water certified, this trip is not for you. Book the Barren Island Trip instead and snorkel from the boat. We don't run intro or discovery dives at Barren.

Frequently asked questions

No. The site is too deep, too remote, and too current-driven for first-time or non-certified divers. Open Water certification (PADI / SSI / RAID) is the minimum we'll accept. If you want to experience Barren without certification, book the Barren Island Trip and snorkel from the boat at the lava-bed reef.

Standard fun dives are 18–30 metres along the volcanic wall - fine for Open Water and Advanced certified divers. The deeper drift sites at 30–40 metres are AOWD-only and need 20+ logged dives. The divemaster matches the site to your group.

₹35,000 + GST per certified diver for 2 fun dives - boat, tanks, full kit, divemaster, lunch, and GoPro footage included. Private charters for groups start at ₹1,49,000 for the full boat (up to 6 divers). Permits are extra.

Usually 25–40 metres on calm-sea days. Plankton-rich periods can drop visibility a little - but plankton is what brings the mantas in.

Trips run depending on sea conditions, not a fixed calendar window. The open-sea crossing to Barren is only safe on calm-sea days, so we operate when the weather and sea state allow it. Pre-book year-round with a ₹5,000 refundable deposit - high-demand windows fill first.

Yes, with standard precautions. We stay outside the Coast Guard's 200-metre exclusion zone, dive only on weather-cleared days, and run with full safety kit on board (oxygen, first aid, dive medic, marine radio, satellite phone). The crew checks the NCS seismic bulletin and Coast Guard advisory the night before every departure. Divemaster ratio is 1:4 maximum.

WhatsApp +91 95319 24029 or use the booking form on this page. Six divers per trip, max one trip per week when conditions allow. High-demand windows fill early - if you want to lock in dates, ₹5,000 refundable deposit holds them.

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