Tribe Gate Snorkeling Havelock

You get

• Speedboat to Tribe Gate and back
• Snorkeling mask, snorkel and fins, fitted at the jetty
• Life jacket or buoyancy vest (required for non-swimmers)
• Guide in the water with you throughout
• 20 GoPro photos and 2 videos, sent to your phone
• Safety briefing (hand signals, breathing, how to clear your snorkel)

Bring

• Swimwear to wear under or instead of a wetsuit
• Towel and a dry change of clothes
• Reef-safe sunscreen only (regular sunscreen damages coral)
• Water to drink before and after
• Sea-sickness tablets if you're prone to it (short boat ride, but it's there if you want it)

Not included

• Food or drinks

How the session runs

Usually spotted from the surface

• All five Andaman clownfish species. Tribe Gate has all five anemonefish species found in Andaman waters, all on the shallow reef top.
• Giant clams (Tridacna). More giant clams here than anywhere else on Havelock. Their coloured mantles are visible from the surface on clear days.
• Sea anemones. Scattered across the reef top, hosting their clownfish.
• Coral shelves. Porites coral boulders in concentric shelves directly below the snorkel zone.
• Two-spot snapper schools. Thick clouds of snappers above the reef.

Also seen regularly

• Sergeant major damsels. Striped schooling fish that tend to accompany your safety stop.
• Bannerfish and butterflyfish. Pairs and small groups across the coral.
• Parrotfish. Humphead parrotfish pass through occasionally.
• Fusiliers. Fast schools over the reef.
• Moray eels and groupers. In the coral shelves below. Strong surface swimmers can sometimes spot them on clear days.
• Octopus. Occasional, hiding in the Pavona ruins deeper down.

Snorkeling view

The shallow reef top sits in full natural light, so you're looking down at the reef from above. Anemones and clownfish at the reef top are easy to watch from directly overhead; they don't hide from snorkelers.

• Anemones look like big pulsing clusters of colour from above
• Clownfish are easy to follow; they stay in their anemone
• Sandy patches between coral heads are visible too, good for spotting rays
• Fish schools above the reef stand out clearly against the reef
• On clear days you can see structure down to the reef slope below

What you need scuba for

The deeper sections, crevice-dwellers and anything in the shade of an overhang are diver territory. For that, see our Tribe Gate Scuba option.

Location

• Site: Tribe Gate (Oval Reef), off Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep)
• GPS: 12.036° N, 93.007° E
• Distance: 3 km from Beach No. 3
• Access: Boat, 5 min from jetty
• Boat entry, not shore entry

Conditions

• Current: Low, site is sheltered
• Visibility: 15–20 m+
• Water temperature: 26–30°C year-round
• Swell: Minimal during peak season

Best time to come

• October to May (calmest seas March–May)
• Morning slots give the best light for underwater colour and the GoPro shots
• Shoulder months are quieter with still-good visibility
• June to September is monsoon. The site can be inaccessible on rough days; check before booking

Reef zones

Why pick Tribe Gate

Short boat ride, sheltered water, and a reef that's basically right under you the whole time. Most people see clownfish and a giant clam within the first ten minutes. Good pick if you want to snorkel one of the named offshore reefs without a long trip out.