Neil Island is another popular diving destination in the Andamans. Located 17.4 kilometers (10.8 miles) south of Havelock Island, this former resettlement area for refugees in the early 70’s is now converted in to an ecotourism attraction. And mind you, while its tourism facility is nothing when compared to the flourishing businesses in Havelock Island, a lot of tourist have preferred to settle down in Neil Island. This is primarily due to its tranquil and untouched state. Walking around the island is a popular fad where it only takes a 2-hour walk to completely explore its landmass.
When it comes to scuba diving, this 3.7 square kilometer (1.4 square mile) island is completely surrounded with marine waters. Healthy reefs can be found all over creating a selection of diving sites that suits your preference.
Dive Sites in Neil Island
Bus Stop
Type of Diving: Reef diving
Maximum Depth: 20 meters (66 feet)
There is a dive site located on the western part of Neil Island that is called the Bus Stop. But of course, there are no buses that is stopping on this site. Rather, it is a convergent point of reef fishes.
As you enter the water, you will descend to the top of the reef at 5 meters (16 feet). Once you reach the reef, you will observe that the reef has patches of soft corals and slopes gently up to 20 meters (66 feet) making this the perfect spot for newbies, especially if you are still adjusting with your buoyancy. As you traverse down the slope, initially there’s nothing much to see. But wait until you reach the deeper edges where there is a reef that is usually composed of massive and branching type of corals interspersed in a sandy bottom. Thriving within the reef are tropical fish like butterflyfish, angelfish, damselfish, sweetlips and groupers.
Note: try to make a slow and gentle approach towards the sandy area and see garden eels popping their heads out of the sand.
K Rock
Type of Diving: Reef diving
Maximum Depth: 19 meters (62 feet)
K rock is a large volcanic rock that protrudes out in the sandy seafloor. While it is a great spot for newbies since the maximum depth is relatively shallow, K Rock is also great for advanced divers as you can practice your multi-level diving and underwater navigation skills courtesy from the coral mounds at various depths created from this protruding rock.
On top of the tropical fish that you can see like sweetlips, snappers, groupers, soldierfish, butterflyfish and a lot more, K Rock has an amazing underwater topography where you can see a lot of cracks, crevices, swim-throughs and small overhangs. You also have to watch for marine reptiles as sea turtles are often seen.
Margherita’s Mischief
Type of Diving: Reef diving
Maximum Depth: 16 meters (53 feet)
As far as the dive sites in Neil Island is concerned, Margherita’s Mischief, as its name implies, does not really have a bad connotation. Rather, many have considered it a “Gem” out in the sea.
With shallow depths, good visibility and mild water current, divers from all levels of scuba certification can explore the reefs of Margherita’s Mischief that is interspersed in a sandy substrate filled with sea cucumbers. Massive and branching types of corals dominates its reef system where it houses many reef residents like batfish, angelfish, soldierfish, snappers and pufferfish to name a few.
Note: If Bus Stop is known for garden eels and K Rock for sea turtles, you should also note that Margherita’s Mischief is known for marine mammal interaction where many have seen and interacted with sea cows or dugongs. If you want to interact with a group of dugongs (also called as a pod), then you can request to your divemaster to take you to a spot called Dugong Dungeon where a family of sea cows are often spotted.
Junction
Type of Diving: Deep, Drift and Reef diving
Maximum Depth: 30 meters (100 feet)
For those who wish to explore a more challenging site and feel the adrenaline rush, then head out to an offshore reef in between Havelock Island and Neil Island to a spot called Junction. But we remind you, this site is only for advanced divers as your deep diving and drift diving skills will be put to the test.
As you descend to the reef, you will clearly see that fish of the same species are dominantly placed in one area of the reef. For example: as you arrive at the soft coral beds, you can see the dominance of lionfish. Jacks and marlins populate the outer edges of the reef while napoleon wrasse and humphead fish are often seen at the reef crest. And the good thing with diving in Junction is that you can traverse this large reef with little finning effort courtesy from the moderate to strong current.
Video courtesy from Medhavi Davda
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