Barefoot Scuba Resort has pulled down its prices and offers 30% discount on your Accommodation in the Month of June. Stay at our breezy cottages and have a wonderful view of beaches and feel the taste of staying at other part of the world.

We also have various activities conducted by our Barefoot Scuba Dive centre you can view the details on www.diveandamans.com only 5 star certified Padi dive centre in Andaman which would even more add flavours to your vacation. You can enjoy Diving and Snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of Andaman Sea and explore the marine life under water. An experience worth to remember life time and something unusual of life. Come experience the inhabited Island and fresh lunch at Tamarind Camp.

*The offer is valid for all accommodation except the A frame huts.

*The offer is good for pre-bookings only.

*This offer cannot be combined with any of our amazing packages.

Take the plunge with our highly skilled instructors and guides and have the time of your life as you have an experience that is beautiful beyond your imagination. Discover the gorgeous reefs with their vibrant coral teeming with marine life and explore the underwater world of your dreams.

Whether you are a swimmer or a non-swimmer, we are here to give you a good time. So join us and Discover Scuba Diving.

Have an experience so exciting, it will keep you coming back for more and more!

Don’t hesitate! For more information, mail us at dive@barefootindia.com .

Also look out for information on our new Dive Centre opening in Wandoor next season as we prepare to bring the stunning dive sites of the Mahatma Gandhi National Marine Park right to your doorstep.

Book a holiday with Barefoot Scuba Resort before 15^th October, stay a minimum of 3 nights, go diving or snorkeling or kayaking with us and get an incredible 30% off on your accommodation!  This offer begins from 1^st Sept, so get ready to have an awesome holiday!

*The offer is valid for all accommodation except the A frame huts.

*The offer is good for pre-bookings only.

*This offer cannot be combined with any of our amazing packages.

With Barefoot Scuba, the first and only PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Dive Resort in the Andaman Islands, India, you can become a highly coveted PADI Instructor with the Instructor Development Course (IDC). Better yet, you can do this at the best, most unbelievably low prices ever as we have slashed last season’s prices by Rs. 20,000 without compromising on the duration or quality of the course!

The PADI IDC is the most comprehensive instructor program in the diving industry. The course sets the bar high and allows you to apply all the knowledge and skills you have gained so far in the various PADI courses. Under the watchful eyes of our Platinum award-winning PADI Course Director Thien X Do, you will be moulded into an instructor par excellence and begin a rewarding new career path filled with a range of exciting possibilities.

Our Course Director Thien X Do and the support staff at Barefoot Scuba have taken a team pledge to give you the absolute best possible support and back-up during your PADI Go Pro programs, PADI IDC training and PADI IE, making it an efficient, enjoyable and stress-free learning experience with a guarantee of passing the exam on your first try!

Barefoot Scuba has created 2 amazing Divemaster Course packages and 3 perfect Instructor Course packages to fulfil your dream of becoming a PADI dive professional. You can even tailor-make your course package and avail of great discounts depending on the number of individual Go Pro courses you choose to do.

Know of someone else who offers all that we do at a lower price? In that case, we have a Price-Match offer for you! Contact us with the written proof of a same offer at a lower price and we will match it.

Our next IDC begins on 17^th November, 2010 and stay for the IE starting 26^th, November, 2010. Join us for PREP on the 14^th November, 2010. Email us right away at dive@barefootindia.com, clarify your queries and become a dive professional. Live the life that others can only dream of!

Our last season was a fantastic one! Among a lot of other things, we went on dives to Barren Island, where the only active volcano in South Asia lies, and the beautiful Invisible Banks, new territory that has never been explored from Havelock before. Our experiences there were awesome and we hope to do more of that in the approaching season.

We had wonderful season with Rajan as well. He swam a lot and our visitors were thrilled to dive with him… an opportunity that they had never had before, and one they will never forget!

Image copyright: Steve Bloom

This season, Barefoot Scuba also held the first PADI Instructor Development Course and our three candidates passed the Instructor Examination with flying colours! Romila Sil, Manish Mahadik and Damien Gobron are now certified Open Water Scuba Instructors and Emergency First Response Instructors. Congratulations to them!

Among our visitors last season, we had photographer Daniel Botelho, who has developed the concept of contemporary art photography- his style of portraying wildlife. And the way he shot Rajan, in and out of the water, shows his passion for capturing the beauty of nature.

We also had Karin Brussaard, photographer with a special interest in underwater photography and diving- the perfect combination for a holiday at Barefoot Scuba! Her infectious enthusiasm and zeal for photography ensured some striking pictures. She was also lucky enough to be able to capture one of the two resident dugongs (Zoe) at Beach 7!

image copyright: Karin Brussaard

What a great season it was! We are now looking forward to the next one that begins in August and as always, we strive to better your experience with us and to ensure that your stay at Barefoot is unforgettable!

It’s brand new and it’s in huge demand. Exclusive to Barefoot Scuba, dive expedition trips to Invisible Banks is now possible as a day trip. Frequented by liveaboards from Thailand, trips to the amazing Invisible Banks have not been possible earlier due to the slower traditional boats used for diving in and around Havelock.

In our endeavour to bring you something new and exciting every year, we specially charter speed boats for this trip to showcase the best that the diving in the Emerald Isles has to offer.

I’ve been lazy with my writing and a bit busy to post earlier, but these trips were introduced in December 2009 and by Jan 2010 had become a popular choice for those diver seeking to explore beyond Ritchie’s Archipelago.

fantastic Visibility at Invisible Banks

Also known as Flat rock, the site is a submerged rocky promontory with the most amazing visibility you can imagine .Its turquoise crystal clear water (over 30 m visibility) and phenomenal diving are absolutely alluring and the fact that you probably will not find another dive boat there when you visit is a big bonus. The topography on Flat Rock is very dramatic, with scattered rocks over a sandy bottom, with the concentration of fish absolutely incredible. It’s a  big flat rock sticking out of the sea, surrounded by 8+ meters of water,. rocky canyons and little coral. We had hear reports of nurse sharks here and as we don not generally see nurse sharks on our dives in and around Havelock, we were very keen to find them.

I had the pleasure of diving here in February this year and believe me when I say that I was simply blown away. Invisible banks didn’t give us a minute to show us how fantastic it could be. We had barely descended and reached about 8m, when out of blue came swimming an incredibly agile 2.5 m Lemon Shark. I was smiling ear to ear at this unexpected welcome. It was the perfect way to begin an adventure of a lifetime.

Kamlesh diving Invisible Banks

Having never seen a Lemon Shark before I was of course thrilled to bits. Its stocky yellowish brown body with 2 remoras (sucker fish looking for a free ride) stuck on it and powerful dorsal fin in action, he swam right past us almost oblivious to our presence.

A taste simply was not enough, we needed more. Right through the fairly easy shallow dives, we had a lovely drift that carried us through as we swam past some of largest great barracudas I have seen and  schools of Black Unicorn Fish, Surgeon Fish, Mackerel, Tuna, Trevally, Blue Fin Trevally and octopus. I also was a spectator to an unusual site. As we drifted along, we say hundreds and hundreds of the same species of Snappers moving like a team in the same direction. They were countless number of them swimming fast and towards the same goal. We never did find out where they were headed but never have I seen the sheer numbers of the same species as I did that day.

What mesmerized us more was the topography of it all. It was almost like the surface of the moon in a way. The visibility was so good that you could see a long way and everywhere you saw where huge rocks, long wall like ridges, outcrops and rocky canyons. Closer to the actual Flat rock, although we did experience a bit of surge the rock formations were more beautiful and the fish were in higher concentration here.

Over the next 2 dives we continued our search for the elusive Nurse Sharks we had heard so much about. Luck didn’t seem to be on our side on this matter and he continued to evade us. We did however see 2 Black tip reef shark, a White tip reef shark and a Grey reef shark too. This of course, in addition to the star of the day the Lemon Shark and all the other hundreds of fish.

With time running out on our last dive, we were coming to terms with the fact that perhaps we would have to make another trip to find them. Believe it or not in the last 10 minutes of our dive, Kamlesh (our boat boy and Advanced diver) was signalling like crazy and asking us to head in his direction. It was a remarkable find!

Under the ledge lay a incredible 3 m long Nurse Shark. Although they look fairly aggressive, Nurse Sharks are known to docile and this one was beauty! He was definitely disturbed by our presence and at the fact that we had discovered his hiding spot. He however didn’t swim away and let us stay as long as we could to admire him.

Through the 3 dives we did here on this remarkable day, we saw a total of 5 sharks and the brilliance of it was that 4 of them were all different species. Kamlesh beamed with pride at his find and overjoyed we all headed back to the dive centre excited and full of stories to share.

Romila is concentrating on driving the motorbike while I’m on the back seat slightly sheltered from the fresh early-morning wind. The dark road is lit by a full moon. It’s been 05:30; the guests have been picked up, the dive equipment loaded.

When we arrive at Radha Nagar beach, the divers get out of the car and walk up the beach to feel the first rays of sun on their sleepy faces. In a matter of seconds sleepiness makes place for excitement. Now we all are well aware of the unknown adventure awaiting us…

While the photographers prepare their cameras, Romila and I prepare the rest of the dive equipment. A little insecure I’m asking Romila what to include in my dive briefing, or should I say Elephant briefing? Romila tells me the story of Rajan. At the age of sixty years he has more life experiences than Romila and me together. At last Romila explains to me the procedures for the divers and snorkelers to follow.  “Rajan is late” she then says and she walks off to check whether Rajan and the Mahut, who has been his caretaker for 37 years, are making it all right. When she comes back and says: “Rajan ate his sugarcane breakfast last night already, so the Mahut had to find him something else this morning” we all had a laugh.

Showtime

Some minutes later we hear the far away noise of a wooden bell. Rajan!

We put on our dive equipment, do buddy checks and swim away from the beach, leaving the elephant plenty of space.

As he slowly makes his way into the water Rajan can now be seen partly in the water and partly on the surface, with the sun, the azure blue ocean and the tropical evergreen jungle revealing a stunning background. While he moves further into the water the divers swim along with him, keeping a distance of at least 3 meters. His giant feet come off the bottom and he knows very well how to keep himself afloat and moving. His trunk comes up, roughly every 20 seconds I’m counting. Observing Rajan, I realize both Rajan and me are strangers to the ocean and just visitors. But we seem to have one more thing in common: we’ve gotten so used to being in the ocean that we have started to feel at home.

The size, appearance and movement of Rajan underwater are an extraordinary sighting making up a breathtaking and unforgettable experience.

After 32 minutes Rajan starts making his way back to the beach and jungle. He stops shortly near our dive base on the beach. The divers rush out the water to thank Rajan and say goodbye to him. Rajan knows how to get hold of a few bananas, which we all agree has been well deserved after his early morning exercise. We watch Rajan slowly disappearing in between the trees while we enjoy a cup of hot chai and some irresistible ‘Hide and Seek’ chocolate cookies. It has been a wonderful morning for everyone and some of us wonder whether they have just woken up from an amazing dream… a dive with an elephant…

Book now! It’s an expedition, it’s an adventure, it’s magical, it’s nothing like you have ever seen before and it’s breathtaking!

Erruption at Barren Island on 28 Dec 2009

Barren Island, one of the most easterly of the Andaman Islands is the only active volcano in South Asia and lies 135 km northeast of Port Blair.

The first recorded eruption of the volcano dates back to 1787 and further eruptions were recorded in 1789, 1795, 1803–04, and 1852. After nearly one and half centuries of dormancy, the island had another eruption in 1991 that lasted six months and caused considerable damage. There were eruptions in 1994–95 and 2005–07, the later being . Since then, the volcano has erupted more than six times, most recently on 19 July 2009 and still continues to spew smoke and ash.

True to its name, it is a barren area uninhabited by humans, though it has a small population of goats, birds, bats like flying foxes and a few rodent species such as rats known to survive the harsh conditions.

Although a few liveaboards from Thailand have been diving Barren Island each year, there have been no operators from the Andamans itself diving here mainly due to the distance from populated shores and the lack of faster boats.

The chosen date was 28^th Dec and the first lucky divers who got to go on this trip were the Marleen Scheers Family and their friend Dider. Olivier, our extremely experienced French Instructor was to lead this expedition. With the food ordered, the speedboat leased for the day and the equipment loaded our explorers were all set to be captivated by this active volcano.

The trip departed from the Havelock Jetty at 4 am and by 6:30 am had arrived at Barren. Barren was everything they had hoped for and more.In a matter of half an hour, the otherwise white boat was covered in grey ash. Every 15 minutes or so a loud BOOM! was heard. Rocks the size of tennis balls were being expelled as if by magic and thick smoke loomed over the Island. An incredible sight indeed- one to remember and treasure forever.

Spectacular viz and Stunning Sea Fans

The 3 dives at Barren were simply enchanting. You most definitely won’t be bored at Barren. There is a deep endless wall on one side that’s teeming with life, a stunning coral garden to be lost in, vast expanses of black volcanic rocks and sand, colour contrasts that will leave you lost for words and clearly marked tracks or lava channels.

Definitely the abode of the larger pelargics, this beautiful volcanic Island offers splendid diving and the chance to see both reef fish and the larger ones as well. Turtles, white tip, black tip and oceanic white tip sharks were seen in addition to a large school of barracuda, giant sized jacks, kingfish and tuna.

Sitting pretty- A Nudibranch

With a sense of achievement and feeling like pioneers and explorers, the group returned to Havelock full of stories of their experience.

This was the first of many trips to follow and since the 28^th of December Barren Island dive trips have become hugely popular.

Simply Exhilarating!

Manta Rays and the frequent spotting of sharks have made this expedition trip the hot favourite of Advanced level divers. So get your gear together, your cameras ready and head to Havelock coz this is one experience you definitely don’t want to miss out on!

Diver's Delight

It’s the same Resort, with the same lovely people but with fantastic brand new chic rooms, simply perfect for that diving vacation of yours. Barefoot Scuba Resort is the small beach resort with a big heart.

When we decided that it was time to renovate, to rebuild and to make this resort into the perfect haven for your dream holidays we never realised how much work it really would be. Renovation work was on in full swing by September 2009 and the deadline was Christmas day 2009.

What we have come to realise from this project is that constructing anything in the Andamans is an absolute nightmare. The tourism boom in the recent years ensured that many people on the Island were using the low season to renovate and finding skilled labour was close to impossible. The rain played spoilsport on many days  not just ruining the days work but adding to the work as well, construction materials had to be shipped in and deadlines seemed to be becoming a distant dream.

Many hours were spent pondering over paint samples, colour contrasts and bathroom tiles. Workers drilled, hammered and sawed away day after day and gradually our vision was taking shape. Many a day was spent in Chennai running around for the perfect upholstery fabric, shop owners were driven crazy with the million questions we had on the best mattress to buy, the staff at Seasons saw us way to often contemplating colours for the linen and our shipping company in Chennai made a killing given the number of things we were shipping from Chennai to the Andamans.

Through several trials and tribulations, through laughter and many days of fatigue, we managed to have the resort completed and ready on Christmas day, bang on schedule.

Barefoot Scuba Resort is the perfect choice for the budget conscious traveller. It offers a convenient base from which to explore not just the snorkeling and dive sites around Havelock, but also the village market, the elephant training camp and the forest trails beyond Beach No. 5.The resort has a lovely restaurant called Café Del Mar that serves both Indian and continental fares as well as great seafood.

The resort is easy on the pocket, simple and elegant and offers three different categories of rooms.

The Sea Facing Duplex Cottage

Elegance & Comfort in the Sea Facing Duplex Cottage

The Sea Facing Duplex cottages are wooden non a/c bungalows that face the sea through a small grove of coconut trees. The airy bedroom on the upper floor leads out to a private balcony which is the perfect place to relax after a day of diving.

The interiors are simple and extremely comfortable, with ceiling fans, electric lights and power outlets provided. A queen size bed with and 8 inch mattress (mosquito net provided) that lulls you to sleep is a luxury in Havelock.

The lounge on the lower level has a comfortable sofa and glass sliding doors so you can enjoy the view of the ocean in the comfort of your room. The lounge is also equipped with a hot water kettle, complete with tea, coffee, creamer and sugar sachets, complimentary fruit basket and a mini refrigerator.

The bathroom on the lower level is equipped with a western-style toilet, shower with hot water. The sit-out, below the balcony, is the ideal to unwind.

 

The Sea View Cottage

 

 

Interiors of the Sea View Cottage

 

The Sea View Cottage is a wooden non a/c bungalow that is slightly different from our Sea Facing Duplex Cottages. This Bungalow too shares the same lovely view of Beach No.3 and the balcony on the upper level is a lovely place from which to relax and take in every-thing that the ocean has to offer.

The airy bedroom with a queen size bed and a mosquito net is on the upper floor offers interiors that are simplistic and elegant. Ceiling fans, electric lights and power outlets are provided. The Cottage is also equipped with a hot water kettle, complete with tea, coffee, creamer and sugar sachets.

The bathroom on the lower level is equipped with a western-style toilet, shower. The simple sit-out, below the balcony is fenced in bamboo is the ideal to unwind.

Tented Cottage

Bedroom area of the Tented Cottage

The Tented Cottages are spacious, clean, simplistic and non air conditioned. The interiors are elegant and these tents have a view of the Garden.

There is a sit out with lovely wooden high back chairs from where you could enjoy your morning coffee. This area is equipped with a hot water kettle, complete with tea, coffee, creamer and sugar sachets.

The sitting area opens into the bedroom that has a double bed (mosquito net provided) and pedestal fans to keep the room nice and airy during the day. The bedroom area leads to a changing room complete with clothes rack, a luggage area and a dressing mirror.

The attached bathroom is spacious and has a western style toilet and a shower with hot water.

For guests who require accommodation that is basic yet spacious and comfortable, the Tented Cottage is a perfect choice.

The A Frame Hut

A Frame Hut interior

The A Frame Huts are small elevated cane and bamboo structures perfect for the backpacker on a tight budget.

These little huts do not have an en suite bathroom. The resort has 4 clean bathrooms equipped with western style toilets, showers and wash basins for the use of the guests staying in these huts.

All A frame huts have a ceiling fan, a light, a mattress and a mosquito net which is sufficient for the traveller that is looking for accommodation that is inexpensive for long stays.

We are convinced that you will love it and you will appreciate that at Barefoot Scuba Resort you are well looked after.

So, when you think of the Andamans, think of Barefoot Scuba Resort and Discover India’s best kept secret- The Emerald Isles with us.

Barefoot Scuba had 3 candidates this year for the first ever PADI Instructor Development Course and Instructor Examination in India which was held in Port Blair. They have made us proud and have come out with flying colours thereby giving us a 100% success rate.

So here’s saying Congratulations to our 3 newly certified Open Water Scuba Instructors and Emergency First Response Instructors Romila Sil, Manish Mahadik and Damien Gobron!

Someone once rightly said “All of the top achievers I know are life-long learners… Looking for new skills, insights, and ideas. If they’re not learning, they’re not growing… not moving toward excellence.” Our first candidate Romila Sil is a standing example of this.

She was always driven by the need to learn more, to question and to develop and hone new underwater skills. Through perseverance and dedication she has today achieved the rating of Open Water Scuba Instructor and we are proud of her. Having scored a near 100% in all her exams both at the Divemaster level and at the Instructor level, a promising career lies ahead of her in the diving industry and Barefoot Scuba wishes her all the very best.

Damien Gobron walked into Barefoot Scuba one morning enquiring about the Divemaster Course. Hailing from France this young traveller eventually took the EFR Course, the Rescue Course, the Divemaster Course and the Instructor Course with us. His passion for diving grew immensely and went from strength to strength as he mastered various skills that would eventually help his succeed in the Instructor Examination.

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement and nothing can be done without hope and confidence. Manish Mahadik has always had big dreams and goals. Achieving them has never been a problem with him as he is as focussed as an ace archer aiming for the bull eye.

It’s been just a few hours since this young, capable Divemaster of Barefoot Scuba was congratulated and handed the Instructor certificate. He has barely rejoiced and enjoyed this moment and he already has his eyes set on achieving the MSDT and IDC staff Instructor Rating.There is no stopping him now and we look forward to him achieving every milestone that he sets for himself.

Through this IDC and IE program, there were many moments of stress when emotions were volatile and the tension was building up. Our Award Winning Platinum Course Director Thien X Do and IDC Staff Instructor Sean Nordbo were there right through to give these candidates the strength and motivation they needed. The seeds of hard work had been sown and it was a success that was inevitable.

Romila Sil & Manish Mahadik are both now employed in the capacity of Instructors at Barefoot Scuba. They continue to grow as dive professionals everyday and rise to the new challenges that the diving industry offers them. As for Damien, on successful completion of the Instructor Course, he  travelled to Japan in search of a diving career and we are sure that he too is progressing and evolving into a fantastic and well respected Instructor.

Working in the Scuba diving industry is rewarding and fulfilling. So if you are looking for a new career with exciting opportunities, then email us now and become a dive professional today.

The roots of true achievement lie in the will to become the best that you can become. Congratulations to Romila, Manish & Damien once again and Congratulations to Barefoot Scuba too!