Goa is known by its beaches, night life, sea foods, and picturesque beauty and yet one adventure that has been of immense popularity to the adventure lovers is the Scuba Diving, Grande Island. Grande Island (or Ilha Grande) is one of the most appropriate places in India to discover the underwater world a short boat ride of the coast of South Goa. Scuba Diving in Grande Island is a dream adventure both to the novice and the experienced divers, with its clear blue water, abundance of marine life and qualified instructors. Diversionately to the tourists seeking the best things to undertake in Goa, scuba diving in Goa will always be one of the first things in the list.
Grande Island is a clean environment with calm waves that have great visibility under the water. When you get into the Arabian Sea, you get into a different world that is full of colourful fish, corals, rocks, and even the remains of the sunken ships. The sensation of being free and not being submerged by the water and being able to breathe comfortably in scuba gears is literally magical.
The attraction of Scuba Diving, Grande Island is very popular as far as the site is secure, novice friendly, and abounds in underwater wonders. The surrounding water around the island is very calm and shallow hence easy to be comfortable by first time divers. Underwater visibility is quite good compared with the majority of beaches located in the mainland and make it possible to see each detail of marine life.
The coral reefs of the island entice numerous fish species. There are also colourful plants, underwater rock formations and occasionally octopuses, crabs and lobsters, and starfish. The instructors are certified, friendly and trained in diving. They take you through it stepwise and ensure that it is a safe and fun experience.
The next important thing of interest is the scenic boat cruise between the coast and Grande Island. When you are on the boat ride, you can also see dolphins jumping in and out of water that makes the boat ride even more exciting.
In case when you start Scuba Diving on Grande Island, you start with a brief training. Your instructors instruct you on how to breath out of the oxygen tank, how to use hand signals to communicate when you are underwater, and how to relax. This training normally takes between 10 and 20 minutes.
Thereafter, you put on your scuba suit, mask, fins and oxygen cylinder. The teacher accompanies you all through the dive, which is safe and comfortable.
You still start to see the beautiful underwater world as soon as you enter the water and start going deeper. The quietness, the motion of floating and the colourful fish swimming in makes the atmosphere serene and magic. You may see:
Schools of bright fish
Beautiful coral formations
Plants on the sea, swinging along the water.
Small underwater caves
Special shells and rock formations.
There are even shipwrecks in some of the scuba diving locations around Grande Island which many marine life grow in and the diving experience is all the more exciting.
Grande Island has the best season of Scuba Diving which is October to May. The months are calm, clear and there is great visibility in the sea.
Diving can not be done during monsoon (June to September) due to heavy currents and wild seas.
Various packages are offered by most operators in Goa and they include:
1. Beginner/Introductory Dive
This is ideal among first-time users. The depth is not much, and a teacher accompanies you all the time.
2. Professional Dive
This is to those who are already diversified or certified. You have an opportunity of getting down and deeper into more complex underwater sites.
3. Combo Packages
These have other adventure sports such as parasailing, jet ski, banana ride and snorkelling as well as scuba diving.
Scuba Diving in Grande Island is safe provided that correct guidelines are adhered to. Here are some safety tips:
Be a good listener to your teacher.
Breath slowly and consistently.
Do not touch corals or fish
Put on the entire scuba equipment.
Do not dive when you are aware of the health conditions such as heart problems and asthma.
The first one is safety, and the instructors ensure that nothing is done in an amateur manner.
Goa has a wide range of adventure activities; however scuba diving is considered as the one of top activities to do in Goa as it takes one into the world that may not be viewed on the shore. It offers you the uncommon opportunity to tour the sea life, have a quiet environment, and have something exciting but relaxing. This is the reason why Scuba Diving, Grande Island is listed among the best activities to be done by tourists and locals in Goa.
