Scuba Diving in the Palkbay & Gulf of Mannar

Scuba diving in rameswaram

What's really unique about the Palkbay region is the awesome visibility & calm waters. Since the island of Rameswaram & the protruding peninsula of Mandapam block the southerly swell & wind that blows in the summer season. Another unique feature is the lack of a monsoon season which makes diving great from April to October in the Palkbay. When the wind direction changes the Gulf of Mannar which lies south of Rameswaram Island gets calm between mainland India & 22 islets off the coast.

Quest Academy is located in between the Palkbay & Gulf of Mannar in a remote village called Pirapanvalasai. Offering a multitude of non motorised aquatic adventures & courses including scuba diving. The academy is well equipped with quality equipment & well trained professionals conducting courses. For scuba diving the place is absolutely one of the best on mainland India for a high Quality & personalised experience. The shallow confined waters of the Palkbay offers excellent sandy bottom areas for practicing skills. Yes! You on most days get to do your pool skills in the outdoors with pool-like conditions. The shore dives out here are fabulous! Different from most other dive sites on the mainland thanks to the seagrass meadows which hide a wealth of macro life, octopus, barbed goatfish, nudibranchs, halfbeaks, cuttlefish & bamboo sharks are common sightings. The dives are shallow 6 to 12 meters giving you great bottom time & exploration. There are reefs in the region worth exploring with a diversity of marine life & the boat trips to the reefs are extremely scenic with the palm fringed coastline. Quest Academy gives divers an option to dive off their Sailing Catamaran "seaQuest" with two cabins & a galley for a comfortable sailing experience.

Dive Sites in Palk Bay & GULF OF MANNAR

Golf Course 

While coral reefs are usually seen as ideal dive sites, many divers don’t get a chance to see its more unique but less flashy cousin - the seagrass meadows. A treat for any diver interested in marine wildlife, this site can change your perspective of tropical diving altogether. While a coral reef resembles a bustling city underwater, the Golf Course is more like a quaint village. The calm waters in this region make it easily accessible through shore dives, and a great place to experience diving for first-timers. You might encounter the shy bamboo shark, or a fiesty anemonefish.  Very lucky divers can spot sea turtles (green turtles, Olive Ridleys, hawksbills) or dugongs during their dives. 

Depth - 5-12m 

Marine Life - octopus, cuttlefish, hermit crab, pilot jacks, batfish, sea pens, polychaete worms, starfish, sea turtles, jellyfish, snappers, bobbit worms, bamboo sharks. 

Goliath 

Goliath is a shallow coral reef around 1km from shore. A dive here is a treat to all your senses, where you are constantly spotting something new every dive. This is one of Palk Bay’s unique coral sites, left untouched by the local communities. From large groupers to tiny damselfish, Goliath teems with fish life. The corals at this site range from massive Porites colonies to branching Acropora. With perfect visibility and shallow depth enabling long dives, this site is a photographer's paradise. 

Depth: 4-8m 

Marine Life - Coral (Porties, Favites, Acropora, Favia, Goniopora), Fish ( Malabar groupers, flametail snappers, five lined snappers, bamboo sharks, gobies, parrotfish, cleaner wrasses, damselfish, anemonefish, sweepers, squirrelfish), Invertebrates (sponges, tunicates, polychetes, crabs, starfish, lobsters, nudibranchs. 

One of our dive sites "Goliath" located in the Palkbay near Rameswaram Island. What's really unique about the Palkbay region is the awesome visibility & calm...

Other dive sites in the Palbay: Lilliput, Cotton Candy, Devils Reef & Trawlers Fate

Popular Dive Sites in Gulf of Mannar: Stags only, Rocky 3 & the Point of no return

AR2D2

AR2 is an artificial reef wonder, teaming with marine life. This artificial reef provides shelter to a number of marine species. Home to Bamboo sharks, Moray Eals, Groupers, Puffers and different types of Nudi branches. Visibility at the artificial reef is 15 meters at its peak and can go down to 3 meters on an extremely windy day due to particulates. It is one of the dive sites in the Palkbay which has dense marine biodiversity.

Depth 5-8m

Marine Life - Nudi branches, eels, bamboo shark, groupers, damsel, puffers, sponges, worms, cuttlefish, octopus, napoleon trigger fish, giant trevelly, parrotfish, cleaner wrasses, snappers and a lot more.

Highlights of Scuba Diving in the Palkbay & Gulf of Mannar with Quest Academy

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