Floating in splendid isolation in the middle of the Bay of Bengal are the Andaman Islands. Administered by India, these 300 or so islands are the highest peaks of a submerged mountain range that stretches from Sumatra in the south to the Irawaddy delta in the north.
The Andaman Islands have everything you could desire from an adventurous yachting destination. There are literally hundreds of deserted islands to explore, each one seemingly more spectacular than the last. The beaches are magnificently pristine.
The snorkelling and scuba diving is amongst the best in the world with an almost untouched marine ecosystem.
There is a live volcano, thousands of square miles of untouched jungle, exotic and thriving wildlife and primitive hunter-gatherer tribes. The fishing is amongst the best in the world.
The Andamans is also starting to develop a superb reputation as a frontier surfing destination where the reef breaks have never been surfed before.
The Andaman Islands were declared a World Heritage Site in 2002. The Nicobar Islands are closed to all except Indian Nationals.
You will require Indian visas to visit the Andaman Islands. Indian visas can be arranged in Phuket by Emotion Travel (+66 76 222 320) or directly from Indian embassies worldwide.
The administration in the Andamans is very bureaucratic but consistent in the application of its rules. If you want to go to the Andamans you need to comply with the local rules and regulations, even if they seem onerous. If you break the rules, expect to be fined and deported.
For entry procedures click here.On arrival in Port Blair you will need to provide a written itinerary for your cruise around the islands detailing each overnight anchorage – so some advance research is a good idea. For a list of the islands you are permitted to visit, click here or simply use the anchorages listed in this book.
During your cruise around the islands you are required to report your position twice daily to Port Blair Port Radio on either 6224kHz or 8294kHz. If you only have VHF you will have to restrict your visit to only Port Blair and Havelock Island.
It is essential to be aware of the weather and the forecast in the Andamans – this is especially the case if you are coming from benign Phuket. Weather forecasts are given daily by Port Blair Port Radio on 6224kHz and 8294kHz at 04:00 GMT and 10:30GMT.
There are excellent regional forecasts click here.
Plan to visit the Andamans between December and May. Mid December to the end of February is the best time with warm, sunny conditions and a reliable 20 knots of wind every day.
March and April have little wind and are the best months for diving and snorkelling – this is also the time of year when the migratory whales visit the Andamans.
April is the best month for surfing with large swell from the southwest that gives spectacular breaks along the west coast. From May to December the Andamans is effectively closed with strong winds, very rough sea conditions and near continuous torrential rain. There are hurricanes from May to July and again from September to December.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands were very hard hit by the earthquake that caused the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004.
As a result of the earthquake, South and Middle Andaman Islands are now two metres lower than they were previously – so the water in these areas is now two metres deeper than charted.
If you are using a GPS or chartplotter in the Andaman Islands, then the WGS84 datum is out by nearly half a mile. You will need to apply a correction of 0.092’S, 0.106’E to make everything line up.
Environmentally-friendly yachting
The Andamans is a unique, pristine wilderness area. Help preserve it during your visit so that others can enjoy it in the future.
• Do not anchor on coral
• Take your rubbish away with you
• Do not collect any shells or coral from the beaches
• Enjoy great fishing but be sensible (keep only a few fish that you will eat)
• Stay away from the restricted tribal areas (your germs could wipe an entire tribe out)
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Port Blair & the surrounding areaPort Blair is the main town and the only Port of Entry in the Andaman Islands. It is a quaint, dirty, crowded and friendly Indian town that looks as though it has been ripped out of the colonial 1930s and dropped into the 21st century. Port Blair has an airport with daily connecting flights to ... |
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Richie’s Archipelago
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Homfray Strait & Interview IslandNavigating Homfray Strait on a yacht is a unique experience, the narrow waterway dwarfed by the towering trees on either bank. Anchoring overnight along the strait is fascinating with ...
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MacPherson Strait to Little Andaman Is.MacPherson Strait is easily navigable, even by a deep draft vessel. The ends of the strait, Wandoor in the west and ...
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Barren & Narcondam IslandsBarren Island is a spectacular active volcano that last erupted during the earthquake that caused the 2004 tsunami. It is still very active: it howls and screams, throws volcanic ash into the air and has dramatic lava flows into the sea ...
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While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate, the charts of anchorages are based on personal experience and satellite imagery and are intended as a guide only. They should not be used for navigation. Please refer to Official Hydrographic Charts of the respective countries.
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