Bangaram Island Diving Tropical India
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Bangaram Island Diving Tropical India Text and photos by Charles Stirling return for many years. dynamic state of flux. The middle archipelago of islands, I went diving in the Lakshadweep Dreaming of diving off an are the Maldives—an island nation archipelago on Bangaram Island. uninhabited tropical island? well known to divers. At the northern India has been very cautious in end are the Lakshadweep islands, allowing “outside” influences in this Doing this by liveaboard boat formerly known as the Laccadives. All archipelago—firstly, to protect the is one approach, but here, on of the islands rising out of the sea from local native culture, and secondly, to Bangaram Island, one can live this plateau are low lying coral atolls protect the fragile ecosystems. the island dream while staying with associated sand banks and other coralline structures. India—to visit or just dive? on the island itself, which has The coral growth has kept pace with Never having visited India before, I enough infra-structure to make land sinking and sea level rises, which chose to combine the diving trip to it comfortable. have been happening for thousands Bangaram with a visit to parts of the of years giving, for divers, sheer vertical Indian mainland in one trip. I didn’t The mainly submerged volcanic walls, shallow inter atoll bridges along know exactly what the diving would be mountain range of the Chagos- with sandy lagoons to enjoy. Of course, like, as it has had little or no coverage. Laccadive Plateau extends from the the coral doesn’t grow above the level Would I regret not spending all my Indian Ocean into the Arabian Sea. of the sea surface; for island formation, available time underwater? At the southern end are the Chagos storms or earthquake uplift are I first heard about diving on group of islands, which are British needed. Storms wash coral debris onto Bangaram when I talked with two owned, but part leased to the United the top of underwater coral, but storms of the owners (Michael and Badu States for a secret military base. They also mean some islands periodically Dominic) of the family-run Indian CGH are off limits even for the original disappear. The Chagos-Maldives- Earth resort group of environmentally- ABOVE: Relaxation Bangaram style with lagoon steps away. TOP: Bangaram Island and its atoll inhabitants who have been trying to Lakshadweep Archipelagos are in a friendly hotels, and found out they 47 X-RAY MAG : 26 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel India CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Chinese fishing nets at Cochin; Mumbai’s Elephanta Island is both a religious shrine but also a simple pleasant location that locals visit to unwind from city congestion; Mumbai does have its street sellers; Crowded busy Mumbai were both divers. The group owns the involved first a transfer stop in Mumbai, or begging, but it never seemed oppressive work. As in Mumbai, I had two nights, one resort on this little known island. They Bombay, as everyone local still calls it. I —people were generally happy. Yes, each going and returning. The town is highly praised the diving, so my excuse to booked this with a morning arrival and a some streets were litter strewn, but seldom larger than maps seem to show it, and visit India was sealed. next day internal flight to Cochin (or Kochi worse than England could be with our it’s spread over several islands. I stayed Getting to Bangaram from England in other speak) so had a day to visit the new rubbish “maybe collect” policies. on the seafront, near Fort Kochi, just a city, and did the same on my return. While, on the whole, I was pleasantly few minutes walk from those nets, so I did LAKSHADWEEP Mumbai is a crowded, frantic, hectic, surprised how tidy much of the city was. manage to get to see them as well as the Lakshadweep is the smallest union busy city that is fantastic. It’s way too big I would love to go back for a longer stay. fish market stretching along the beach territory of India consisting of 12 atolls, and too congested to see more than a At least a few days in a big Indian city front. three reefs and five submerged banks, tiny fraction of it in two days, but one still should be on one’s “to with a total of 32 islands located can get a taste of the place. The first thing do” list. between 200 and 400 km off the coast I noticed was the relaxed friendliness of Cochin is the gateway of the south west state of Kerala. the people, and that most spoke at least to the Lakshadweep Until recently, foreign visitors were not some English. Then, I noticed the slow rush islands. I went via allowed. Now, you can visit by obtaining of vehicles to get somewhere, as I tried to Mumbai, but direct flights a permit in advance. Likewise, access walk across a road. As a pedestrian, you from some European was limited, first by infrequent ship, quickly learn to weave amongst the cars. cities, from other eastern then slow ferry, until an airport was built With a car and a guide—which is countries and other on the island of Agatti, at first served essential—I crammed in visits to the Indian cities do exist. only by a ten-seater aircraft. In 2007, Gandhi museum, the “Gateway to Cochin is famous for its Kingfisher Airlines started daily flights India”, various religious shrines including Chinese fishing nets, to with a 70-seater turboprop plane. So, Elephanta Island, a riverside laundry, be seen in any travel Bangaram Island is a rather special various street markets and more. Yes, book of the area, and destination just beginning to open up. ■ there was poverty. Yes, people were they do still exist and 48 X-RAY MAG : 26 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel India CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Bangaram Island seen from the sea; The small bar on the beach at Bangaram; Arrival on the little floating dock with dive boat nearby the 80 or so resort staff—most of normal Western visitors—not one whom come from one of the other used to cooking his own rather spicy islands—and up to 60 visitors at any concoctions at home. The food one time. So, does one really get to suited my partner just fine. claim he or she has spent vacation The beach bar was the only time on an uninhabited island? source of alcohol in the Muslim Accommodation is provided in Lakshadweep islands, where it one of 30 double bed chalets, each was illegal otherwise. So, an after- with shower and toilet, mini-bar dive beer or wine with dinner was fridge and enough space that a cat available. wouldn’t hit its head if you had one The resort was very environ- to swing, and electrical outlets that mentally conscious with rainwater maintained power throughout the collection and storage for most day and night. water needs. The used water was Communal facilities included a treated and reused for watering Getting there library and games room, dining hall plants. Electricity was generated Flying to Agatti was on Kingfisher used for breakfast and lunch, beach Airlines—an airline reputed to have bar, plus the water sports centre more reliable service than the ten- and, the all-important, diving centre. seater plane. Those of us going on No roads, just paths, no motor to Bangaram were escorted out of vehicles, no TV, not even mobile the small airport to a thatch-roofed, phone coverage—so, it is a location open waiting area for passport and for relaxation. permit checking before seeing our Dinner was served under the stars, bags manhandled over the beach buffet style, with a good variety of to a little movable floating dock, entrees always including a choice which was pulled over to our boat of two or more fish, chicken, or other moored just offshore. Following our meat and various vegetable dishes, bags, our group of newly arriving plus a couple of types of rice. We visitors sat back for the hour-long had barbecued tiger prawns one journey to our very own enchanted, evening that were REALLY difficult tropical island surrounded by a not to overindulge in. turquoise blue sea. The food here, as in all the group’s Bangaram Island is officially ABOVE: Cooking demonstration, a offerings, was a little bland for me, classified as uninhabited, with only popular pastime. Hammocks meeting probably cooked for the more their calling on Bangaram 49 X-RAY MAG : 26 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel India uninhabited island, Tinnakara, plus two us to the island. It had very small ones, Parali-I and Parali-II. bottle storage racks, Looking at local charts, it appeared wooden benches, a as if the areas outside the surrounding proper toilet inside and fringing reef dropped to depths of over an insulated sunroof. So, 1000 metres on three sides of the reef. it was comfortable for In places, these depths reached up to up to the 12 divers that it a couple of kilometres offshore. Others could carry, but did not were relatively near, but deep depths meet the standards, or were generally found only after more needs, of Red Sea day gently sloping contours. boats, which have to On the side facing Agatti, a wide sandy cover longer distances. bank bridged the two islands at 11 metres The dive boat did carry depth.