Siren S/Y Andaman Islands – 10 Days/9
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SIREN S/Y ANDAMAN ISLANDS – 10 DAYS/9 NIGHTS DAYS ITINERARY DIVES DAY 1 Arrive Port Blair _ _ _ Meet a member of the Worldwide Dive and Sail crew at the Fortune Bay Hotel at noon. Arrange the Harbour Master Administration, transfer to the port and board the SY Siren. After boarding settle into your cabin and assemble your equipment with help from our friendly crew. The boat briefing is followed by dinner and enjoy the rest of the evening at your leisure. Depart for South Button Island DAY 2 South Button Island: featuring the beautiful spine-cheek anemone fish, 3 mobula rays, tuna, grouper and Napoleon wrasse. Campbell Shoal Ridge: Large school’s of snapper and sweetlips DAY 3 Narcondam Island- Lighthouse, Up to NE Point, 4 HQ Pinnacle, HQ Beach, Ooo la la South Point DAY 4 Up to Two days and up to 8 dives around Narcondam Island. Pristine hard and soft 4 corals, an extensive variety and plethora of fish including giant groupers, purple fire dart gobies, schools of tunas, grey and white tip reef sharks and manta rays. DAY 5 Barren Island- NE Corner, 3-4 Beach Bommies, NW Wall, North Exploration. Two days and up to 7 Dives around Barren Island: still an active volcano with DAY 6 stunning scenery above and below water. The depth of Barren Island drops to 3-4 over 1000m with big, deep walls, ridges and sloping reefs. It is a magnet for large pelagics including manta rays. Enjoy the beauty of Purple Haze with an abundance of purple soft coral that glow against the black sands. Hawksbill turtles, banded sea kraits, bumphead, parrot fish, garden eels and much more can all be seen here. DAY 7 Passage Island : Schools of eagle and mobula rays patrol the reef, large schools Up to of parrotfish and Napoleon wrasse. 4 Fish Rock: Large schools of tuna, trevally, rainbow runners, groupers and snappers, beautiful soft corals and white tip reef sharks. Sister Island: Shallow reef dive. DAY 8 Up to Eagle Nest Bay - Night Dive: Barracuda, red reef crab and fimbriated moray 4 eels. Dive up to 4 more times at some of your favourite spots around Passage Island or even perhaps discover a new site, before heading to Havelock Island. DAY 9 Havelock Island 4 Dixon’s Pinnacle: Be amazed at the variety and amounts of schooling fish. Crazy Girl: large schools of chevron barracudas and large potato groupers. Big eye trevally, banded sea kraits and even dolphins can possibly be seen. The Wall: Napoleon wrasse, octopi, spine-cheek anemone fish. Havelock Island: Dive the sandy bay of Havelock at dusk and discover ghost pipe fish, interesting nudibranchs, flounders and rays. Sunset- Opportunity to visit beach number 7 and enjoy the sunset. In the evening enjoy a BBQ on the boat and start planning your next adventure aboard the Siren Fleet DAY 10 Wreck dive on an old steam liner, at Middle Andaman. Maximum depth will be 1 18 metres and the visibility can range from 10m to a possible 20m. Giant groupers, giant sweetlips and schools of snapper can be seen. Disembark in port Blair Three hour cruise and sail to Port Blair, disembark the SY Siren after lunch and transfer to your hotel. TOTAL DIVES Up to 32 BOAT SPECIFICATIONS Technical specifications Accomodation and Facilities Navigation and Communications Length : 34 Staterooms : 8 large air- Steel : ironwood and teak conditioned cabins each with their Mobile phone own personal computer, audio- Satteliete phone Nitrox : free for all certified Nirox visual entertainment system and VHF radio divers ensuite bathrooms with hot water. SSB radio All rooms are lavished with luxury Radar extra’s including bathrobes, hair Depht sounder dryers, towels, individually GPS controlled mood lighting and individual controls for your air- conditioning unit. Each cabin is fitted with an individual computer and multiple power sources to facilitate the needs of digital photography. The computer features high-end specifications and 20” high- definition flatscreens, which is integrated with the yachts network server in the saloon Massage Service Max passengers : 16 FAQ Visa and Passports Visa and Passport regulations for different countries are constantly in a state of flux. We always advise our guests that they check regularly for updates and changes. All guests are required to obtain a Tourist Visa from an Indian Embassy or Consulate prior to arrival in India. We advise that guests submit an application well in advance as process time may take up to one week. We advise that guests do not mention that they will be visiting the Andaman Islands. It is possible that if you state the Andaman Islands as your destination, the embassy will insist on issuing the 30-day Restricted Area Permit (RAP) along with the Tourist Visa, and this may take up to 4 weeks. Instead, guests should apply for the normal Tourist Visa only, just mentioning that you are visiting Chennai or whatever is the first airport you arrive at in India and upon arrival at Port Blair, guests will be issued the 30-day RAP free-of-charge. Time Zone The local time in Port Blair is 5.30 hours ahead of UTC (GMT). Health Health services in the Andaman Islands are by no means up to western standards; however, Port Blair has a hospital. The majority of the Andaman Islands are free of malaria and other serious diseases. We do advise all guests to ensure that vaccinations are up to date. We recommend that travelers follow normal precautions with food in order to prevent stomach upsets, and be sure to drink bottled water only. Please consult your doctor or nearest health authorities for up-to-date medical travel information well before departure. Language and Religion There are several main languages spoken in the Andaman Islands including Hindi, Tamil and Bengali, as well as several Tribal dialects used on more remote islands. Nearly all people who work in the tourism industry speak English. The religious diversity of these islands range from the Hindu faith to Muslim, Christian and Sikh. All faiths live in harmony. Climate and Weather The Andaman Islands tropical climate is influenced by the southwest and northeast monsoons. Due to this, there is a very short window to operate liveaboard expeditions. Worldwide Dive and Sail has chosen the best possible weather period during March to mid- April in order to maximize passenger enjoyment. Air temperature stays fairly even throughout the year, between 22-33°C (71-92F). There are two rainy seasons, one from June to mid-September and the other from November to mid- December. The best time to visit is between December and April. Clothing and Footwear Dress on board our yacht is very casual and most guests feel comfortable in little more than swimwear, shorts and t-shirts, particularly in the warm weather of the Andaman Islands. A sweater is advised for cooler nights, particularly after multiple dives. Guests prefer bare feet on board the yacht; however island visits will require sturdy sandals or cross-trainers. When on shore on the Andaman Islands, it is acceptable for guests to wear shorts and t-shirts; women are advised to dress sensibly. Electricity On board the yacht we have both 220V and 110V with 2 round pin sockets. (European style) Please make sure you bring universal adapter with you if necessary. Electrical current in India is 220 Volts. Smoking Smoking onboard is permitted in designated (outdoor) areas. Money Matters The local currency is the Indian Rupee (INR). Hotels, restaurants and shops accept major credit cards. Guests can change currency at the Fortune Island Bay hotel but exchange rates are likely to be better in Chennai. Extra Costs can be paid onboard our yacht. We do not accept credit card payments. Worldwide Dive and Sail advises guests to exchange money prior to the departure of the trip and have small denominations of Indian Rupee on hand. Payments Onboard Any extra cost you may have on board must be paid in cash. We do not accept credit card payments on board, so it is advisable that guests bring extra cash of between 100-200 € on top of the marine park and port fees, per person. Worldwide Dive and Sail accepts GBP, EUR, USD and the local currency of the dive destination. Trips often finish in remote locations, it is best to bring extra cash in case there is no ATM or other method of withdrawing cash. Marine Park and Port Fees The marine park and port fees for this trip are 140 € per person and must be paid onboard in cash. Tipping Tipping is a matter of personal choice. You may wish to leave a tip if you feel the crew has made your holiday extra special. Tips are divided equally amongst all the crew including dive guides. .