

Bucketlist Dive Week (Andamans)
Earn your PADI Open Water Diver certification in one of India's most spectacular dive destinations.
Havelock Island · Neil Island · Port Blair
Bucketlist Dive Week (Andamans)
Nov 9 - Nov 15, 2026 · ₹1,60,000
Bucketlist Dive Week (Andamans)
Earn your PADI Open Water Diver certification in one of India's most spectacular dive destinations. This 7-day expedition takes you from complete beginner to certified diver across Port Blair, Havelock, and Neil Island - four open-water dives, two post-certification fun dives, and a tribe of twelve, all first-timers.
You do the eLearning theory before you fly, so when you land in Port Blair on Day 1, there's nothing to study, nowhere to be, just the islands and a welcome dinner. Havelock is where the diving happens, three days of going from nervous first sessions in confined water to actual open-ocean descents to, by Day 4, being a certified diver. It builds faster than you'd expect.
Day 5 is two boat fun dives - no skills to demonstrate, no instructor watching your buoyancy, just you and the reef, because you've earned it. Day 6 is a slow ferry to Neil Island, no diving (the no-fly buffer before you head home), and a slow farewell evening.
Twelve other complete beginners. The same quiet anxiety going in. By Day 4 they're the people you're calling when you land home, because there's something about doing a genuinely hard thing together, and the moment it stops being hard, that turns strangers into people you'll actually stay in touch with.
The big moments
The bits you will tell first.
Not sightseeing filler. These are the moments the trip is built around.


Six dives across Havelock's most rewarding reefs - Nemo Beach, Red Pillar, Pilot Reef, The Slope

Go from complete beginner to certified PADI diver in four days cleared to 18 metres

Underwater photos and video of every dive, raw footage yours to keep

Island-hop the Andamans across three islands: Port Blair, Havelock, Neil

A Tribe of twelve first-timers - the shared nerves, and the shared celebration on Day 4
Experiences
PADI Open Water Diver certification (eLearning + confined sessions + 4 open water dives)
2 fun dives after certification (6 dives total)
Dive photography & videography — raw footage delivered to each diver
All inter-island ferries (Port Blair ↔ Havelock ↔ Neil)
Airport transfers + on-ground private transport in AC vehicles
6 nights accommodation (Port Blair, Havelock, Neil) with breakfast
Local Crew + PADI instructors throughout
The Gameplan
DAY 01
We Made It
You land in Port Blair, drop your bags, and the saltwater air does something to your pace before you've even checked in. Late afternoon the group gathers for a context-setting circle, a beginning. Then dinner together, meeting the eleven other people you'll be underwater with by the end of the week.

DAY 02
First Day Under
Early ferry to Havelock, packed breakfast, ninety minutes across open water. The island receives you slowly and you catch yourself gradually loosen up. Your first confined-water sessions happen today, three of them, your instructor easing you into what it actually feels like to breathe underwater. No open dives yet. Late lunch around 3pm, easy evening, early night.

DAY 03
First Real Descent
Two final confined session at Nemo Beach and then arrives the moment the ocean stops being a surface. Your first open-water descent. Two shore-entry dives, about 45 minutes each, and somewhere in there something shifts. Back at the property by late afternoon. The evening is yours to do nothing with.

DAY 04
Certified
Two more open-water dives, and then it's official. You surface certified, cleared to 18 metres, with a group around you that was in that water too. The celebration dinner tonight has a different quality to it, everyone at that table earned something today. The newest divers in the Andamans!

DAY 05
Just For the Joy of It
No checklist. No skills to demonstrate today! Two boat dives - Red Pillar, Pilot Reef, The Slope, and you're dropping in simply because you can now. Lunch after, and then the afternoon opens up into whatever you want it to be.

DAY 06
Coming Up Slow
A short morning ferry to Neil, the quietest of the three islands. The no-fly buffer means no diving today, which nobody really minds. The afternoon stretches out, the sunset over the water is long and unhurried. And the farewell dinner has the feeling of something being properly closed rather than just ended.

DAY 07
One Last Breath
Slow breakfast. Last looks at the water. The morning ferry back to Port Blair, and somewhere on that crossing it lands that the trip is actually over. Fly home certified, salt-soaked, part of the Tribe<3.

Stay
Hotels we love for this route.
We sometimes use these hotels, or hotels like these, depending on dates, availability, and the final rooming plan.

Lemon Tree, Port Blair
★4.3Google ratingCity-centre 4-star hotel in Port Blair. Walkable to Aberdeen Bazaar. Your arrival night base before heading to Havelock.
Open map
Havelock Island Beach Resort
★4.3Google rating5-star beachside resort on Havelock Island. Your home base for the PADI Open Water course — close to the dive centre and beach. Premium Cottages, garden facing, double sharing.
Open map
Pearl Park Beach Resort
★4.4Google rating4-star beach resort on Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep). Quietest of the three islands — slower pace, fewer crowds. Near Bharatpur/Laxmanpur for sunset. Deluxe Rooms, garden view, double sharing.
Open mapFee & inclusions
Included
- Once in a lifetime Adventure
- Invites max 12 Curated People
- Handpicked Inclusive Experiences
- 6 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 dinners
- Gorgeous Airbnbs & 4-star Hotels
- Modes of Transport None
- Stay in twin-shared rooms
- Vibe facilitator with you throughout the experience
Not included
- Flights to/from Port Blair (IXZ)
- Travel insurance (dive cover recommended)
- Lunches + free-night dinners
₹1,60,000
12 people
2 payments · next ₹34,240
Notes for you
Every edition is curated to 14–17 people across professions, cities, and stages of life — never 14 from the same industry. Once you confirm, you get an anonymized cohort snapshot covering roles, cities, and why each person is coming. The full WhatsApp group goes live around 30 days before departure. Median age is typically 28–38; gender ratio targets 50:50 within applicant-pool constraints. If a destination skews younger or older, the edition page says so.
Stays, on-ground transfers, curated experiences, breakfast and one other meal a day, and the host being with you for the whole edition. Not included: flights, visa fees, alcohol, and meals on free evenings. The exact inclusions/exclusions split is in the two-column section on each edition page. No surprise add-ons at checkout.
Cancellation outcomes depend on your edition's category and how close you are to departure. In the early window you receive 90% as ExCo Wallet credit (or 80% as a bank transfer if you've paid ₹50,000+); in the late window 50% wallet (or 40% bank). A flat ₹7,000 administration fee applies. ExCo Wallet credit is valid at full value for 12 months and is transferable to a friend or family member once. Wallet credit cannot be converted to cash. Insurance premiums and third-party costs already incurred remain non-refundable.
A 10% deposit at booking locks your spot — this applies across all edition categories (Visa-Heavy, Mid-Adventure, and Easy-Visa / Domestic). The remaining balance is split into scheduled payments based on the category's payment timeline, with the final payment due before the edition's cut-off. The exact schedule is shown above the deposit button on each edition page. You can pay by UPI, bank transfer, debit card, or credit card.
We're not picking the “best” applicants — we're building a room that works. Range across professions, life stages, and intent matters more than credentials. We read every application. The lens is simple: would this person make the group better, and would the group make this person's edition better.
Yes — both of you go through the same curation flow. The group balance matters more than the headcount, so we apply the same lens to your plus-one. Often both get in. Sometimes only one of you is the right fit for that specific edition, in which case we'll recommend a different edition for the other. Spot transfers between friends or family aren't allowed directly — the original booking has to be cancelled first, and any wallet credit can then be used toward a new booking.
Edition dates are fixed — the host, the cohort, and the on-ground vendors are all locked. Edition transfers are not permitted directly. If your plans change, you'll need to cancel your current booking and use any eligible ExCo Wallet credit toward a new booking. The credit is valid at full value for 12 months.
The number on the edition page is the all-in program fee for what's included — stays, on-ground transfers, curated experiences, breakfast and one other meal a day, and the host. Flights, visa fees, alcohol, and meals on free evenings are excluded. GST applies where relevant; checkout shows the final number. Editions priced in USD/EUR/JPY may convert at the prevailing rate when each scheduled payment is processed; once a payment has been processed it isn't retrospectively adjusted.
If you've confirmed for your edition and applied for your visa but are still waiting on results, you can make a partial payment of 30% and settle the balance once the visa is approved. If the visa is rejected, ExCo deducts 20% of the amount paid and the rest is credited to a future edition. If your visa status remains uncertain 31 days before the edition, you can either reschedule to a future edition free of charge, or hold your spot — in which case the 50% advance becomes non-refundable regardless of the outcome.
A prior rejection (US, UK, Schengen, or otherwise) doesn't automatically disqualify you, but it does mean we'll spend more time on documentation. Flag it during the application — our visa team has a separate intake for travellers with prior rejections so you get an honest read on your odds before you commit financially. Note: passports must remain valid for at least six months beyond the end of the edition.
About 70% of every edition comes solo. By the second dinner, no one remembers who arrived knowing whom. The whole format — shared villa, shared transport, anchor experiences — is built so groups form fast and naturally.
