Overview
About North Bay Island
North Bay is where the Andamans stop being a history lesson and start being an ocean. It is a short island with a reef shelf running close to shore, which is exactly what makes it the archipelago's beginner water-sports centre: you can be standing on live coral bottom in five metres of water within twenty minutes of stepping off the boat, with no swimming ability required.
The headland lighthouse is the one on the reverse of the Indian ₹20 note — the view is actually taken from Mount Harriet across the water, but the lighthouse is this one, and everybody photographs it. Behind the landing beach the island is forested and largely undeveloped; there is no resort, no village, and nothing much beyond the activity counters and a couple of food stalls.
The reef itself has taken a beating from years of heavy footfall and from bleaching events, so set expectations honestly: this is not Jolly Buoy or the Havelock dive sites. What it is, is accessible. Families with small children, non-swimmers and nervous first-timers get a genuine underwater experience here that they would not attempt anywhere else, and the operators are set up for exactly that.
Nearly everyone arrives on a combined Ross Island and North Bay day trip out of Port Blair. Ross in the morning, North Bay from late morning through early afternoon, back at the Water Sports Complex by four.
Why people come here
- Sea walking on the reef shelf with no swimming skills needed
- The ₹20 note lighthouse on the headland
- Glass-bottom and semi-submarine boats for non-swimmers
- Snorkelling, scuba try-dives and jet skiing from the same beach
- Underwater photos and video included by most operators
Things to do
What to do here
Underwater sea walk
A surface-fed helmet keeps your head dry while you walk the sea bed at five to seven metres with an instructor holding your arm. Fish are fed at your hand; hair and face stay dry.
Try-dive scuba
A shallow one-on-one dive with a certified instructor after a beach briefing. No certification and no swimming ability required, minimum age usually ten.
Glass-bottom and semi-submarine boat
Coral and fish viewed through floor panels, or from an air-conditioned viewing cabin below the waterline. The right call for grandparents and toddlers.
Jet ski, banana and sofa rides
Run off the landing beach with an instructor on the machine. Sold individually or as a bundle at the counters.
Getting there
How to reach
Boat from Port Blair
Departures through the morning from Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex; roughly 30 minutes each way.
Combined day trip
The standard ticket does Ross Island first, then North Bay, returning mid-afternoon.
From the airport
The Water Sports Complex is about 6 km from the airport — plan the trip for a full day, not an arrival day.
Best time to visit · November to April, morning slots
Visibility is best before noon and before the day's boats stir up the shallows. Water sports pause in rough weather, which is common from June to September.
Good to know
Travel tips
- Book the sea walk slot as you board, not on arrival — the morning slots fill first and they are the clear ones.
- Bring a change of clothes and a dry bag; there are only basic changing rooms.
- Reef shoes or old sneakers help. The entry is coral rubble, not sand.
- Wear reef-safe sunscreen, and none at all before a sea walk — operators will ask you to rinse off.
- Prices are per activity and negotiable in a bundle. Agree the total before you hand over a card.
Gallery
North Bay Island in pictures
Port Blair (South Andaman)
Combine it with
Tour packages
