timetraveler
Contributor
Trip Report
Netrani (Pigeon Island), India Dive Expedition
November, 2010
Dive Goa is a PADI dive op, located in Panjim, Goa, India. Its a family business with Arun running the operation and his dive instructor son, Ajey, leading the dive trips.
My buddy and I wanted to include some diving in our trip to India, and because we were scheduled to spend time in Goa, we contacted Dive Goa to make arrangements. We learned that visibility at the dive sites in Goa is less than we like, so we chose to book a 3 day dive expedition to Netrani, also known as Pigeon Island, where the visibility was said to be better. Netrani is an island in Karnataka off the coast of the Murudeshwar, a small fishing and tourist town.
We booked several months in advance, using a combination of email, SKYPE, and Paypal to make arrangements and pay the deposit. It took some time to work out deposit payment arrangements because bank transfers are commonly used in India, whereas these can be inconvenient and expensive from the US. Arun opened a Paypal account so that we could transfer the deposit to Dive Goa that way. We paid the balance in cash after arriving in Goa.
Arun arranged train transportation and hotels as well as the dives for us. When we arrived in Goa, we discovered that our train reservation from Goa to Murudeshwar was for the wrong day. At that point, it wasnt possible to book another reservation, but Arun knew the origination station for our train where seats would be available. On departure day, he met us at the station with two British divers who would be part of our group. He put the four of us on the train 2nd class and we found seats for the four hour ride. The train pulled into Murudeshwar on the opposite side of the tracks from the station. That meant that to get off our car would require climbing down the side of the train rather than simply stepping onto the platform. As soon as the train stopped, a horde of people crowded up the side of the train and into the car, making it necessary to fight our way out or be left on the train until the end of the line.
Ajey met us at the station, after having driven the 223 km from Panjim with the dive gear, and got us settled in our hotel. We had a room in the RNS Residency, a nice hotel right on the water and next to the beach. The first thing we noticed driving to our hotel, was the huge statue of Lord Shiva that towers over the town. Later that evening we visited the Murudeshwar Shiva Temple in the pouring rain. Although we expected dry weather during November, rain bands from Typhoon Jal were beginning to spread over India.
The next morning it was time to go diving. Our boat was a small former fishing boat with an outboard motor that Ajey and the boats owners had converted into a dive boat by cleaning it up and adding a sunshade and ladder. All of the gear was already loaded into the boat when we arrived. There were 4 divers, Ajey, the boat captain and 1 crew. We left from the beach and traveled the 10 km in a little over an hour to the dive sites in the vicinity of Netrani Island. We dove Nursery at a depth of 41 feet first and then Aquarium at 38 feet. The water was not as warm as expected, at 81 degrees F with thermoclines and cold currents. And the visibility was disappointing, 25 40 feet. For the first dive, the weather was clear and the Arabian Sea calm. There was no current. We saw a large Nudibranch and dozens of Cuttlefish displaying mating behavior. As we prepared for our second dive, three fishing boats arrived to watch. Apparently divers are not commonly seen in this area. By the time we entered the water, the weather had become cloudy and windy; waves and current has picked up. Our dive unexpectedly became a drift. No problem though, our boat found us easily enough. On that dive, we saw plate coral, a school of snapper and a thick layer of jellyfish filaments floating in the top couple of feet of the water.
Ajey was a knowledgeable, personal, and professional dive guide who speaks easily understandable English. The rental gear, included in the price of the trip, was in excellent condition. I highly recommend Dive Goa.
The following day, we were unable to dive because of illness. By the time our train left, Typhoon Jals rains had arrived full-force. For this portion of the trip, we had reserved seats in an Air Conditioned 3-tier car. So we didnt have to contend with rain blowing in through open windows. But we did experience a long delay. During what should have been a four-hour trip, one of the cars on our train was hit by a land-slide. We didnt reach Madgaon Station until well after midnight. Arun had made reservations for us at the Silk Cotton Resort. The taxi that the resort owner sent to pick us up at the station was waiting when we arrived, in spite of the long delay.
Netrani might not have been the best diving Ive experienced, but it was definitively among the most interesting.
Netrani (Pigeon Island), India Dive Expedition
November, 2010
Dive Goa is a PADI dive op, located in Panjim, Goa, India. Its a family business with Arun running the operation and his dive instructor son, Ajey, leading the dive trips.
My buddy and I wanted to include some diving in our trip to India, and because we were scheduled to spend time in Goa, we contacted Dive Goa to make arrangements. We learned that visibility at the dive sites in Goa is less than we like, so we chose to book a 3 day dive expedition to Netrani, also known as Pigeon Island, where the visibility was said to be better. Netrani is an island in Karnataka off the coast of the Murudeshwar, a small fishing and tourist town.
We booked several months in advance, using a combination of email, SKYPE, and Paypal to make arrangements and pay the deposit. It took some time to work out deposit payment arrangements because bank transfers are commonly used in India, whereas these can be inconvenient and expensive from the US. Arun opened a Paypal account so that we could transfer the deposit to Dive Goa that way. We paid the balance in cash after arriving in Goa.
Arun arranged train transportation and hotels as well as the dives for us. When we arrived in Goa, we discovered that our train reservation from Goa to Murudeshwar was for the wrong day. At that point, it wasnt possible to book another reservation, but Arun knew the origination station for our train where seats would be available. On departure day, he met us at the station with two British divers who would be part of our group. He put the four of us on the train 2nd class and we found seats for the four hour ride. The train pulled into Murudeshwar on the opposite side of the tracks from the station. That meant that to get off our car would require climbing down the side of the train rather than simply stepping onto the platform. As soon as the train stopped, a horde of people crowded up the side of the train and into the car, making it necessary to fight our way out or be left on the train until the end of the line.
Ajey met us at the station, after having driven the 223 km from Panjim with the dive gear, and got us settled in our hotel. We had a room in the RNS Residency, a nice hotel right on the water and next to the beach. The first thing we noticed driving to our hotel, was the huge statue of Lord Shiva that towers over the town. Later that evening we visited the Murudeshwar Shiva Temple in the pouring rain. Although we expected dry weather during November, rain bands from Typhoon Jal were beginning to spread over India.
The next morning it was time to go diving. Our boat was a small former fishing boat with an outboard motor that Ajey and the boats owners had converted into a dive boat by cleaning it up and adding a sunshade and ladder. All of the gear was already loaded into the boat when we arrived. There were 4 divers, Ajey, the boat captain and 1 crew. We left from the beach and traveled the 10 km in a little over an hour to the dive sites in the vicinity of Netrani Island. We dove Nursery at a depth of 41 feet first and then Aquarium at 38 feet. The water was not as warm as expected, at 81 degrees F with thermoclines and cold currents. And the visibility was disappointing, 25 40 feet. For the first dive, the weather was clear and the Arabian Sea calm. There was no current. We saw a large Nudibranch and dozens of Cuttlefish displaying mating behavior. As we prepared for our second dive, three fishing boats arrived to watch. Apparently divers are not commonly seen in this area. By the time we entered the water, the weather had become cloudy and windy; waves and current has picked up. Our dive unexpectedly became a drift. No problem though, our boat found us easily enough. On that dive, we saw plate coral, a school of snapper and a thick layer of jellyfish filaments floating in the top couple of feet of the water.
Ajey was a knowledgeable, personal, and professional dive guide who speaks easily understandable English. The rental gear, included in the price of the trip, was in excellent condition. I highly recommend Dive Goa.
The following day, we were unable to dive because of illness. By the time our train left, Typhoon Jals rains had arrived full-force. For this portion of the trip, we had reserved seats in an Air Conditioned 3-tier car. So we didnt have to contend with rain blowing in through open windows. But we did experience a long delay. During what should have been a four-hour trip, one of the cars on our train was hit by a land-slide. We didnt reach Madgaon Station until well after midnight. Arun had made reservations for us at the Silk Cotton Resort. The taxi that the resort owner sent to pick us up at the station was waiting when we arrived, in spite of the long delay.
Netrani might not have been the best diving Ive experienced, but it was definitively among the most interesting.
