Arrive at Veer Savarkar International Airport (Port Blair). Meet-and-greet followed by hotel transfer and check-in. Afternoon orientation covering safety, diving schedule, research goals, and gear briefing. Visit the Cellular Jail in the evening and attend the famous Light and Sound Show — an evocative account of India’s freedom struggle. Brief welcome dinner with the team and fellow participants.

Meals included: Dinner.

Research/Diving focus: initial briefing, medical checks, and equipment sizing.

Early morning ferry to Havelock. Check-in followed by beach orientation and safety drills. Afternoon relaxation at Radhanagar Beach (often listed among Asia’s best beaches) with sunset time for beach reconnaissance and light snorkeling near shore.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner.

Research/Diving focus: surface-supplied snorkeling assessments and environmental briefing for coral monitoring protocols.

Start the hands-on portion with two guided dives (or a single long dive for certified divers) at world-class sites near Havelock. Morning: skills review and two shallow dives focusing on reef identification and health assessment techniques. Afternoon workshop on coral taxonomy, data recording, and photography for research logs.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Research/Diving focus: reef assessments, species ID, transect techniques, and underwater photo documentation.

Two morning dives targeting deeper reef zones and overhang sites to observe reef zonation and larger reef fauna. Return for midday rest. In the evening, optional guided night snorkel or nocturnal biological survey to observe night-active reef creatures and coral polyps.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Research/Diving focus: deeper reef ecology, behavior observations, night survey techniques (optional night dive/snorkel).

Half-day dedicated to data consolidation and citizen science activities: uploading logs, mapping sightings, and preparing short presentations. Afternoon visit to a local fishing village or marine NGO to learn about community conservation efforts and sustainable livelihood initiatives.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Research/Diving focus: community engagement, data management, and collaborative conservation planning.

Two specialty dives focusing on macro biodiversity and underwater photography/composition. In-water assist by an instructor to capture reef species for research archives. Post-dive editing and cataloguing session where participants tag and annotate images with species and GPS-linked site data.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Research/Diving focus: macro surveys, image-based species validation and database curation.

Morning ferry to Neil Island. Check-in and a relaxed day exploring Bharatpur Beach and Laxmanpur/Howrah Bridge for sunset. Easy snorkeling access and coral viewing from shallow shore areas.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner.

Research/Diving focus: shallow coastal reef observations and tartan-scale shore transects.

Morning transfer back to Havelock if required for connecting ferry to Port Blair. Alternatively, direct ferry to Port Blair depending on schedule. Afternoon free for souvenir shopping or optional visit to Ross Island (time permitting) — an evocative colonial-era site close to Port Blair.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner.

Research/Diving focus: final data audit, group debrief and preparation of a participant action plan for post-trip conservation involvement.

Morning session: participants present findings, photo highlights and receive certificates for completed dives and research modules. Final check-out and transfer to Veer Savarkar International Airport for onward flights.

Meals included: Breakfast.

Important: Ensure at least 3 hours buffer before your flight for island-to-airport transfers and permit formalities.