Port Blair

Red Skin Island

The marine park reef on its off years

Depth
4 - 15 m
Visibility
15 - 30 m
Minimum level
Non-diver
Site type
Reef
Entry
Boat entry
Boat ride
45 min boat ride
Water
28 - 31°C
The other half of the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park. Access alternates with Jolly Buoy by season, so whichever is open is the one we run.
  • Reef
  • Port Blair

Red Skin is the second island inside the marine park off Wandoor, and the park alternates public access between it and Jolly Buoy so that each reef gets a season to recover. It is the same protected water and the same permit day - only the boat turns the other way.

What you will see

Table and branching coral in the condition that only comes from decades of no fishing and no anchors, with a sand-bottomed lagoon on the leeward side that holds juvenile fish in numbers. Parrotfish, fusiliers, and the occasional eagle ray crossing the outer edge.

How it dives

Shallow and calm, which makes it a snorkelling trip as much as a diving one. Park rules are strict and enforced at the jetty: no plastic ashore, no gloves in the water, nothing touched or taken. The day runs long because the permit counter and the drive are part of it.

What you will see

  • Inside the marine national park
  • Alternates seasons with Jolly Buoy
  • Shallow lagoon full of juvenile fish
  • Snorkellers dive the same boat

When to dive it

Best conditions: December - April

Outside those months the site still gets dived - visibility and sea state just move around, so ask us what the water is doing the week you are here.

What the water is doing

The figures our guides brief on. They are what the site usually gives you - the sea gets the final say on the morning, and the boat briefing always wins.

  • Depth4 - 15 m
  • Visibility15 - 30 m
  • Water temperature28 - 31°C
  • CurrentMild current
    • No current
    • Mild current
    • Moderate current
    • Strong current

    Comfortable for a diver holding their own buoyancy.

Before you dive

The rules every diver on this site is held to, whichever trip brings you here. None of them are negotiable, and none of them are a surprise on the day.

  • Minimum age

    Ten years old for a first guided dive, twelve and above for certified diving. Ask us if you are travelling with younger children.

  • Medical declaration

    You will complete a diver medical questionnaire before entering the water. A "yes" to any question means a doctor has to sign you off first, so tell us early rather than on the boat.

  • Flying after diving

    Leave at least 18 hours between your last dive and your flight. Book your trip home with that gap already in it - we cannot shorten it for you.

  • Insurance

    Bring travel insurance that names recreational scuba diving, including chamber treatment and evacuation. We will ask to see it.

This is general guidance for recreational diving, not medical advice about you. If any of it is a question rather than a formality, speak to a doctor before you travel.

Questions divers ask about this site

  • Is it open when Jolly Buoy is?

    No - that is the point of the arrangement. One is open and the other is resting. Tell us your dates and we will tell you which one you are diving.

  • Is it worth it if I have already done Jolly Buoy?

    Honestly, they are similar reefs under the same protection. If you have done one and have a day to spend, Corruption Rock is the more interesting dive.

More diving around Port Blair

Want this site on your log? Tell us when you are on the island and we will put you on the boat that goes there.

EnquireAll dive sites
From our divers

What people say once the boat is back in

  • Best first dive I could have asked for. The instructors were unbelievably patient - I panicked at four metres on the first attempt and nobody made me feel stupid about it. Second attempt went fine and I finished the course three days later.
    Rahul MenonOpen Water Diver
  • Only one of us dives. Every other operator we spoke to had a plan where the other one sat on a beach for four days. Aqua Nomads put the snorkel line off the same boat, so we were in the same water the whole week - and by day three I had done a Discover Scuba dive too. The sunset sailing on the last evening was the best hour of the trip.
    Priya and Arjun NairHoneymoon, February
  • They called the Dixon crossing on our first morning because of a swell, and I was quietly annoyed. We dived Jackson Bar twice instead and it turned out to be the best day of the week. Getting Dixon on day three in flat water made the point - they were right and I was wrong.
    Daniel OseiAdvanced Open Water Diver
  • Two teenagers, neither of whom had dived. The instructors worked one-to-one with both of them for the first two dives without us asking, and my daughter has since booked her Open Water for next December. Whatever they did, it worked.
    The Fernandes familyFour divers, two of them under fifteen
  • I cannot swim well and I said so when I booked. They ran the whole thing one instructor to one diver, stayed in the shallow half of the bay, and never once made it feel like a concession. I have since done the swim assessment and the full course.
    Aditi SharmaOpen Water Diver
Call +91 90000 00000