The Slope
Explore an Amphitheatre of Coral Ridges and Thriving Marine Life
- Depth
- 5 - 20 m
- Visibility
- 10 - 24 m
- Minimum level
- Open Water Diver
- Entry
- Boat entry
- Boat ride
- 15 min boat ride
- Water
- 27 - 30°C
The Slope is a distinctive boat-diving site near the lighthouse on Havelock Island, featuring gently descending underwater ridges, coral boulders and sandy channels. Known for its shrimp-rich cleaning stations and diverse reef fish, the site offers rewarding opportunities for marine-life observation, underwater photography and relaxed reef exploration. Its depth range accommodates different diving experiences when matched to appropriate certification and conditions.
Explore The Slope Dive Site
Located near the lighthouse on the northwestern side of Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep), The Slope is a distinctive scuba diving site in the Andaman Islands. Unlike a steep vertical wall, this site features an amphitheatre-like underwater landscape formed by parallel ridges, sandy channels and scattered coral boulders.
Marine Life and Cleaning Stations
The Slope is particularly interesting for divers who enjoy observing small marine creatures. Its reef ridges support cleaning stations where cleaner shrimp and wrasse interact with larger fish. Divers may also encounter groupers, batfish, snappers, fusiliers, moray eels and other reef inhabitants.
Diving Experience
The shallower portions offer opportunities for reef exploration, while the deeper ridges reveal additional underwater features and marine life. The site is suitable for appropriately qualified divers, with the dive depth selected according to certification, experience and conditions.
Best Time to Visit
October to May is a general planning window for diving around Havelock Island. December to March may offer particularly favourable conditions, but visibility, currents and accessibility vary from day to day.
The Slope is an appealing destination for divers interested in underwater topography, macro marine life and the rich biodiversity of the Andaman Sea.
When to dive it
Best conditions: October - May
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.
- Depth5 - 20 m
- Visibility10 - 24 m
- Water temperature27 - 30°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.
Other sites we dive
Open Water Diver and upPilot Reef
Explore a Dramatic Reef with Fascinating Marine Life and Underwater Landscapes8 - 25 mVisibility 12 - 40 mExplore site
All levelsPurple Haze
Explore Vibrant Purple Corals and Colourful Marine Life in Havelock5 - 18 mVisibility 8 - 13 mExplore site
All levelsTribe Gate
Explore a Vibrant Reef Filled with Giant Clams and Tropical Marine Life3 - 15 mVisibility 8 - 20 mExplore site
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.
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, FebruaryThey 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