Scuba Diving at Parrot's Rock, Chidiyatapu

Drift diving is a style of scuba diving where instead of swimming against or across a current, you let the water carry you. You descend, neutralise your buoyancy, and the current does the work — moving you along the reef at a natural pace while you focus entirely on what you're seeing. There's no fin kicking, no effort, no fighting the water; experienced divers often describe it as flying. At Parrot's Rock specifically, the current runs along the reef face in a consistent direction, taking you past the site's most dramatic features: moonscape rock formations rippled with channels and ridges, sudden explosions of purple soft coral, tall gorgonian fan corals leaning into the current, and open sections where schools of parrotfish hold formation ahead of you. The entire dive covers more ground than a standard dive at the same depth, and it feels effortless throughout.

The drift dive at Parrot's Rock requires a minimum Intermediate or Advanced Open Water certification (SSI or PADI equivalent). The moderate to strong current and 20-metre maximum depth mean divers need solid buoyancy control and comfort in the water before attempting the site. We recommend at least 15–20 logged dives before your first drift dive here. The reef is not suitable for beginners and non-swimmers.

Yes — Parrot's Rock is the primary site for the SSI Drift Diving Specialty, one of very few locations in the Andaman Islands with the consistent natural current conditions required for proper specialty training. This is a genuine advantage of diving at Chidiyatapu rather than Havelock, where current-driven sites are less reliable. The specialty teaches you how to plan and execute drift dives safely: reading and using currents to your advantage, managing your position relative to the reef and your buddy, using an SMB (surface marker buoy) to signal your position when surfacing away from the entry point, and communicating with your boat in open-water current conditions. The course requires a minimum Open Water certification and is completed over two dives at the site.

Parrot's Rock is diveable from October to April. During this period, visibility regularly reaches 20–25 metres, the current is at its most consistent, and the soft corals and gorgonians are at their healthiest and most vivid. If you have flexibility in your Andaman itinerary, a December or January booking delivers the best possible drift experience.

Parrot's Rock is located between South Andaman and Rutland Island, accessed from Chidiyatapu at the southern tip of South Andaman — approximately 40 minutes by road from Port Blair, followed by a short boat transfer to the site. This is a boat-access-only drift dive with no shore entry.

Drift diving is safe when conducted with proper preparation, training, the right equipment, and an experienced guide. The main safety consideration unique to drift diving is that the current moves you along the reef, so you may surface at a different point from where you entered — this is entirely normal and planned for. Drift divers at Parrot's Rock use an SMB (surface marker buoy), a brightly coloured inflatable tube deployed from underwater before you ascend, which signals your precise location to the boat crew above; they track the SMB and move the boat to your position, so you're never left to surface and search for the boat. We brief all divers on the SMB procedure during the pre-dive briefing and carry a spare on every dive. In the unlikely event of separation from the group, standard dive protocol applies: ascend slowly, deploy your SMB, remain on the surface, and wait for the boat.