Purple Haze — Yellow Snapper Shoals & Purple Sea Fans
It's a group of semicircular coral reefs, home to red gorgonians, purple sea fans, and other marine creatures, located north of Havelock Island. Just a few minutes of speedboat ride can take you there. It attracts divers because of its easy diving conditions — the surface remains calm with no current underwater, making it ideal to dive with beginners and non-swimmers too.
I recommend this reef to those who are new to diving and like to see different colourful soft corals and fish.
Overview of Purple Haze (Quick Facts)
About Purple Haze Dive Site
Purple Haze is an easy-to-navigate dive site with multiple reefs and different schools of fish life. I always carry a dive torch to show my divers the real colour of those red gorgonians and purple sea fans. There are some curves and edges that shelter a few lobster families.
Topography
Purple Haze is a bunch of semicircular coral reefs, like little hills of boulder corals attached with different types of staghorn corals, red gorgonians, and purple sea fan corals. You'll find several sea anemones and clownfish around these reefs too. It also has a nice, clean sandy bottom where I prefer to do open water skills with students. A non-swimmer can enjoy this reef to the fullest because it starts from 5 metres, and certified divers can explore the reefs and the sandy patch for more fun down to 17.5 metres.
Best Time to Dive
September to May is the best season for Purple Haze, with dive slots from 5:10am to 11:30am. Water temperature stays 26–29°C year-round.
Marine Life at Purple Haze
Regularly spotted species at Purple Haze: moorish idols, octopus, shoals of yellow snappers, fusiliers, sergeant major, moray eels, small groupers, lobsters, shrimps, and clownfish with sea anemones on these reefs. Different types of staghorn corals and hard boulder corals are growing on these reefs and getting bigger day by day. I find a small family of humphead parrotfish eating on the dead reef patches very often.
Occasional sightings at this site include trevallies, batfish, turtles, and stingrays on the sandy patches. If you look very closely you can find peacock mantis shrimp, nudibranchs, and fluorescent anemones too, but that requires strong concentration while diving on these reefs.
Cost & What's Included
Included:
- Full scuba equipment (tank, regulator, BCD, wetsuit, fins, mask, booties, weight belt, SPG)
- Certified SSI dive guide throughout (1:1 for non-certified divers/non-swimmers)
Bring yourself:
- Certification card if certified (digital is fine)
- Swimsuit to wear under the wetsuit
- Small towel
- Reef-safe sunscreen
- Optional extras: underwater camera, surface marker buoy, rash guard, dive computer
Getting There
Purple Haze is just a few minutes by speedboat, lying 4km north of Havelock Island. We offer complimentary pickup and drop-off within a 5km radius of our dive shop.
Emergency & Safety Information
DAN Global Emergency: +1-919-684-9111
FAQs
The top of these reefs is only at 5 metres, and the depth gradually increases to 17.5 metres.
Yes, this group of reefs is ideal for newer divers, and also suits beginners trying their first scuba diving experience.
Yes, they are right there around these reefs along with sea anemones.
I would recommend from September till the end of May.
Beginners and non-swimmers pay INR 5,000 + 18% GST per person. Certified divers (Open Water or above) pay INR 2,500 + 18% GST per person.
Your dive includes a scuba tank, weight belt, regulator, submersible pressure gauge, buoyancy compensator, wetsuit, mask, fins, and booties. Bring your own swimwear to wear under the wetsuit, a small towel, and reef-safe sunscreen. An underwater camera, surface marker buoy, rash guard, and dive computer are optional extras worth carrying if you have them.
Ready to Dive Purple Haze?
Calm, current-free reefs of red gorgonians and purple sea fans — a genuinely welcoming first dive, just minutes from shore.