help needed for choosing

gildini

visiting Lakshadweep next October. We like snorkelling, but aged over 60 ys we never dive.
Where is the best snorkelling ( corals not very deep, lots of different coloured fishes etc.) in Lakshadweep Islands? Kadamat Agatti Bangaram Karavatti?
We are italian, we read that as foreigner we are allowed only in some islands.
Thanks

CliveG

Hi,
Yes you are correct about foreign toursits being restricted to the number of islands they can visit and Kavaratti is one that you would not be allowed to visit.
I have not stayed on Agatti so cannot advise on the quality of snorkelling there. Of the remaining two Bangaram in my opinion has the better snorkelling. There are coral heads in the lagoon that you can swim to which have hundreds of different types of marine life and if you wish you can go on the dive boat and snorkel above where the divers are. I have been to Kadmat several times and love the diving there but have not done any snorkelling there as the east lagoon does not have any coral heads but you can get to the reef as it is close to the shore and I beleive you can snorkel ove the reef and see a lot of marine life including sharks. Bangaram is very expensive especially compared to Kadmat but the service and food on Bangaram are excellent. Check out www.lacadives.com for details of prices and facilities for both.

gildini

Thanks a lot.
How far is the reef of Kadamat from shore and how deep?
The tourist attraction are not our first choice, we go to Lakshadweep just for sea and corals.

CliveG

The reef is about 0.5 miles from the shore line -easily reached by walking at low tide when the top of the reef is exposed. As far as I am aware the reef drops to about 30-40 metres on the other side and from there you can see sharks, groupers, rays etc.
Although (when I can afford it) I prefer Bangaram Kadmat has it's own charm. It is a long 7km island but at some points only 200 metres wide. It has a population of about 6-7000 people who mainly live at the northern end while the resort is at the southern end. You can hire bikes to visit the northern end along the one and only road. The food is basic but nourishing. The accommodation is O.K.
October can be just post monsoon so you might expect some rain at times. I like Kadmat for its solitude and peacefulness plus it has some of the best dive sites I have experienced.