Red Pillar Snorkeling Havelock

Red Pillar Snorkeling is a guided boat-based snorkeling experience at Red Pillar Reef, located just north of Havelock Island, Andaman.

The experience begins with pickup from your Havelock accommodation and a short briefing at the jetty. The guide explains basic snorkeling techniques, mask fitting, breathing through the snorkel, snorkel clearing and underwater hand signals. After the briefing, you travel by speedboat to the Red Pillar reef.

The reef gets its name from the red channel marker positioned above the water near the middle of the reef. The shallow reef crest is around 2.5–3 metres deep, making it suitable for surface snorkeling and viewing the reef from above.

Once in the water, you remain at the surface with the guide while exploring the reef. Depending on visibility and sea conditions, you may see coral formations, anemones, clownfish, angelfish, triggerfish, parrotfish and schools of reef fish. Rays may occasionally be seen around sandy areas.

The snorkeling session lasts approximately 30–40 minutes, while the complete experience takes around 2.5–3 hours including pickup, briefing, boat transfers and return to the jetty. The site is reached by speedboat and is approximately 5–10 minutes from the jetty.

Red Pillar is located in an active channel with a mild to moderate long-shore current, so confident swimmers are preferred. Non-swimmers may be accommodated only during suitable calm-tide conditions with a life jacket and dedicated 1:1 guide, subject to prior confirmation with the operator.

A guide remains in the water during the snorkeling session. The package also includes GoPro photography, with 20 photos and 2 videos shared with the participant's phone after the activity.

Basic swimming ability preferred; confident swimmers recommended.

Wear comfortable swimwear, stay hydrated and use only reef-safe sunscreen. If you are prone to seasickness, consider suitable medication before the boat ride.

Reach Havelock Island by ferry or approved transport from Port Blair. Pickup from Havelock accommodation is included, followed by a short speedboat ride to Red Pillar.