Superyacht sailing and cruising in the Andaman Islands provides some fantastic deep sea fishing and marine life adventures as chronicled during a recent sailing and fishing trip planned by R. Rathnam of Asia Pacific Superyachts Andaman Islands.
Reporting on a great weekend fishing and sailing adventure setting forth from Port Blair, Rathnam notes the growing sport of superyacht deep sea fishing across the globe, though most famous in western countries, is now in increasing demand in India as well.
On an early Saturday morning, the yacht first sailed up to Havelock Island… a picturesque natural paradise with silvery white sandy beaches and lush green forest. One of the populated islands in the Andaman group, it covers an area of 113 square kilometres and is located 39 km of north-east of Port Blair. This island beckons all to enjoy the azure sea and coastal waters and sandy beaches fringed with a green canopy of rain-fed forests and home to one of the richest coral reef ecosystem in the world. The draw of the coral reefs and underwater formation is due to being undamaged by human activity, providing fantastic snorkelling opportunities.
Fishing as they sailed near Neil Island, the group was thrilled to catch some beautiful Mahi-Mahi and Tuna for their evening meal. The anchorage for the night was at Elephant Beach, famed for its rich coral reef formation and amazing underwater marine life. The shoreline at Elephant Beach was largely swept away by the 2004 tsunami and the beach is a fraction of what it used to be; however, the coral here is known as the best on the island, providing an excellent spot for snorkelling.
Sunday morning the boat left Havelock Island to go deep sea fishing near Neil Island where they caught Tunas and large Sail Fish and Wahoo. APS director Rathnam enthused about the numerous playful dolphins following their boat, “We watched in awe as these beautiful shiny creatures swam and cavorted along the wake of the vessel, then swiftly swimming out to turn loops in the air and return, much to the delight of all aboard!”
Returning to Port Blair Sunday late afternoon, some of the guests enjoyed having the intricate artwork of Henna applied to their hands by local experts. Guests learned henna is used for cosmetic purposes in Ancient India and bridal henna nights remain an important custom in many of these areas and Indian women also express themselves with henna artwork on their feet and hands.