Andaman Coral Islands

Andaman Coral Islands

– Rani Prasad Kandepi  

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands look like green and green dots scattered here and there in the vast blue sea. Because they are a group of 572 islands. Andaman and Nicobar Islands are union territories. These islands are surrounded by the waters of the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. These districts have coral reefs that we studied in our childhood. The capital of these islands is the city of Blair. We first landed in Port Blair. Paleolithic people still live in these islands.

The tsunami that hit the Andaman Islands in December 2004 was horrific. We went to Andaman the same year after the tsunami. Even then, many areas of Port Blair had collapsed. The destruction caused by the tsunami is still visible. Water has entered the city. Some buildings have fallen. The airport has also been destroyed. It is very scary to talk about these things.

There are beaches like Corbhi’s Cove, Chidiyatapu, Wandoor etc. in Port Blair. We went to Corbhi’s Cove beach. This beach is full of tall coconut trees. The sand is like a thin rope slipping between the feet. Some people were seen playing ball on the beach. It should not be said on the beach!, they were in the sea. Some others were going deeper and playing with the waves. Nothing was visible in the distance except their heads. It seemed that going too deep would have given rise to accidents. We were walking slowly on the beach while looking at them. The sea water came rushing in and washed our feet and went back as fast as it came. This Andaman Sea knew. We are children who grew up in the lap of the Bay of Bengal, that’s why we love so much. And we love it!
We told all the special features of our Bay of Bengal to the Andaman
Sea. After chatting, we slowly got up and went to see other beaches.

The next day we went to Havelock Island. Seeing the sea here is a great miracle. All the wonderful descriptions of the seas came to mind. Here the sea appeared in various colors: blue, green, dark green, and black. I did not see colors in our Bay of Bengal. Maybe I did not see them! We played a lot of games on the beaches of Vadarevu and Ramapuram in our Chirala, but I think we did not sit and observe the sea.

Seeing the coral reefs in the Andaman Islands is a wonderful thing. Where there are coral reefs, we are taken in small boats that look like ordinary boats. These boats have mirrors installed at the bottom. You can view the coral reefs from those mirrors. These grow close to the shore. In Andaman, they are spread over eleven thousand square kilometers. These are the reefs that I studied in BSc. It was incredible to see them firsthand. Coral reefs are mostly found in Havelock Island, Seal Island, and North Bay Islands. In Nicobar, they are spread over twenty-seven thousand square kilometers, but there is no place to go to the Nicobar Islands. The general public is prohibited from visiting them, saying that it will disturb the solitude of the indigenous people there.

Coral reefs are very beautiful to look at in their pale orange color. They are not only decorative, but also help to maintain the balance of the marine ecosystem. They are home to marine life. More than a thousand species of fish and invertebrates live here. These coral islands in the Indian Ocean are also considered to be the most important among the coral reefs in the world.

Coral gardens are widely spread in the clear waters of Havelock Island. There are many powerful fish here like parrot fish, angel fish, and clown fish. The famous coral reef called ‘Nemo Reef’ has different shapes of coral. If you scuba dive here, you can see the coral islands up close. Our children went scuba diving and saw orange corals. I did not go because I was scared.

Neil Island in the Andaman Islands is also a beautiful place, it is also called ‘Shaheed Island’. The Lakshmanapur and Bharatpur beaches of this island have clear waters. Here you can see various corals like brain corals, stony corals, and table corals. He told us many more names. But I could only write a few in my notebook. Animals like green sea turtles and hawksbills are mostly found on this island. The water in this island is clean and you can clearly see what is at the bottom.

We saw Jolly Boy Island in the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park. This island also has to be reached by boat. Here you can see colorful coral reefs. You can see animals like sea anemones and moray eels. All the marine animals that I have read about in books
are here, my joy knows no bounds. Here you can find hard corals and old corals.
An island called North Bay Island is close to Port Blair. This place is amazing for those who want to see coral reefs. Various marine creatures like butterfly fish, surgeon fish, giant clams are found in these waters.

We spent two days on Havelock Island, visiting these coral islands. It is a famous tourist destination with its famous beaches. It is famous for adventure sports like scuba driving. This island is currently called ‘‘Swaraj Island’’. This island is named after the British General Sir Henry Havelock who served in India. It is 41 km from Port Blair. After we got off the hotel, we went to Radhanagar beach. The road leading to it was smooth and winding. The coconut trees that seemed to have grown into the sky along with the beautiful trees and flowers were very beautiful. We also stopped at one place to see everyone drinking coconut water. Four of us had to drink one coconut water. The coconut water was so thick that it seemed to be hanging in the sky. The trees were hunting for sea water all around, but the water in these coconut water was not sweet. I felt like bowing down to the coconut tree. The coconut tree has the ability to turn salt water into sweet water.

After we went to the beach, it rained. I have never seen it rain on the ocean shore. We were lucky enough to have that. The raindrops were so amazing, as if they were weaving a water tar from the ground to the sky. As it rained heavily, we reached the small hut there. There were umbrellas there. We got completely soaked. In this rain, a rainbow appeared on one side. Looking at the ocean water that appears when it rains, on one side the rainbow, and on the other side the white sandy beach and the sea water coming forward with colorful water, it seemed that there was no more incredible and charming sight in the world. The connection with the Andaman Sea is the most beautiful. We returned after visiting the Andaman Island complex for a week and continuing our friendship with the sea water.

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