The Havelock shop behind Oceanspidey
Continental Scuba is Sai’s dive centre on Beach No. 5. We teach first breaths and full courses, then take you out on the same reefs we still get excited about.
The centre
Opened in 2018 — still on Swaraj Dweep
Continental Scuba started on Havelock Island in 2018 as a small teaching shop, not a ticket counter. We are an SSI Instructor Training Center at Shangrila’s Resort, Beach No. 5.
First-timers do Try Scuba with one instructor per diver. Certified guests book fun dives. People who want a card work through Open Water and the rest of the SSI ladder. If you want the week planned — Port Blair, Havelock, Neil — those itineraries live on the trips page.
You meet the same crew at the briefing that you later see on the boat. Gear is rented for the session; we will not upsell you a kit you will never use at home.
Who teaches
Sai, also known as Oceanspidey
On the boat he is Sai. Online he is Oceanspidey. His full name is Saibaba Shaik. He runs the briefings, sets the ratios, and calls the dive when the sea is a no — including when that is inconvenient.
He cares about three things in that order: you come back with the same number of ears you arrived with, your buoyancy does not plough the coral, and you actually look at the fish. The Spider-Man suit is a calling card. The medical-fitness check is not optional.
How we work
Three things we will not skip
Safety, the reef, and a reply after you fly home. That is the job.
Skills before the highlight reel
Intro dives stay 1:1. Courses stay small. We would rather spend ten extra minutes on the mask skill than rush someone into a photo they will hate at 12 metres.
The reef is the reason we are here
Havelock’s value is living coral and the animals that use it. Briefings cover what you might see and how not to wreck it — fins up, hands off, no chasing turtles for a closer shot.
Questions after you fly home
WhatsApp is the same number before you land and after you log the dive. If you are unsure whether a course or Try Scuba is the honest next step, ask. We will say so.
The island
Why people learn to dive on Havelock
Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) sits on Andaman reefs you can reach without a liveaboard. That is why we opened here.
01
Shallows first, then the walls
New divers usually start where the light still hits the coral. When skills catch up, Havelock also has deeper walls and pinnacles — including sites SSI lists for this centre, such as Johnny’s Gorge and Dixon’s Pinnacle.
02
Warm water in season — not through monsoon
The Andaman Sea is comfortable for a shorty through our operating season, October through May. We do not run dives in the southwest monsoon. June to September the shop is closed.
03
Marine life you can actually see
Visibility on a good Havelock day means first-timers see fish, not green soup. That is luck plus geography — we still cancel when the sea is wrong.
Affiliation
Scuba Schools International
We teach SSI programs and appear on SSI’s directory as Continental Scuba, Havelock Island. Certification, medical fitness, and materials follow SSI — not a leftover agency from an older website.
SSI directoryAbout the centre
Established 2018, SSI, Havelock — the short answers.
The centre started on Havelock Island in 2018. We still operate from Beach No. 5 (Shangrila’s Resort) during the October–May season.
Oceanspidey is Sai (Saibaba Shaik), the instructor who runs Continental Scuba. He teaches SSI programs, sets dive ratios, and is the person on the other end of WhatsApp.
SSI — Scuba Schools International. We are listed as an Instructor Training Center. Older directories may still mention another agency; this site and our teaching materials are SSI.
No. We operate October through May. The shop is closed during the southwest monsoon (June–September).
Not for Try Scuba — that is a 1:1 intro with an instructor. Certification courses have their own swim and skill requirements, which we walk through before you book.
Come dive with Sai
Tell us your dates and whether you want Try Scuba, a course, or a week on the islands. WhatsApp is fastest.