No passport needed: 3 places in India for a submarine experience

Ever wondered what it’s like to step inside a submarine? You don’t have to leave India to find out. While submarine tourism remains limited in the country, a few destinations offer travellers the chance to board a submarine or semi-submarine and get a glimpse of life beneath the water. Here are three submarine experiences to try in India.
1. INS Kursura Submarine Museum, Visakhapatnam
If your idea of a submarine experience is walking through a real submarine, this is the place.
The INS Kursura is a decommissioned Indian Navy Foxtrot‑class submarine, preserved as a museum on RK Beach. Visitors enter through its hatches and move through narrow passageways into the control room, torpedo section, sonar and radar areas, and crew compartments.
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The catch: the submarine is permanently docked on land, so this is an authentic interior tour, not an underwater ride. The museum stays closed on Mondays.
Tickets are priced at:
- Rs. 70 per person for Adults
- Rs. 40 per person for Children (Below 12 years)
- Rs. 50 for Still Camera
- Rs. 200 for Video Camera
2. North Bay, Andaman Islands
For an experience that actually takes you below the waterline, head to North Bay in the Andamans.
Semi‑submarine rides use a surface vessel with an underwater observation cabin. Passengers sit behind large glass windows and watch coral reefs and marine life as the viewing section sits submerged while the boat remains on the surface.
Tourists can enjoy unique marine life via boats that come with a lower glass bottom deck section. The glass windows inclined at 45 degrees give you a lovely experience of the underwater coral reef.
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The tickets are priced at approximately Rs. 3,000 per person for an hour long experience.
3. Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep), Andaman Islands
Swaraj Dweep, better known as Havelock Island, offers another semi‑submarine option for travellers who want to see the underwater world without getting wet.
Guests sit in the submerged viewing cabin and look through large windows at coral reefs and fish; some trips operate around Elephant Beach, though routes and schedules can vary.
As with North Bay, this is a semi‑submarine, not a true submarine: the vessel stays on the surface while the passenger cabin sits below the waterline.




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