Wouldn't it be cool to be able to breathe underwater? Or swim alongside a beautiful school of fish as they glide through the water? The world underwater is a fascinating one and can become a lifelong experience once you step into  the world of scuba diving.

To experience and discover scuba diving, no prior swimming knowledge is required. 

For Courses: Some swimming ability is required. You need to have basic swimming skills and be able to comfortably maintain yourself in the water. Your PADI Instructor will assess this by having you:

•Swim 200 meters/yards (or 300 meters/yards with mask, fins and snorkel). There is no time limit for this, and you may use any swimming strokes you like.

•Float and tread in water for 10 minutes, using any method you choose.

As a part of the Arabian Sea, these waters provide important habitat for diverse marine life such as Red Snappers, Lionfish, RockFish, Moorish Idol, Grouper, Moray Eel, Trigger Fish, Barracuda, Travelli, Fusiliers, Banner Fish, squids and even sharks to name a few. The waters at Tarkarli attract a variety of migrating and residential species, a wide variety of coral species and varied marine plant life as well. It's common to see species like Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins, porpoises, sea turtles and seagulls. If you are lucky you may be able to spot various species of whales as well.

It is recommended that pregnant women or those trying to conceive should avoid scuba diving. Menstruation is not normally a concern.

With the necessary training and experience, the limit for recreational scuba diving is 40 metres/130 feet. Beginning scuba divers swim shallow - at about 18 metres/60 feet. Although these are the limits, some of the most popular diving happens in shallow waters around 12 metres/40 feet, where the water is warmer, the colors brighter and visibility better.

Besides diving you can experience several water adventure sports in Tarkarli/Malvan. You can join an ocean explorer trip for dolphin watch. Experience the rich flora and fauna in the region when you opt for a mangrove walk to understand the productive and diverse ecosystem of this area. Historic buffs can visit the famous Sindhudurg fort built by the late Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Malvan town is a historical town and taking a round of the town is worthwhile. Do not forget to visit the Rock garden, a  small but beautiful garden developed by Malvan Nagar Parishad which is popular among tourists.

IISDA is situated in the Tarkarli village. 

By your own vehicle:  If you are travelling from Mumbai/Pune you are advised to take the Kolhapur-Gaganbavda-Kankavali-Kasal-Malvan-Tarkarli Route (Work is ongoing on the Mumbai-Goa highway and Tarkarli will soon be accessible from it, making the ride itself a great experience). If you are travelling from Belgaum,  you can travel through Belgaum-Amboli-Sawantvadi-Kudal-Malvan-Tarkarli Route. 

From Goa, you can reach via two routes i.e Goa-Sawantvadi-Kudal-Malvan- Tarkarli or Goa (Anjuna)-Shiroda-Vengurla-Malvan-Tarkarli. 

By Bus: There is direct private bus service from Mumbai to Tarkarli. Please contact IISDA for the number of bus service providers. There are a number of buses that travel from Mumbai/Pune/Nashik to Goa. If you are using these buses, then plan to get down at Kasal. From Kasal you can reach Malvan-Tarkarli by State Transport Bus Services.   

By Train: The nearest railway stations are Sindhudurg Nagari (30 km),  Kudal (30 km), Kankavali (45km) & Sawantwadi (50 km). Almost all trains stop at one or more closest railway stations.

Yes. However you are liable for any damages caused to the property by your pets.

It is a very simple process. If you need assistance to select the right course, you can speak to our staff and once you have your answers, you can book the course and room online via the MTDC website. We do accept offline / walk-in bookings, but  always recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment.

We have PADI Open Water Diver Courses starting every Monday. If you are short on time or the Monday to Friday schedule doesn't suit you, please email us and we’ll try to arrange a course starting for you as soon as you arrive at no extra charges.

You have multiple options. IISDA itself allows you to book your room, or you can book MTDC Tarkarli which is nearby. Both can be booked online. It is advised to stay at IISDA in order to save on travel time. Alternatively, you can also check out local accommodations if all our rooms are booked.

For Courses, You just need to know basic swimming (able to swim 200m). You also have to answer a Medical Questionnaire (Link to Medical Questionnaire) – if you answer “no” to the questions in it, you are all set to go. If you answer “yes” to any of them, you need to get a doctor’s clearance first on this document. For the speciality courses, one needs to have the necessary diving certification as mentioned in course prerequisite.

The ocean diving season in this part of the world is from mid-October to mid-May. For Discover Scuba Diving or experience scuba diving, you can visit any time. However, we recommend you to do your one hour pool and classroom session on the previous day and the next day will help you to finish your ocean dive by morning. Same day pool sessions and diving can be strenuous and can be easily avoided.

For the PADI Open Water Diver Certificate course, it is usually from Monday to Friday.  For certified divers and advanced course students, you are advised to book in advance so that appropriate slots can be allocated to you.

Tarkarli is really magical during the monsoons. During monsoon, you will not get to dive in the open sea due to bad weather but it is amazing to do some pool sessions and enjoy diving with the monsoon showers.  Since monsoon is not peak tourist season, you are likely to find less crowds and more space to enjoy this tropical destination as it goes back to being a sleepy village in a corner of the world. That is an experience that few other places can match, and that alone can make a monsoon trip worthwhile. This also comes with mouth watering monsoon discounts. 

We accept a range of payment methods. Debit / credit cards,Net banking, UPI, etc. are accepted on the website. We also accept payment in cash for walk-ins.

There is a separate web page for bookings, but we understand that you are curious about the courses before actually booking, so drop us an email at iisda@maharashtratourism.gov.in or call us at +91 8422822043 between 9 AM and 6 PM to speak to one of our guest service representatives. They will guide you through the course details and help you make the right choice.

No, assuming you have no irregularities in your ears and sinuses. The discomfort is the normal effect of water pressure pressing in on your ear drums. Fortunately, our bodies are designed to adjust for pressure changes in our ears – you just need to learn how. If you have no difficulties adjusting to air pressure during flying, you'll probably experience no problem learning to adjust to water pressure while diving.