Goa & the Grande Island · India · Reef · Coral garden
Grande Banks
A large field of plate coral between the two islands
Area photo: KenWalker kgw@lunar.ca · CC BY-SA 3.0
Grande Banks, also called Navy Bay Rocks, is a rocky reef toward the north of the gap between St. George's and Grande Island. A large area of plate coral covers it, and as an easy dive site for exploring coral it is ideal for intro dives and students.
Also known as Navy Bay Rocks, Grande Banks/ Navy Bay Rocks.
Where it is and how deep
15.3533° N, 73.7687° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The rocky reef runs from 5 m down to 13 m, toward the north of the gap between the two islands, and its large area of plate coral is the main thing to see on a dive that is easy enough for intro divers and students throughout.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Goa & the Grande Island: Boats run mid-October to mid-May and stop for the monsoon from June; no month inside the season stands out.
Dive videos
Scuba Diving - Dive Goa - Grande Banks · Praneeth on YouTube
Sources
- Grande Banks/ Navy Bay Rocks dive site — ScubaGo
More dive sites in Goa & the Grande Island
Wreck
Stern of a steel-hulled wreck for experienced divers
Wreck
Steamship wreck with boilers, pistons and propeller in place
Reef
Sheltered reef beside Suzy's Wreck for courses and intro dives
Reef
Coral reef wrapped around a rocky pinnacle
Wall
A wall of stacked boulders ending in sand
Sand slope
Sandy training bay with a swim-through to a coral garden
Artificial reef
Ruined jetty that serves as a nursery for baby fish
Reef
Swim-through rock canyon lined with orange sponge
Similar dives elsewhere
A banana-shaped reef dived from the surface to 30 m
Coral plateau with fusilier shoals, turtles and passing grey sharks
Marine reserve with 80 coral and 150 fish species
A long soft-coral reef thick with reef fish, kept for the third dive