After nearly one and a half centuries of dormancy, the island had another eruption in 1991 that lasted six months and caused considerable damage.

A team from the Geological Survey of India visited Barren Island on 8–9 April 1993 to assess the impact of the eruption on the distribution, habit, and abundance of animal species.

Abhay Mudholkar, the head of the team, said, "The volcano is erupting in small episodes of about five to ten minutes.

The remnant of the primitive volcanic cone forms a precipitous cliff around the island (commonly referred to as a caldera wall), with a break towards the west.

[20] Additionally, birds like pigeons, bats like flying foxes and a few rodent species such as rats are known to survive the harsh conditions.

[23] The waters surrounding Barren Island are reputed to be among the world's top scuba diving destinations.

Major attractions here are the crystal clear visibility, manta rays, interesting basalt formations, topography of past lava flows and fast growing coral gardens.

This dive destination is remote but can be accessed by either a live-aboard ship or with scuba-operators based at Swaraj Island.