Situated between Ezhimala hill and the Kavvayi backwaters, INA has a 7 kilometre beach front on the Laccadive Sea.

In 1949, the officer training for the Navy began at the interim Joint Services Wing (JSW) of the Armed Forces Academy.

In addition, providing basic training for Coast Guard officers at the academy further stretched the facilities.

Hence the Navy developed plans for a new permanent Naval Academy to cope with the increasing training load.

The initial requirement for the site for the academy was at least 100 acres (0.40 km2), in the vicinity of the sea or a large lake for basic seamanship.

The space requirement was later revised to consolidate training efforts in a single location for cost-effective operation.

The Government of Kerala was keen to host the academy in the state and offered the Navy 960 hectares at Ezhimala.

It also offered essential infrastructure facilities like Ezhimala's water and electricity supply, approach roads and bridges, capital dredging of the Kavvayi backwaters (for basic rowing and small boat training), construction of a seawall to prevent erosion, as well as expansion of the nearest railway station at no cost to the navy.

After delays in land acquisition, the foundation stone for the academy was laid by then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on 17 January 1987.

Soon after, in the wake of the 1991 India economic crisis, the central government was forced to cut back funding for the construction of the academy.

On 6 April 2005, the naval base depot INS Zamorin was commissioned as a part of Phase I of the academy by then Chief Minister of Kerala, Oommen Chandy.

The Ezhimala site is located on a promontory that was the capital of the Mooshika kingdom, who were rivals and later allies of the Zamorin rulers of Kozhikode.

Potential candidates to the undergraduate officer-trainee program of the Indian Navy apply through the NDA and NA exam conducted by the UPSC.

They also have the option to enroll for additional post-graduate specialisation in the field at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

SSC officers have the option to apply for permanent commission based on their performance and track record.

INHS Navjivani, which was commissioned on 12 December 2012, is a 64-bed naval hospital in the campus that provides healthcare to cadets, staff and navy veterans.

Classroom instruction and outdoor training are conducted separately depending on the cadet's selected majors and specialisations.