Diving into the deep

Scuba diving takes off in Mangaluru with the identification of three spots close to the city

January 27, 2018 02:42 pm | Updated 02:42 pm IST

There is a new adventure on the coast. Just a year ago, scuba diving was restricted to just one spot at Nethrani island, 19 nautical miles from Bhatkal. It was only accessible to foreigners who frequented Goan beaches. Though Nethrani is still the preferred scuba diving centre for its coral reef, scuba diving will become more accessible according to beach tourism experts.

“We have chosen three spots within the 15 to 20 kilometre radius from the city,” says Yathish Baikampady of Panambur Beach Tourism Development Project. The dives would be at 20 to 25 fathoms deep in the Arabian Sea. It is a one-day outing.”

On the importance of having scuba diving spots close to the city, Ranjit Punja, a world class scuba diving trainer, says, “All scuba diving centres must have a good urban connectivity which we have in plenty in Mangaluru.

Since this is a lifestyle sport, it has to be well-connected offline and online; there should be fun night life, good dining and stay options.”

The centres in Karwar (Uttara Kannada) Kaup (Udupi) and now in Mangaluru gives a boost to scuba diving in coastal Karnataka. In the past, scuba diving was only available in Goa and in Havelock in Andaman Islands. “It used to be so expensive to go there and each expedition used to cost me a bomb. I am excited that I can dive close to home,” says Anita, a scuba diving enthusiast of the city.

“Scuba diving in Mangaluru will be on two levels — training level and try diving, also called Discovery Scuba Dive (DSD),” says Punja. “Under the DSD model, people can go on an expedition guided by a diver certified by the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI) from Australia.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.