Mangaluru: Soon, you may not have to travel all the way to Kaup in Udupi or Netrani in Uttara Kannada to enjoy scuba diving. The Dakshina Kannada district administration has thrown open its coastline to investors to set up scuba diving. And unlike the other districts where one or two operators have been given permission, Dakshina Kannada has decided to let multiple operators run the show.
With an intention to boost tourism in general and the coastline in particular, the district administration has decided to permit every aspiring firm to set up the facility, provided it adheres to a set of basic guidelines laid down by the departments of youth services and sports, forests and tourism and jungle lodges. The district administration has gone against the tender process followed in Udupi and Uttara Kannada so that the number of entrepreneurs is not limited.
“A few teams have approached us and we have given a go-ahead. They will start operations as soon as they set up their facility. These teams have said the coastline here is better than in Udupi,” DC Sasikanth Senthil S told.
“Currently, we are planning to introduce scuba diving in Ullal just ahead of the ship wreck,” he said.
Ranjith Punja of Surface, one of the prospective investors, said the district administration had given his firm an opportunity to explore in order to find a convenient place. “I’ve been diving in order to explore the coastal stretch before I zero in on an area. As per the guidelines of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, a diver can make only three dives a day. So, it will take me two to three weeks,” he said.
Sudheer T, district tourism consultant, said apart from Surfane, two other prospective investors had come forward and were exploring opportunities. “Once these divers explore and submit to us a report on the shortlisted areas to set up the activity, we will consult the port officer and department of fisheries to check for feasibility,” he said.
Pawan Shourie, CEO and founder of West Coast Adventures, which has been running the scuba diving operation in Kaup, said he was interested in investing in Dakshina Kannada too. “We’ve replied in the affirmative to a proposal from the tourism department. We would like to make use of the opportunity the coastline here provides us,” he said. “We do not intend to make profits out of this.
We only want to boost tourism ,” said DC Sasikanth Senthil S. Apart from developing tourism, the onus is also on pushing adventure sports, said Uday Kumar, assistant director, department of tourism.