In a first of its kind to boost coastal tourism, Tarkarli beach in Maharashtra is set to become a global scuba-diving hub in the wake of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) introducing the Institute of Scuba Diving and Aquatic Sports (IISDA) and their latest initiative to provide training to the country’s Air Force and other military divers.
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“We are offering these courses to the Indian Air Force for the first-time ever, where coastal and marine tourism is the largest segment of our tourism industry,” Abhimanya Kale, (IAS), Managing Director, MTDC, said adding “We will be training 235 selected military officers from across India for this PADI (Professional Association of Scuba Diving, USA)-certified training in 20 batches – beginning January 3, 2019 to March 29, 2019 — which involves four days training for officers and one month training for divemasters in venues comprising a tank and open sea.”
“We are doing a dynamic pricing for our tourism packages and for tourists, there are two training packages costing Rs 3,500 and Rs 2,000 with four hours training at between 13 metres and 30 metres depth. Witnessing the demand for adventure sports, MTDC is promoting Tarkarli as a scuba diving and snorkeling destination for tourists that features various diving activities like ‘Wreck Diving’, ‘Wall Diving’ and so on,’ he said, while noting that the MTDC is working towards making coastal Maharashtra the most competitive destination in Asia.
Noting that the PADI — as one of the key diver training organisations — awarded the MTDC recognition as a +five-star dive resort+ for scuba diving in Maharashtra, Dr Sarang Kulkarni, Chief Instructor, said “The basic to progressive scuba diving course comprises a 15-minute lecture before diving into a 25-feet deep pool, and then onward to the other aspects of training.
He said PADI has granted accreditation to scuba diving centers across 180 countries including India where Maharashtra with its abundance of natural resources and landscapes that highlight adventure sports and activities like scuba diving, snorkeling etc.
To a question, he said that over 1,000 people including scientists and tourists coming in from countries like the USA, China, Europe and Australia have been trained so far in the courses that cover subjects like “Night Diving,’ “Sinking Ships’ etc.
“The IISDA is India’s only – and one of the Asia Pacific region’s largest — scuba diving institute with India’s deepest pool of 25 feet depth for initial scuba diving in a controlled environment, 11-room resort, seaview restaurant with world-class scuba gear and dive boats. IISDA opened for tourists in September 2015 and has received elevated PADI accreditation as a five-star Dive Resort due to its performance, safety and education standards set in PADI courses like Open Water Diver, Advanced Water Diver, Emergency First response, Rescue Diver and Dive Master that cost between Rs 1,000 and Rs 65,000,” he said.
The crystal-clear coastal waters of Sindhdurg of the west coast of Maharashtra include Sindhdurg Fort and is dotted with several rocky islands that highlight diverse, colorful marine life including over 500 species covering corals, soft corals, sea fans, sargassum forest and fishes like snappers, groupers, parrotfish, butterfly fish, sharks and so on.
