NETRANI ISLAND, MURDESHWAR: A two-day international scuba festival will be held at Netrani island in Murdeshwar of Uttara Kannada district from Saturday. Netrani island, located 18 km off Murdeshwar coast, is an ideal place for diving due to its rich coral biodiveristy and fish fauna.
Each day, 75 divers will be taken to the island in three groups. Of the 150 registered participants, 20 per cent are foreigners. Underwater hockey, which will be held at R N Shetty swimming pool at Murdeshwar, will be one of the main attractions of the event.
For the non-divers, water sports, beach football, spike ball, photography exhibition, talks and screening on sea, creatures, coral, flora and fauna, beach cleaning and other events have been organised. Screening of ‘Increase of Garbage in the Ocean and How to Tackle It’ and ‘Shark Full of Dollars’ (Over fishing and its negative impact)’ will be held on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Event organiser Ankit Saboo of Fin Kick told Express that the event has got good response from divers across India and abroad. “Firms like Netrani Adventures, Dive Goa and West Coast Adventures are operating scuba diving at Natrani island. All these firms have offered diving on discounted price during the festival,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner S S Nakul said the event is being organised to promote tourist destinations in the district. For more details on the festival, log on to www.netraniscubafest.com.