TNN

Bangalore, Jun 15 : If the concrete jungle of the city has made you weary, and you wish to escape to an exotic world underwater, then get ready to 
just plunge in. Bangalore inaugurated its first inland scuba divers club -- `Bangalore Dive Club' on Sunday.

What's more, if you're planning to scuba dive, you needn't you worry about funding a trip to faraway destinations. Instead, you can head to Netrani, off the Karnataka coast, which will be developed into a scuba hot spot and a marine conservation site.

The dive club is open to all certified divers and non-divers. To the ones who want to get trained in the sport, Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI) recognized training will be offered in many of the city's pools. While basic training can be done regularly in these pools, the club will also organize trips to scuba spots like Lakshadweep, Andamans, Goa and Netrani.

"We believe scuba diving can be made into a billion dollar venture in India with such a vast and beautiful coastline. With Karnataka tourism department's help, Netrani can be one of the best spots to explore the sport," said president of Bangalore Dive Club, Rohaan Suleiman.

Members believe that marine conservation can also get a boost with the popularity of scuba diving. With support from project AWARE, an organization that works on marine conservation with professional divers, they also plan to sensitize and inform people about underwater species and their issues. According to PADI staff instructor in India, Venkatesh Charloo, two underwater surveys conducted by marine biologists in Netrani show abundance of tropical reef fish and marine life, many of which were not known to exist in India's West coast. Giant clams, 92 coral associated fish, humhead wrasse (Red list IUCN), whale shark, manta rays and other species were spotted by divers in the zone. The water is clear and large-scale trawling doesn't take place there.

The club is supported by the tourism department and Planet Scuba India, an inland scuba diving centre.