Underwater Tourism In India: First Museum To Open In Puducherry’s Deep Seas

For the first time in India, underwater tourism will be promoted off the coast of Puducherry. INS Cuddalore, a minesweeper that has been decommissioned after serving 30,000 nautical miles over thirty years will be deployed in the seabed 7 km off the coast of Puducherry at a depth of 26 metres. This will become the country’s first underwater museum where divers can visit the place undersea.

This will supposedly improve the marine biodiversity and give a push to the fishing industry. The Indian Navy has agreed to donate INS Cuddalore in order to promote tourism.

Times of India quoted Probir Banerjee, president of PondyCan, a NGO as saying, “Once the marine organisms start coming in, there will be life forms at different levels in the water for tourists to see.”

INS Cuddalore is 12-metre-wide and 60-metre-long. Activities such as scuba diving and snorkeling can be promoted. A route for the divers will be created. On the surface of the sea, a 3-metre radius water buoys are planning to be deployed which will assist in taking tourists for boat rides.