Now, take the plunge at Kovalam

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Eve's beach, lighthouse, sun bath and shacks that serve you yummy food - Kovalam's menu for tourists has so far been confined to these. From Tuesday, there will be an exciting addition - Scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) diving, which is one of the major attractions of Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar islands.
The first diver will go under the sea at Lighthouse beach exploring reefs at 7 am on Tuesday.Tourism minister A P Anilkumar will flag off the project. The Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS), which has introduced scuba diving at Kovalam, hopes to promote the beach as a popular scuba diving destination as tourists can watch underwater life forms.
The scuba diving session planned at Kovalam includes half hour pool familiarization session by the instructors for the diving enthusiasts. Unlike other diving destinations in the country, Kovalam features diving within 100 m from the shore promising a rich view of artificial reef created by harbour department. In Goa, one needs to go around 5 km away from shore to experience marine life.
Diving will also promote underwater photography as divers can capture the marine life on camera. Four diving instructors led by professional association of diving instructors (PADI)-registered instructor Poonam Darne will be available to assist diving aspirants. For first timers, the event will cover 5-8 meters of depth and dive will extend for 20 minutes to 30 minutes.
"We are providing fun diving packages as it is the initial stage where the participants will be taken to under water view. This for the first time in Kerala that this adventure sport is being introduced though we have other events like paragliding, mountaineer cycling and kayaking," KATPS CEO Asha Jose said.
The sport also opens a chance to experience the visual scenery and an opportunity to discover the flora and fauna and delicate marine life.
The fee for different diving packages will be announced later.