CALANGUTE: Even after a cruise boat from Nerul got stranded in the high seas near Grande Island due to rough sea conditions on Sunday, watersports and other boat rides continue in the Calangute-Candolim tourism hub, endangering the lives of tourists.
Even with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning of stormy weather and rough sea conditions, and Goa being lashed by pre-monsoon showers and thunderstorms in the last few days, many boat owners continue to still offer boat rides, stakeholders said.
“Safety of tourists should be the first concern,” Vincent Fernandes of the Sinquerim Watersports Association said.
“The sea is very rough and I stopped my boat trips 15 days ago. There has been no official ban on the boat trips, but looking at the bad weather the authorities should have done something. Also, the weather is good in the morning, and then in the afternoon it changes to bad,” he said.
Because of this, watersports like jet-ski rides which are close to the shore can still be offered, stakeholders said.
In the absence of government guidelines, Fernandes said it’s finally up to the individual boat owner to make the decision whether to continue making longer boat trips.
Another stakeholder said, “Many owners in some places have leased their boats to travel agents, who continue to operate the vessels even in adverse conditions. The Tourism Department should look into this. They are the ones who operate cruise trips to Grande Island, scuba diving etc.”
