Chennai: India would probably become the third country in the world to engage a subscooter to offer an exciting ride under the sea for adventure buffs, if a plan by a firm in the Andaman to acquire the vessel from Mauritius’s Blue Safari, fructifies.
In addition to the subscooter, submarines are the major attractions providing a unique experience to the visitors to explore the marine life in Mauritius. “We got a request from an investor in Andaman, who would like to buy our product to invest in Andaman and we are waiting for his confirmation,” said Dawood Jawahir, Commercial Manager, Blue Safari, Mauritius.
The subscooter, embedded with all safety measures, is an airtight capsule that offers 360 degree panoramic underwater view to the pilot and passenger. It is said to be safe for non-divers and non-swimmers. It was launched after the Blue Safari invented it in 2005. These have been exported to Dubai and Bora Bora.
“We are looking for new investors also,” Mr Dawood said. Asked when his company’s product would be shipped to Andaman, he replied, “We need to get clearance from the Indian government.”
Unique underwater experience to thrill visitors
Blue Safari has been providing marine life experience on submarine or subscooter to about 28,000-30,000 visitors per annum. “We are unique not only in Mauritius but also in the whole Indian Ocean. We have two submarines - one ten-seater and one five-seater. The submarines are well pressurised, air-conditioned with a cockpit same as in airplane and they take a dive to 35 m depth - say 100 feet and the dive lasts for two hours including the transfer but takes 40 minutes underwater,” said Mr Dawood.
Submarines and subscooters are seen only in the Caribbean, Hawaii and New Zealand. The five-seater submarine is used for wedding or for partying and the dive lasts for about one-and-a-half hours. Apart from Mauritius, the five-seater submarine is available in Bora Bora, which however does not provide lunch or wedding attractions. “We started submarine operations in 1998... The submarine dive costs $US130 and $US175 for a couple in subscooter,” he said.
