Konkan Tourism : Dolphin sighting at Mirya beach to Nevare beach

On Nov 21, 2020

Ratnagiri: After a six-month plus duration of lockdown, tourism is thriving in the Konkan region during and after the Diwali holidays. Tourists are sighting dolphins on Mirya beach, Nevare beach, Kazirbhati and Kalbadevi and it has been the peak attraction during this holiday season.

Tourists from home and abroad flock to Konkan to see life on the beach. Swarms of dolphins can be seen near Guhagar, Harne, Murud, Karde, Dapoli, Mirya, Kalbadevi, Aarey-Ware in Ratnagiri taluka. It is a pleasure for tourists to stand on the shore and watch them.

Dolphins are sighted in clear waters and near the beaches during the winter season. As the temperatures rise, the dolphins return to deep waters. In recent years, dolphin sightings have turned out to be a tourist attraction and several locals including fishermen, resort owner associations have grabbed this opportunity to earn business. Dolphins do not hurt tourists and hence several people prefer watching them from a close distance either at the beach or on the boat ride.

However, dolphins are also causing trouble for fishermen as they break their nets if they are trapped in it. Fishermen have to bear huge losses due to this. Also the dolphins eat smaller fish caught in the net. A fisherman Shridatta Bhute said, “When the cold starts, dolphins can be sighted in the vicinity of beaches in large numbers. Its proportion is low at this time of the year, but gradually their numbers increase.”