Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

The Bay of Bengal beckons tourists

Nivedita Ganguly

Going for a boat ride seems to the popular choice this summer

Joyride: Tourists enjoying the APTDC boat ride at the Fishing Harbour in Visakhapatnam.

VISAKHAPATNAM: It’s every tourist’s delight! A boat ride amidst the hypnotic blue Bay of Bengal seems to be the latest craze in town. The fascinating boat ride on the 45-seater ‘Visakha Boat’ of APTDC offers a grand experience, which no tourist can afford to miss out. With the rise in the inflow of tourists this summer, the popularity of the boat rides at Rushikonda and Fishing Harbour has also grown. While the general tourist inflow rose by 21 per cent this summer, more than 5,000 tourists enjoyed the boat rides during the months of April and May.

“Going by the rising popularity of the boat rides, we are planning to get a larger boat with more number of seats,” APTDC divisional manager P. Jeevan Prasad told The Hindu. For the boat ride at the Fishing Harbour, tour ists are picked up from the R.K. Beach bus stop by the APTDC bus that comes there at regular intervals and takes them to the harbour from where the journey into the sea begins.

The daily trip starts from 9 a.m. in the morning and continues till 5 in the evening.

“Sometimes, if there is a large group staying near to the beach, the bus picks them up from their hotels for no extra charges,” he said.

The half-an-hour drive into the world of sun-dappled water is awe-inspiring. The grand view of the cityscape from the boat is unmatched. One can also watch the fishing boats languidly cruise along the creek and enter a row of wharves. But, when there is high tide, it can indeed be a roller-coaster ride for no one can predict the mood of Sea God.

Though boat rides have become very popular, not many venture into the speedboat ride at Rushikonda. Despite being a 6-minute drive, it can be a hair-raising experience to slice through high velocity waves racing fast at you. “Because of the speed factor, it’s a big dose of fun and thrill for picnickers and the holiday crowd,” said Mr. Jeevan Prasad.

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