#fishing reels goa

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Water sports and activities in Goa

Parasailing: As the sun bathes the coastline in golden hues, parasailing takes you on a breathtaking journey. Suspended beneath a colorful parachute, you're towed by a speedboat, ascending to the skies. The panoramic views of the Arabian Sea and the coastline are awe-inspiring.

Jet Skiing: For a shot of adrenaline, hop on a jet ski and slice through the waves. Feel the wind in your hair and the salty spray on your skin as you zip across the azure waters, maneuvering through the gentle swells and occasional waves.

Windsurfing: Goa's consistent sea breeze makes it a windsurfer's paradise. Combining elements of surfing and sailing, this sport demands balance and finesse as you harness the wind's power to glide gracefully across the water.

Scuba Diving: Beneath the surface lies a hidden world of wonder. Goa's clear waters host vibrant coral reefs and a diverse marine ecosystem. Dive into this enchanting realm, guided by certified instructors, to encounter colorful fish, eels, and even sea turtles.

Snorkeling: If you prefer to stay closer to the surface, snorkeling is a fantastic way to explore underwater life. Don a mask, snorkel, and fins, and immerse yourself in the aquatic world teeming with marine creatures and coral formations.

Banana Boat Rides: Perfect for groups and families, banana boat rides are pure fun. Cling to an inflatable banana-shaped boat as it's towed by a speedboat, and brace yourself for laughter and splashes as it bounces over the waves.

Kayaking: Tranquil backwaters, mangrove forests, and estuaries offer a serene setting for kayaking. Paddle through these calm waters, observing birds and wildlife along the way.

White Water Rafting: In Goa's hinterlands, the monsoon rains bring a different adventure: white water rafting on the Mhadei River. Tackle challenging rapids and navigate through breathtaking landscapes.

Dolphin Watching: Goa's warm waters are home to playful dolphins. Join a dolphin-watching excursion, and witness these magnificent creatures leaping and frolicking in their natural habitat.

Yachting and Cruises: If you prefer a leisurely pace, consider chartering a yacht or embarking on a scenic cruise. Sunset cruises along the Mandovi River offer a romantic ambiance and stunning views.

Fishing Trips: Goa's coastline is a fishing haven. Join a fishing trip to reel in barracuda, king mackerel, and other prized catches, experiencing the thrill of the hunt.

Island Hopping: Discover Goa's hidden gems on island-hopping tours. Explore secluded beaches, snorkel in pristine waters, and soak in the tranquility of these remote isles like Grand Island and Bat Island.

Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP): Balance and glide on a paddleboard as you explore tranquil rivers and estuaries. SUP offers a serene way to connect with nature while getting a full-body workout.

Kite Surfing: When the winds are strong, kite surfing takes center stage. Glide across the water with a kite tethered to your harness, performing thrilling aerial maneuvers.

Underwater Photography: Combine your love for water sports and photography by taking underwater cameras to capture the mesmerizing underwater world.

From heart-pounding adventures to serene explorations of nature's beauty, Goa offers an array of water sports and activities to suit all preferences and skill levels.

In Goa, water sports and adventures are a vibrant part of the coastal lifestyle. From thrilling activities like parasailing and jet skiing to serene encounters with marine life through scuba diving and snorkeling, Goa's azure waters offer endless excitement. Whether you're seeking an adrenaline rush or a peaceful communion with nature, Goa's coastline has something to offer every traveler, making it a premier destination for aquatic adventures.

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Extremely versatile, value for money, quality braid from Okuma, the Okuma Ceymar is the perfect briad for beginners and anglers looking for budget priced branded braided lines for fishing.

[shewtaverma61-blog]

How I decided to go scuba diving in Havelock.

Last year, I had gone on a snorkelling trip with my friends in Goa. We were blown away by the beauty, and we wanted more. So, this year my friends and I decided on a girls’ trip to go scuba diving in Andamans. 

The research

We chose scuba diving in Andaman because these islands have a reputation for being safe for women and solo travellers, and we didn’t want to worry about anything. We chose to go scuba diving in Havelock after a bit of research. We watched tons of YouTube videos and found it hard to contain our excitement. The marine life looked spectacular and we couldn't wait to dive in the water. If you haven’t guessed yet, we’re a bunch of total water babies! 

We found a great operator online, checked the reviews, and made our decision. We booked tickets to Port Blair for our first attempt at scuba diving in Havelock Island. Finally, the day for our Try Dive arrived. 

The training

At the dive centre, we were asked to fill up a form where we had to list out our medical conditions, if we had any. We were introduced to our instructor, Chad, who gave us a brief theory session and led us into a pool for a bit of practise. He taught us the hand signals for OK, all fine, stop, uneven pressure. We were then put into our diving suits. We wore our jackets and Chad strapped some weights around our waists and told us how to get control over buoyancy. We were ready. Squealing with excitement, we waded in from the shore. 

The initial panic

We took a few dips in the sea after fitting the regulator in our mouths. Chad wanted to be sure that we were all comfortable breathing under water. We then went deeper into the sea and felt the shore slipping away from under our feet and I felt a tiny bit of anxiety kick in. This usually always happens to me in new situations, so I knew what to expect. I had no voice and there were all these new ways to move, it was certainly a strange feeling. But my friends were around me and Chad was close by, so I reeled my panic back in and managed to calm down. 

Into the sea.

We descended slowly, moving towards an extensive coral reef. I felt as though I was on the movie set of ‘Finding Nemo’! I could only hear the sound of my breathing and the bubbles burbling from my mask. The blue-green water of the Andaman Sea was clear and I could see the sun shining outside. We had picked the perfect day to go scuba diving in Havelock. 

Under the Sea.

It was a whole new world. I was stunned by the beauty around me. All those YouTube videos did it no justice. There were tiny silvery fish darting past my feet. I saw a million clown fish nibbling at the coral. It seemed like every colour of the rainbow was living in those waters. The marine life became even more vivid as we moved deeper into the ocean. 

We were now at about 35 feet below the surface of the ocean. There were parrot fish darting about and butterfly fish swimming in and out of my vision. I spotted schools of barracuda, yellow-stripped snappers and neon fusilliers. The sandy bed was lined with red and green corals and rich green sea grass. It was magical and I wished with all my heart that I could turn into a mermaid and stay here forever. 

Coming up

We came up to the surface after half an hour. I had no idea how the time went by so quickly. As soon as we ascended to the surface of the sea, I wanted to dive back in again. We took off our regulator and Chad helped us remove the tanks and weights from our body. 

I felt proud of me and my girls, we had created the most memorable moments and this would bond us together forever. Scuba diving in the Andamans was truly the best experience we ever had.

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The Dolphin Watchers of Morjim

With the help of a marine conservationist, eight young fishermen are defining ethical dolphin tourism in Goa.

Story by Cara Tejpal

Photos by Meesha Holley

From the prow of the boat Puja Mitra urges us to hold tight as Captain Sam steers us toward the gaping mouth of the Chapora river. The waters eddy and swirl, I taste the brine in the air, then we crest a wave and lurch into the Arabian Sea. A kilometre from the coast Sam kills the engine, smiles broadly and points. Humpback dolphins. We glimpse a dorsal fin here, a fluke there. Hear the gush of air from their blowholes, and use a hydrophone to be privy to their underwater chatter. We keep our distance, drifting alongside the pod until the rising sun chases us back to shore.

Further south, off Sinquerim beach, the dolphin watching experience is less benign. Dozens of operators advertise cheap trips and vie for tourist attention at as little as 300 rupees a person. Speakers blare Bollywood pop, lifejackets are conspicuous by their absence and boat motors run relentlessly. In the hustle and grind to make a living, operators are compelled to guarantee sightings and each morning they head out to sea to chase and corral the dolphins for tourists.

Puja Mitra leads an ocean biodiversity experience on a boat captained by fisherman Sam.

Puja arrived at Sinquerim in 2014. As the coordinator for the WWF-India’s Goa Marine Programme, she spent the next two years under the guidance of leading cetacean ecologist Dipani Sutaria. Mentored by Dipani, the WWF team framed guidelines for dolphin-watching and trained 40 boat-owners to lead ethical tours. Then they conducted a surprise compliance check and found that not one of them were following these guidelines.

When I meet her in the idyllic village of Parra, Puja’s conservation enterprise Terra Conscious is not yet a year old. “I realised that I had to prove to boat-owners that ethical tourism is profitable. When dolphin tourism exploded in Goa, the state listed it under ‘Water Sports’ and operators promoted a “no dolphin, no pay” policy that created a hostile industry. They were competing with one another and under pressure to show dolphins or go unpaid. It bred an insensitivity that made dolphins the last priority. I realised to improve things I had to create market links between empowered operators and conscious travellers.” So, Puja turned her sights to the Morjim Jetty.

The Dream Team

The humpback dolphin that we see in Goa is listed as endangered and comes under India’s Wild Life Protection Act, 1972. They live close to the shoreline, occasionally entering rivers as they chase after mullet. “We call it buliya,” says Chandu. “Usually we see small pods of four-five, but one time we saw at least 80 at one spot. That day it felt like the only thing in the sea were dolphins.”

Chandu contemplates the pros and cons of tourism as he draws in his boat.

Chandu is one of eight community partners with whom Terra Conscious conducts Ocean Biodiversity Experiences. He comes from a family of fisherfolk that migrated from Maharashtra and settled in Goa two generations ago. “We still fish, but not as much. Dolphin tourism is more profitable now that we’re doing it this way.”  Chandu’s referring to the tourism model that Terra Conscious has developed in accordance with international dolphin-watching guidelines. On these trips, tourists pay a premium and listen to a presentation before they even step foot on a boat. Once at sea, the captains switch off the engines and maintain a minimum distance of 50 metres from the dolphins. Later, visitors are taken to an exquisite sandbank in the river to birdwatch and collect trash that may have drifted ashore. The boat operators are guaranteed an income on every trip, whether the group sees dolphins or not. It’s a win-win-win scenario, with tourists leaving well-informed, operators earning a respectable sum and the least amount of stress possible caused to the dolphins.  

April on the Konkan coast is stiflingly hot. Chandu is perched on his boat, while I squint up at him from the sand. “Earlier we didn’t know anything about dolphins. We ran tours like the Sinquerim ones. Now it’s different. I feel good about what we do. Plus we save almost half the petrol we would have used if we did it the old way because when we see the dolphins, we switch off the engine. ”

The Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin.

Photo by Mallika Talwar | Terra Conscious

Ever-smiling Sam doesn’t own a boat but he has been operating dolphin vessels from Morjim for 13 years. The first time Puja encountered him, Sam was giving chase to a pod and pointedly ignoring her frenzied shouts to slow down. Now he’s her greatest supporter. “I was annoyed that these hi-fi boats were telling us how to do business,” he laughs. “Then Chandu convinced me to give Puja a chance. Since then I’ve been doing tours with her every week. This work has filled my stomach. My father is so proud. He tells me I must never leave Terra Conscious.” 

Rajesh explains the devastating impact of LED fishing while Sam looks on.

On days when Puja doesn’t have guests, Sam and the others continue to run trips independently. These, though modestly priced, have begun to mimic the Terra Conscious experience. “We’re also telling the other fisherman and boat owners not to chase the dolphins,” says Sam.

At the little shack on the jetty, we’re joined by Rajesh. Along with his brothers, he owns and operates the third dolphin boat that docks here. Rajesh is in a dark mood though. A dead dolphin has washed up on the beach and he thinks it was killed by the propeller of one of the trawlers that crowd the bay. “They’ve started LED fishing, using powerful lights to burn fish out of the water. They’re operating too close to the shore. What will be left for the dolphins and us if they fish at this rate?” he asks.

The dolphin watchers and the lifeguards who patrol Goa’s beaches serve as de-facto first responders to wildlife emergencies. In 2017, Terra Conscious received support from the IUCN and the State Forest Department to streamline their efforts. This watchdog group, now known as Ocean Watch, provides crucial data on marine mammal and turtle deaths in Goa. Any time a member comes across a dead animal, they upload details on a Whatsapp group created for this purpose. In the past 11 months, they've recorded 81 deaths, including 20 dolphins, seven porpoises, one whale, one unidentified cetacean and 52 turtles. This year veterinarians will also be trained as apart of this initiative to perform marine necropsies which may shed some light on why these animals died. 

When the Clouds Pass

A spot of birdwatching and a quick clean-up of litter that washes ashore a sandbank in the Chapora River marks the end of the dolphin trip. 

It’s monsoon now. Boats have been pulled in, the sea has grown dark, the rivers are swelling and for a few months, the Dolphins will know a modicum of relief from human activity. In these weeks, the dolphin watchers will mend their fishing nets, tend to boat repairs and train with Terra Conscious for the coming season. In October, when they push their vessels down the beach again, they are confident that it will be the start of a rewarding season. Puja is optimistic too, but she is cautious. The truth is that unless more travellers choose ethical dolphin safaris, it will become impossible to sustain the work of Terra Conscious and its community partners.

Goa is incredibly biodiverse, but its natural bounty is reeling under pressures from coal mining, real estate developers, unregulated trawlers and unchecked tourism. It’s unfathomable to me that the government is considering razing the mangrove forests that hug the contours of the Chapora river to erect casinos. It’s infuriating that trawlers illegally plunder the sea within view of the office of the Captain of Ports. It’s beyond bleak to imagine a Goa overrun by concrete, its waters lifeless and polluted. Still, Chandu, Sam and Rajesh represent a new breed of conservation practitioners. Members of local communities who are making a living by adopting science and ingenuity to tackle the environmental crises in their backyard. These men know and love the oceans and coasts more deeply than any iterant traveller and they are determined to bring change.

Rajesh and his three brothers operate one of the four dolphin tourism boats that dock at the Morjim jetty.

Rajesh remembers a time when boats were made of mango wood and his father caught kingfish the size of a small man. Sam tells me that his daughter Samiksha stayed awake until four in the morning to watch turtle hatchlings shuffle down Morjim beach and be swept away by the waves. Under the shade of this shack, they share their memories and aspirations with me.  I am moved by their candour, and hope that when the clouds pass Goa’s tourists will keep a morning to seek out the dolphin watchers of Morjim.

Cara Tejpal is a wildlife conservationist with the Sanctuary Nature Foundation. Meesha Holley is a freelance photographer based in Goa.

A Telugu translation of this article first appeared on the BBC website. 

[casaibrahim]

Top 5 Reasons to Go Fishing

Fishing is an exciting and fun outdoor activity that everyone should try in their life. It’s one of the top recreational activities in Goa however, only a few realized that fishing is not only a fun hobby but that it also contributes to a person’s emotional and physical well-being. Therefore, to highlight the importance of fishing and to give you more reasons to go fishing, we have curated a list of the best reasons to go fishing.

1) Helps reduce stress 

Fishing is one of the best recreational activities for you to unwind and relax. This is because fishing offers a feeling of 'freedom'. It provides you with an escape from the daily stress from work and home. Also, when you spend time interacting with nature, you become part of it, and that helps you ignore all the world's troubles.

2) Social Bonding

Fishing is a great way to build strong relationships with your friends and family. It offers you a peaceful spot where you can genuinely connect with each other and spend quality time together. So the next time you plan on fishing, pack your hand fishing accessories in Goa and ask your partner, friend, or kid to take along and create memories that will last for a lifetime.

3) Survival skill

We have all heard of this Chinese proverb “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” Self-reliance is very important in today's day and age. Fishing is a basic survival skill that might come in handy later in your life. So stock up with all the essential fish gear by visiting a fishing store in Goa.

4) Increases your vitamin D intake

When you go fishing near a lake or river, your body gets exposed to sunlight which helps produce vitamin D. Vitamin D helps to keep your bones and teeth healthy. Studies have also shown that it helps enhance the immune system and prevent type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

5) Keeps You Physically Fit

Initially, fishing might not look like a very physically demanding or strenuous activity however fishing is a good form of exercise that helps improve cardiovascular fitness and enhance muscle strength. Physical activities like walking, paddling, casting nets, and reeling in fish are common why you're fishing anywhere.

Final thoughts 

So the next time you are debating whether to go fishing, Just think of all these benefits and start packing your fishing rods and reels in Goa and planning your next fishing trip.  

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Unique Fishing Gadgets To Level Up Your Fishing Game 2020

Goa is situated on the western coast of India and this is the reason fishing is a common and one of the most important things every goan gets involved with. Fishing can be both an occupation as well as a hobby. The staple food of goans is fish, curry and rice, therefore any and every goan you meet cannot do without fish in their food. It is because of fishing, every local managed to earn their livelihood. 

Many people think fishing is a boring sport and is for the older generation and is not meant for the youth. Others think it’s a waste of time. But if you go to see closely , fishing as a hobby can be very entertaining.  It can be very exciting and fun as well. It is a unique sport compared to others and each catch can be different.  Your fishing skills depend on how  many you were able to catch for a day. There are various competitions held in goa  for those who love tossing their fishing rods for a catch. Most of the grand fishing competitions are held in panjim where a lot of people, young and old, participate in it to showcase their fishing skills.

Goa is very rich in freshwater and marine ecosystems. It has nine rivers  hence, fish is very easily available here. Large number of people are seen along the coastal regions, like baga, vagator or morjim  waiting for their catch of the day  with their favourite fishing gadgets especially in the evenings in their leisure time. If you are a person having the same interest, you need to know all about it and the things required for a good catch.

Here are some of the fishing gadgets you need to know to level up your fishing games with your friends. Everyone is familiar with the commonly used fishing gadget, that is the fishing rod and reel . It can be mostly used for fishing in leisure time or in competitions.  Fishing rods and reels  can be both traditional that anyone can make at home from ash, hickory and bamboo and the other is the latest ones that is in much use these days made from fibreglass or carbon fibre. Fishing rods and reels  can be of many types and sizes depending on the ways they are used for and type of fish you want to catch.  Spinning rod trigger grip, popping rods, fly rods that are used to cast artificial trolling rods, etc. are some of the fishing rods while spinning reels, baitcasting reels, spincast reels, trolling reels, fly reels, surf spinning reels  are some types of fishing reels.

There are other types of fishing gadgets that are newly introduced such as braid fishing line, wire fishing line, fly fishing line, fishing lures, fishing  jigs, fishing hooks, fishing soft baits, fishing spinners, squid fishing jigs, fishing spoons, fishing rigs, fish lip gripper, etc. These are the various  fishing gadgets that are available at any fishing  store in goa. These will make your fishing sport even more effective.

[casaibrahim]

The Okuma G-Force Tele-Med telescopic spinning rod is convenient to carry and suitable for light to medium fishing.

Features:

. Light weight- Composite rod

. Graphite reel seat

. Multi purpose Tele spinning rod

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New Sweepfire 2B . Smooth, 2 ball bearing drive (2BB)

. Digigear digital gear design

. Composite body, Body Cover, Rotor

. ABS aluminium spool

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The new Crossfire spinning reel offers high value performance at a reasonable price.

Features:

New cosmetic design.

Digigear, digital gear design.

Infinite Anti-Reverse.

4 Bearing system.(3BB+1RB)

ABS aluminium spool (Double Anodised)

Machined Aluminium Handle.

[casaibrahim]

The Daiwa Sweepfire spinning rod is a budget-priced fishing rod suitable for light to medium fishing.

Features:

- Durable fibreglass blank construction

- Cut-proof aluminium oxide guides

- Rebalanced All Guide Size & Handle Shapes

- Natural cork grip

- Hook keeper

- Stainless steel hooded reel seat

Visit Us: http://www.casaibrahim.com/

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