Udupi, Sept 17: The tourist boat services to St Mary’s Island from Malpe harbour has commenced after a gap of four months. The palm fringed St Mary’s Island, a popular tourist destination and a 30-minute boat ride from Malpe beach, has basalt rock formations jutting out in different shapes. It was declared as a national geological monument by the Geological Survey of India in 1979.
Tourist boat facility to the island had been banned for the last four months owing to the monsoon season from May 15 to September 15. The service resumed on September 16. Every day, the boat service will be available from 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. However, the boat requires a minimum of 30 passengers to move from the tourist jetty located near the Malpe Sea Walkway.
There will be a service at 10.30 a.m. and 3.30 p.m., when the boat will leave for the island irrespective of the number of people. Three boats will be ferrying passengers from Malpe to the island and back. The capacity of each boat is 143 persons plus seven crew members.
The ticket price per adult is Rs. 250, while it is Rs. 150 per child. The boats have lifejacket and lifebuoy facilities. The service will be available till the end of May barring those days or periods when the sea is rough. There will be no service during the monsoon.
Ganesh Amin, a boat owner, said that as the island is a zero-plastic zone, passengers would not be allowed to bring plastic materials other than those required for children.
The boat owners want a floating jetty to be constructed at St. Mary’s Island so that it is easy for the passengers to alight.
Presently, passengers are transported from the big boat to a small boat near the island to reach it. Besides the big boats, four small boats from Malpe beach also ferry passengers.
Comments
Add new comment