BHUBANESWAR: Bhubaneswar Cycling and Adventure Club organised a Deep Sea Adventure sport with 70 participants at Puri Friday.
Around 44 Club members, 15 outsiders and 11 kids joined BCAC in this event. Lifeguards assisted the participants in this endeavour. At first, strong tides pushed the swimmers ashore. Some inexperienced participants found it quite difficult to battle the tidal force and reach mid sea.
However, after swimming for two hours and some kilometres, each member reached the deepest end to enjoy a gripping view of the Lord Jagannath’s ‘Neela Chakra’. Everyone learnt new tricks like motioning legs and swimming under the high tides to avoid being pushed back to the sea.
A participant said, “We were able to witness the ‘Patita Pabana Bana’ of Jagannath Temple mid sea. It was enthralling, glorious and all the fancy words in the dictionary. All of us felt an ecstatic moment of achievement.”
Unfortunately, members of the club found plastic and used oil packets mid sea which they collected and kept with themselves till they reached the shore.
Some of the participants tried catching marine fishes to learn more about a fisherman’s life. A fisherman who participated in the event said, “Sea fishes are better for the overall health of an individual than any other variety. The adventurous venture was an enjoyable experience. However, swimming inside the sea requires a lot of patience, courage and stamina in order to overcome the tides.”
All the members achieved the feat after more than two and half hours of swimming. A BCAC member said, “We all felt obliged and blessed to have accomplished the task without any hiccup. We hadn’t planned any cleanliness initiative during the start of the event. However, we couldn’t leave the garbage mid sea after spotting it.”
