07 July,2010 06:49 AM IST | | Malini Banerjee
Whether its on land or under water, The Dive Shop and Wildcraft promise to give city-based thrill seekers a heady rush, as Malini Banerjee discovered, with tons of cool gear to choose from, whether you're a wannabe scuba diver or headed to the Himalayas
The Dive Shop
The newly opened dive store owned by Lacadives and The Life Aquatic With Lacadives may not be the easiest to find.
But if you want to climb every ocean and dive into every sea, why let a narrow galli that calls itself a road deter you?
When Jurgen Van Duffel, partner Lacadives and a PADI instructor, tells you that they are a "gateway to scuba diving" he means business.
Wetsuits, snorkels, underwater cameras, fins the store stocks all the basics necessary for diving. While Scuba masks are priced within Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000, wet suits come between Rs 5,500 to Rs 7,500.
Underwater cameras are priced steep though. Even a 1.3 mega pixel camera costs Rs 3,000. "It's true that any dive centre you go to, you'll get this gear. But many people prefer to own some of the basics, like a wet suit.
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"There will be nothing between your skin and the wet suit, so it makes sense to buy your own," points out COO, Karan Passey.
But isn't it pointless supplying gear to a market that doesn't know how to dive? Lacadives is creating the very market it is supplying to.
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One of their USP is that it isn't just a retail store but also an organisation that will help you gain your diver's certification, and help you plan your diving holiday.
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Founded in 1995 by ad man Prahlad Kakkar, their first dive centre was set up in Kadmat Island in Lakshwadweep.
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After opening two more centres in Bangaram and Havelock in Lakshwadweep Islands andu00a0 the Andaman Islands, they felt it was time to be more accessible from the main lands.
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Originally, the dive centres were where one would needed to go down for 5-6-day training programmes by the end of which one could get au00a0 certificate.
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"But often many people don't want to give away 6 days of their vacation just for lessons.
If they could finish off the first bit of the training here they can go forward with the open water diving during their holiday," explains Van Duffel.
AT: 14 C Bungalow, Boran Road, off Hill Road, Bandra (W).
Call: 65177381
Wildcraft
At the junction of Linking Road and SV Road, near Bandra Talao is Wild Craft, which stocks mountaineering gear and looks set to expand to include corporate and kiddie stuff too.
It started 20 years ago when founder Dinesh KS, with a passion for mountaineering, kept hitting a dead end whenever he needed affordable gear.
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"In those days climbing gear had to be imported, which was a difficult process. So he (Dinesh) started designing gear for himself and his friends.
Gradually, word spread and he opened his first store in Bangalore," recalls Shivaraj Mohan, store manager at the three-month-old Bandra outlet.
The dominating feature as you step in is a big, yellow tent. This three-season, 7x7 tent (Rs 4,995) can accommodate three to four people.
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Inside, a soft, cushiony sleeping bag (Rs 1,995) will keep you warm even in zero degree Celsius temperatures. It rolls into a compact pillow that weighs less than 1 kg and is ideal for a hardcore tripper. The walls are also dominated by every conceivable kind of backpack.
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Corporate backpacks, with compartments for laptops, small rain-protecting compartments, backpacks for college kids as well as backpacks for kids that weigh less than 600 gms to spare them a heavy load.
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But what really caught our eye was a backpack that boasts of a 25-year warranty.
Part of the Camo/ Signature range that also has laptop bags and other gear; it comes in various sizes starting from 35 litres to 65 litres within the range of Rs 1,495- Rs 4,745.
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"A lot of our products are also supplied to the defence forces; this backpack is made with the same material that I used to build gear for the Indian Army," reveals Shivaraj.
Forget family heirlooms, what about a backpack to pass on to your kids?
AT: Wildcraft, 254 Ahmed palace, SV Road and Linking Road junction, Bandra (W).
Call: 26558771
