Locals not surprised by 'Varkala Titanic' discovery

VARKALA: In one major finding that could open the hidden chapters of shipwreck mysteries in India, a scuba team found a shipwreck in the Nedumkandam region of Varkala on Thursday. The scuba divers exploring the waters found the wreckage at a depth of 45 meters, 11 km inside Nedunkandam Beach.

According to scuba team leader Mesh, the divers were only able to spend just 10 minutes near the wreckage. It was also impossible for them to enter inside the ship as it was broken into two and was covered in algae.

According to reports from the scuba diving team, the wreckage seems to be that of a cargo ship. It was by using an action camera and underwater torch that the team recorded the visuals from such a depth. Only certified divers are allowed to go beyond 45 m depth in the sea as it is deemed highly dangerous. The cargo ship was covered in algae which made it difficult for the team to find out any writings on the ship.

However, this finding proved to evoke little surprise in locals as many say they were aware of the shipwreck long back. Some others say it was one Australian scuba diver who first brought out the news 10 years back while conducting a deep water exploration. Even fishermen folks long back talked about the matter, say locals.

According to local legend, the shipwreck was that of a Japanese ship which entered this sea during the Second World War era.