Connoisseurs marvel at pearls in shipwrecks near Karwar

This seems straight out of a coral reef replete with wonder tales of pearl formation.

The Devgad island near the Lighthouse, off the coast here, has been testimony to one such priceless stone story. Precious pearls have been found on the remnants of sunken ships several feet under water, causing curiosity all around.

The pearl formations were discovered recently by a team of scuba-divers belonging to the Netrani Adventures club from Murdeshwar.

They saw the pearls formed inside ship remnants and had photographed them. A team of experts headed by Jagannath Rathod, chairman of the Centre rfor Ocean Studies of the post-graduation centre here of the Karnatak University, Dharwad, has confirmed the pearl formation.

“This is the first time that hard pearls have been found in the Karwar region. In the past, pearls were discovered in the sea, off Manki in Honnavar taluk. Oysters, the sea creatures that form the pearls, live for three to four years. Other sea creatures qalso live with them, signifying diversity of life under water. Efforts should be made to protect it,” Rathod said. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Mannar and Lakshadweep are major coral reefs on India’s coastline.