Lakshadweep are a string of little known islands, lying 200 or so miles off the Kerala coast. The ‘Jewel Of The Lakshadweep’ is Bangaram Island, which hosts a back to nature eco-friendly resort, a breathtaking spectacle of sparkling coral reefs, turquoise blue lagoons, silvery beaches and lush green coconut palms.
Bangaram Island has been ranked among the best getaways in the world. A beautiful and breathtaking island in the Arabian Sea, Bangaram is surrounded by a shallow lagoon of crystal clear water enclosed by a fabulous coral reef. The resort has 60 simple but comfortable beach cottages. Within the vast lagoon and 120 acres of lush coconut groves at Bangaram you may discover graceful fish, porcupines, parrots, hermit crabs and seabirds.
As a diving location, the virgin reefs of Bangaram Beach and other islands have been ranked by many of the world's experienced divers as being among the best anywhere. A wellequipped and professionally manned Scuba Diving facility is available at Bangaram Island by the highly respected Lacadives Diving Team .
Many ancient shipwrecks are yet to be discovered since the reefs aren't even fully explored yet. Manta rays, Eagle Rays, Moray Eels and Hawksbill Turtles are common. Diving courses and lagoon diving are offered for beginners. Diving sites are off the reefs and are reached by boat. Diving is permitted only within safe depths around 30 meters. Visitors can avail of a decompression chamber, except from 15 May to 15 September.
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| Bangaram Beach |
Bangaram Island Beach in Coral reefs, which are known for rich biological diversity and productivity, are being threatened throughout the world by various natural and anthropogenic activities. The present study concentrates on establishing methodology to zone the geo-morphological and ecological zones of the Bangaram reef (of atoll type), Lakshadweep islands, using remotely sensed data and adequately supported by field data. Classification system has been evolved to zone the reefs. Comparative studies have also been carried out using image processing techniques in order to establish the suitable technique for studying the Indian reefs. The IRS LISS III images representing three different tidal conditions of the period 1998-2000 were analyzed.
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| Bangaram Island and Beach |
The unsupervised classification of both the raw images as well as principal component images gave similar information. The classified product was subjected to contextual editing. Misclassification among various classes was found to increase with the increase in the depth of the water column present over the reef. The zones identified on the image are central deep lagoon, reef knolls (rising steeply from the central deep lagoon floor), reef edge, reef platform, coralline shelf, broad shallow sandy-bottomed lagoon, beach and two islets. The zonation has helped in getting information on the presence of live corals on the Bangaram reef. This kind of study is a valuable input in assessing the health of the reefs and its diversity.
For deep sea big game fishing, Bangaram is an ideal location. Record size Barracuda, Sailfish, Yellowfin, Travelly and Wahoo have often been landed. Local boats are available here for rent with experienced crew. Serious anglers are advised to bring their own equipment.
Bangaram Islan Or Bangaram Beach of the northern group of Lakshadweep islands lies northeastwards of the Agatti island. It has an extensive lagoon (10.6 km in size), two islands (Bangaram and Tinnakara) and two islets northeast of Tinnakara (Parali I & Parali II). The reef is steep on northern and eastern sides. About eight species of corals are recorded here, dominant of which are Porites, Acropora, Favia and Favites (based on ground observations). Seaweeds such as Caulerpa sertularioides, Halimeda, Hypnea valentiae, Champia, Ulva fasciata, Enteromorpha, Chaetomorpha and Cladophora are dominant in the Bangaram reef (.based on ground observations). Seagrass Cymodocea rotundata inhabits the lagoonal region. The most conspicuous feature of Bangaram reef is the presence of a number of coral knolls in the lagoonal regions.
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