Parasailing cable snaps at Baga, tourist falls into sea

Panaji: A tourist parasailing out at sea at Baga had a narrow escape when the cable tethering the parasail to the boat snapped while the tourist was mid-air. The man fell from a height of at least 15ft, but his fall was slowed down by the parachute, preventing him from sustaining grievous injuries.

Tragedy was averted as the crew of the boat quickly turned around and rescued the tourist. Since he was wearing a life jacket, the risk of drowning was minimal, said a boat operator. The incident left the other tourists on the boat shell-shocked, with women heard screaming in panic in the video.

The tourism department has sought a full report on the incident and has warned of strict action, including licence suspension, if negligence is found. The incident rekindled concerns over equipment maintenance in popular adventure spots.

The video that was widely circulated led to questions being raised on social media platforms about the safety of water sports in Goa.

“When it comes to India, safety is last. Never ever do any kind of this thing, from jumping to skydiving in India. Just make and earn money,” said Saurabh Joshi, a netizen.

A water sports operator from Baga said that all adventure sports activities have some element of risk. Parasailing activities can be hindered by the towing vessel shutting down, a faulty fuel pump, strong winds, a snapped cable, or a dysfunctional winch.

This was not the only incident of a tourist’s holiday taking a turn for the worse.

At Benaulim beach, a 71-year-old man from Pune was chased and bitten by stray dogs while running along the shore. Drishti lifesavers attended to him promptly, provided first aid, and ensured he was stabilised.

Further down south, at Agonda, a 48-year-old man had to be rescued after falling off his kayak nearly 100m into the sea. Drishti lifesavers used a jetski to rescue him.