By the KSR Global Aquarium team | Updated October 2026 | 9 min read
The underwater museum in Sindhudurg is ex-INS Guldar, a decommissioned Indian Navy landing ship that was sunk on purpose near Nivati Rock off the Vengurla coast on 19 May 2026. It rests at about 22 metres and is meant to become an artificial reef that visitors will reach by dive and, later, by tourist submarine. It isn’t fully open yet, so plan around it rather than for it, and pair the coast with an inland day at Kesari.
Key insights
- It’s a real warship, not a building: ex-INS Guldar served 39 years before it was cleaned and scuttled as a reef.
- It’s still being set up: MTDC expects the submarine to run within about 1.5 years, and diving launch dates haven’t been fixed.
- Divers will get tiers: planned access runs from beginner dives to 12 m up to advanced dives at 30 m.
- Inland and coast make one trip: the sea is the headline, and the farms, aquarium and butterflies inland fill the rest of the holiday.
Before you go
Call MTDC or check its official channels for the current status the week you travel. Projects like this open in stages, and the stage that’s live in October may not be the one that’s live in February. Don’t book a trip around the submarine until it’s announced as running.
Sindhudurg has always had the sea, the fort and the beaches. Now it has something nobody else in India has, a full-sized naval ship sitting on the seabed waiting for coral, fish and divers to move in.
It’s understandably got people searching. “Underwater museum Sindhudurg” has gone from nothing to a steady trickle of searches every month, mostly from families trying to work out whether it’s something they can actually visit yet. Here’s what’s known, what isn’t, and how to fit it into a trip that includes the green, farmed side of the district too.
[IMAGE: wide aerial or archive shot of the ex-INS Guldar on the water before scuttling, coast in the background. Use only a licensed or MTDC-supplied image. Caption: Ex-INS Guldar before scuttling. It now rests at about 22 metres near Nivati Rock.]
What is the underwater museum in Sindhudurg?
It’s India’s first underwater museum: the decommissioned landing ship ex-INS Guldar, deliberately sunk near Nivati Rock in Sindhudurg to create an artificial reef and a dive and submarine attraction. MTDC is developing it, and the ship went down on 19 May 2026.
The ship
Guldar was a Magar-class landing ship tank, built in Poland and launched in 1985. It served the Indian Navy for 39 years before being decommissioned on 12 January 2024. Before it was sunk, it was cleaned of hazardous and polluting materials so it wouldn’t harm the sea.
Why sink a warship?
Ships make excellent artificial reefs. Their hulls give coral and sponges something to grow on and give fish shelter. The site was chosen after surveys found no natural coral reef there, so the wreck adds habitat rather than covering any.
The money behind it
The Union government approved Rs 46.91 crore in November 2024, and Maharashtra gave a revised administrative approval of Rs 112.46 crore in December 2025. That’s a serious state bet on marine tourism.
Where exactly is it, and how deep?
The wreck lies near Nivati Rock, off the Vengurla coast of Sindhudurg, at a depth of about 22 metres. Visitors will reach it by speedboat from a jetty to Nivati Rock, then by barge to the dive and submarine site.
Depth in plain terms
Twenty-two metres is beyond a beginner snorkel and fine for trained divers. That’s why access is planned in tiers rather than as a single open-to-all activity.
A protected zone
A 500-metre no-fishing, no-anchoring radius has been proposed around the site, which should give the reef time to establish itself.
Where it sits in the project’s history
The project was formally launched in June 2025, when the Union Tourism Ministry’s support and the handover of the ship to MTDC were announced. The ship was cleaned and scuttled the following May.
Can you visit it right now?
Not fully. As of October 2026 the ship is in place, but MTDC has said the tourist submarine is expected within about 1.5 years, and no public launch date has been set for the dive tiers. Check MTDC’s current status before you plan a visit around it.
What’s planned
| Access | Who it’s for | Planned depth |
| Tourist submarine | Non-divers, families | View the wreck without getting wet |
| Guided scuba | Beginners with an instructor | Up to 12 m |
| Certified diver expeditions | Certified open water divers | Up to 18 m |
| Advanced diving | Advanced divers | Up to 30 m |
| Underwater photography and marine education | Divers and students | Varies |
What you can do on the coast today
Tarkarli and Malvan already offer scuba, snorkelling and boat trips with established operators. If you’re on the coast before the museum opens, that’s your sea day, and you can come back for Guldar later.
Will the reef be worth seeing straight away?
Probably not in the first months. Artificial reefs take time to colonise. Early visitors will see a ship; later visitors will see a ship turning into a reef, which is the more interesting sight.
How do you combine the underwater museum with KSR?
Treat it as a two-day trip: one day on the coast near Vengurla for the sea, and one day inland at Kesari for the aquarium, farm, bird park and butterflies. Trying to squeeze both into one day means more road than holiday.
Why the pairing works
The coast shows you the sea from above, or under. Kesari shows you what lives in fresh, brackish and marine water up close in a two-storey aquarium, with no swimming required. For children too young to dive, that’s how they actually “see underwater”.
A sample two-day plan
| Day | Morning | Afternoon | Evening |
| Day 1, coast | Boat or dive near Vengurla, or Tarkarli if Guldar isn’t open yet | Beach, seafood lunch | Sunset at the coast |
| Day 2, inland | Kesari: aquarium, fish feeding pond | Agro farm, bird park, Dome of Colors | Sawantwadi’s Moti Talao |
Getting between the two
Kesari is about 3 km from Danoli and roughly 23 km from Sawantwadi. Base yourself in Sawantwadi or near Vengurla and drive out each day. The directions to Kesari cover the Danoli turn.
What does the inland half of the trip look like?
The inland half is eco agro tourism: working farms, planting and harvesting, farm animals, butterflies and birds, mostly outdoors and slow-paced. It’s the counterweight to a high-energy sea day, and it’s often the part younger children enjoy most.
The agro tourism park
At Kesari, the agro tourism section is hands-on: planting, harvesting, tending animals and eating farm-to-table food, with folk performances on some days. It’s the closest thing in the district to a working agro tourism park inside a family attraction.
Why eco agro tourism in Maharashtra is growing
Families want trips where kids do something rather than just look at something. Farm days tick that box, and in Sindhudurg they come with Western Ghats scenery thrown in.
What to bring
| Item | Why |
| Cash | Mobile signal can be patchy near Kesari |
| Hats and water | Outdoor sections get hot by midday |
| Clothes that can get dirty | Farm activities are hands-on |
| A light rain layer | Essential from June to September |
When is the best time for a coast-and-countryside trip?
October to March is the best window, with calmer seas, better underwater visibility and comfortable farm weather. The monsoon closes most sea activities from roughly June to September, though the inland side is lush and beautiful then.
Sea season
Dive operators along this coast generally work from about October to May, weather permitting. Visibility is usually best in the calmer months after the monsoon.
Farm season
October to January is harvest time and pleasant for children. February to May brings cashew and mango season but much hotter afternoons.
Wrapping up
The underwater museum in Sindhudurg is a genuine first for India: a 39-year-old warship turned into a reef near Nivati Rock, with diving tiers and a tourist submarine on the way. It isn’t fully open yet, so check MTDC’s status before you go, and treat it as one half of a bigger trip. The sea gives you the headline. The countryside gives you the rest of the holiday.
KSR Global Aquarium at Kesari is the natural inland partner for that coastal day: a two-storey aquarium covering freshwater, marine and brackish life, a koi feeding pond, a walk-through bird park, a butterfly dome and a working agro farm, all on one site near Sawantwadi. Plan your coast day around the sea, and book your Kesari tickets for the day after.
FAQs
What is the underwater museum in Sindhudurg?
It’s ex-INS Guldar, a decommissioned Navy landing ship sunk near Nivati Rock on 19 May 2026 to form an artificial reef. MTDC is developing it as India’s first underwater museum, with diving and a tourist submarine planned.
Is the Sindhudurg underwater museum open?
Not fully, as of October 2026. The ship is in place, but MTDC expects the submarine within about 1.5 years and hasn’t announced public dive launch dates. Check MTDC’s official channels before planning a visit.
How deep is INS Guldar?
The wreck lies at about 22 metres. Planned access includes guided beginner dives to 12 metres, certified dives to 18 metres, advanced dives to 30 metres and a submarine for non-divers.
Can children visit the underwater museum?
Once the tourist submarine runs, families should be able to view the wreck without diving. Until then, children can see marine life up close at aquariums inland, such as the two-storey aquarium at Kesari.
How far is Kesari from the Vengurla coast?
It depends on your route and jetty, so check a live map on the day. Kesari is about 23 km from Sawantwadi, which makes Sawantwadi a convenient base for both the coast and the inland attractions.
What is eco agro tourism in Maharashtra?
It’s farm-based travel where visitors plant, harvest, care for animals and eat locally grown food, usually with nature walks and wildlife. In Sindhudurg it pairs naturally with the coast for a balanced two-day trip.
