Adventure Seals: Get ready to discover your wild child

Wednesday, 19 February 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Sarah Hannan As a country rich in geo-diversity, Sri Lanka allows people to get involved in various types of outdoor sports. Be it water sports such as kayaking, white water rafting, surfing and sailing to rock climbing and camping, one can indulge in any of these activities. But finding the right gear for your outdoor adventure can always be a challenge. Identifying the needs of outdoor enthusiasts, Directors Major Ruvan Ranatunga and Supem De Silva decided to setup a store at No. 3, Vijaya Kumaratunga Mawatha, Colombo 5 named Adventure Seals. Speaking about the business venture Major Ranatunga stated: “Providing mandatory equipment was the foundation to setup this store. However the functionality of this store goes beyond being just a point of sale. We provide the equipment and also introduce our clients to groups who are involved in outdoor adventure sports. For example, we are in touch with four wheel drive enthusiasts, kayaking enthusiasts and mountain climbing enthusiasts. This becomes a very good opportunity to support these groups as well as provide professional guidance to the people who are starting off their journey in outdoor adventure activities.”

Major Ranatunga also stated that Adventure Seals will be supporting Jeremy Bolling who is set to sail around Sri Lanka this year. “The store is always willing to assist people with finding support for their outdoor adventure activities and encourage them to get involved in more outdoor activities. The world is turning out to become a more thumb culture. Parents don’t have time to go out with their children and enjoy the nature. Instead they give the kids an iPad and get them to play games on it. But I think it is important that regardless of the age everyone should get out and experience nature. Through our shop we are trying to encourage people to be more in touch with nature,” Major Ranatunga added. Not competing but complementing Head of Operations and Market Development Ishan Fernando joining in the conversation stated: “Since setting up the store we have developed little by little. At present we have over 10,000 products in store ranging from brands such as Viper, Web-tex, NRS, Pelican, Petzl, Victorinox, Garmin, Go, Otter Box, etc. Outdoor adventure business has a big opportunity to grow and we are not competing to be at the top of the game but are here to complement the industry, brands and the businesses involved.” The store works closely with adventure groups and according to Fernando stakeholders are given discount schemes to purchase gear for water sports and climbing sports. The team plans to conduct workshops which will involve the general public and provide them awareness sessions of the usage of equipment. Future plans “Technology is evolving and equipment is being replaced with lighter equipment with advanced features. At Adventure Seals we look at products that are cost effective and user friendly. We will in future conduct more workshops to create awareness to the public in how effectively one can use the gear they choose,” Fernando added. The company also plans to reach out to the schools to create more awareness on the outdoor activities children could take part in. Major Ranatunga said that the team has identified that the Scouts and Guides movements are lacking equipment to conduct some of their activities and Adventure Seals is looking at working closely with these groups to provide them with necessary equipment and the guidance. According to Fernando, the future for outdoor adventure sports looks positive and he says that more and more people are turning in to outdoor activities. Not only can you purchase equipment from this store but also rent out Kayaks and other equipment for that weekend getaway you have in mind. In the near future a climbing wall will be constructed just outside the store. Fernando added: “We will conduct training classes for interested individuals on climbing and also create awareness on the usage of safety equipment.” For more information on the store visit its Facebook page: www.facebook.com/adventureseals. Pix by Sameera Wijesinghe