Velas Beach

At a distance of 12 km from Harihareshwar, 29 km from Kelshi, 55 km from Dapoli and 124 km from Alibaug, Velas Beach is a small secluded beach situated at Velas, a small fishing village on the western coast of Maharashtra.

Velas is one of the most pristine beaches in Ratnagiri district and is situated close to Shrivardhan region. This beach has a fair number of outdoor recreational activities such as snorkeling, scuba diving, water surfing and skiing. Visitors can even enjoy parasailing, swimming and sunbathing at this beach. In addition nature lovers will love this beach as it is considered as a small paradise and many natural green spaces can be seen along the shore of the beach.

Velas Beach becomes a hot spot for environmentalist during the breeding season of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles. Velas has always topped the list with the highest number of nests of Olive Ridley turtles and they also host the Turtle Festival each year to celebrate the release of the hatchlings. This festival is organised by Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra (SNM) and the Kasav Mitra Mandal (KMM) with the help of the locals, during the period of February and March, where one can witness the first steps of newly hatched Olive Ridley Turtles.

During this festival, the new born turtle hatch-lings are released into the Sea. As a part of the Turtle Conservation program, the villagers maintain 24 x 7 vigilance during the nesting period. They build a hatchery to keep the eggs safe. Once the female turtle lays eggs, they are incubated for 45-60 days. After the eggs hatch, the little turtles start their seaward journey.