Calangute, Goa — What began in 1993 as a one-man
operation renting out second-hand surfboards on Calangute beach has grown into
one of Goa's most recognised names in adventure tourism. Atlantis Water Sports
was founded by Herbert Rodrigues — known locally as Charlie — and now operates
from two locations in Calangute and Anjuna, offering everything from scuba
diving to parasailing, alongside a string of hospitality awards picked up along
the way.
From Hobby to
Hospitality Icon
Charlie started the
business as what he himself once described as "10% business and 90%
hobby," leasing out surfboards to tourists in the early 1990s. His own
passion for water skiing pushed him to buy a speedboat and source equipment
from abroad during his travels, gradually expanding his offerings to include
bumper rides, banana boat rides, and dolphin trips. As demand grew through the
late 1990s, the business shifted to roughly an even split between passion
project and commercial venture.
As tourist footfall in Goa
increased, Rodrigues recognised the limits of running everything
single-handedly. He transitioned the company from a standalone watersports
operator into a broader tours-and-activities aggregator, partnering with
certified, trusted operators to add island trips, waterfall excursions, and
fishing trips to the roster — diversifying well beyond the beach and giving
tourists a wider menu of experiences under one trusted name.
.jpeg)
The venture wasn't without
setbacks. In 2004, while Rodrigues was preparing to represent India as a
professional windsurfer in Italy, a devastating fire destroyed his canvas tent
and equipment worth an estimated ₹1 crore. The setback was compounded by the
temporary closure of several beach shacks across Goa over fire-safety concerns
at the time. His resilience saw the business not only recover but continue
expanding in the years that followed, eventually adding a second branch in
Anjuna alongside its original Calangute base.
Customer Trust
Reflected in Reviews
Over its three-plus decades
in operation, the company has built a loyal customer base, reflected in an
average rating of 4.7 out of 5 from customers across review platforms — a
notable figure in Goa's crowded watersports sector, where hundreds of vendors
compete for tourist attention along the coast. It has also accumulated hundreds
of detailed reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor over the years, many citing
repeat visits and word-of-mouth referrals as their reason for choosing the
operator.
"We're proud that
customers searching for watersports in Goa find us first," said Charlie,
reflecting on the business's visibility among tourists researching activities
online before their trip. "It tells us that three decades of consistency —
being there, doing the job properly, keeping people safe — actually counts for
something in the end."
Industry
Recognition
The track record has been
backed by formal recognition from the hospitality industry. Atlantis Water
Sports has been honoured at the Times Hospitality Icons awards on multiple
occasions — including 2019, 2021, and 2022 — in categories such as "Legendary
Watersports" and "Iconic Adventure Water Sports," presented by
OptimalMedia Solutions, a division of Times Internet and a Times Group company.
The business also won the
What's Hot Owler's Awards 2019 for Best Club for Watersports in Goa, an honour
associated with Times Prime, and was named a Preferred Partner under Deltin
Casinos' Preferred Partners Program in 2019 — recognition typically reserved
for established, vetted operators within Goa's hospitality and entertainment
circuit.
Signature
Experiences
Among the activities the
company is best known for is scuba diving at Grande Island, off the Goan coast,
where divers can explore coral reefs, marine life, and shipwrecks with
PADI-certified instructors. It says it works only with activity providers holding
essential certifications from recognised institutions, including the National
Institute of Watersports (NIWS) and PADI, as part of a deliberate effort to
standardise safety across its partner network.
Its best-selling offerings
include a tour to the Dudhsagar waterfall, one of India's tallest, where
visitors can witness cascading waters amid lush forest, and luxury dinner
cruises along the Goan coastline that pair scenic views with onboard dining.
Parasailing and adventure boat cruises round out a roster built specifically
around the kind of repeat tourist demand seen in Calangute and the wider North
Goa belt.
A Name Tourists Are
Searching For
Three decades on, Herbert
Rodrigues's venture has become one of the more visible watersports operators
when tourists look up adventure activities in Goa online. For him, that
visibility is less about marketing and more about a long track record finally showing
up in how people search.
"When we started,
nobody was searching online for anything — you just stood on the beach and
waved people over," he said. "Now people research everything before
they land in Goa, and somehow we still come up. That's not an accident, that's
thirty years of doing this properly."
For Herbert
"Charlie" Rodrigues, the growth from a single rented surfboard to a
recognised tours-and-activities brand mirrors the broader story of Goa's
adventure tourism sector itself — one that has scaled from informal beach-side
hustle to a structured, increasingly professionalised industry.
Atlantis Water Sports
currently operates out of Tavares Place and Calangute–Anjuna Road in Calangute,
Goa. More information is available at atlantiswatersports.com.