Life is like the wild. The more wild the wild is , the more you will fall and more danger there is.The more you fall you will learn to pick your self up. Its good to be outdoors. Its good to climb a mountain once in a while or chase a waterfall or else to do a bit of river boarding. You will know how things are difficult then. They’d teach you courage. You will learn to tackle situations. You will learn to stay through all ups and downs in life. And may be this is why adventure trips are a must, at least once or twice in somebody’s life. I think.
So the next time you’d want to fall, get lost in a jungle and know the kind of view you would see up from a mountain, there is someone waiting to make your dream come true. That is Adventure Seals. Adventure Seals will tell you what you need and how you need to live your dream.
Adventure Seals is known for their largest inventory of branded adventure gear and safety equipment.
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| Adventure gear / clothing |
On the 7, August 2015, they had a soft opening of their revamped and expanded store located at No. 3, Vijaya Kumaratunga Mawatha, Colombo 5 on August 7, 2015 to close family, friends, clients and media. I went. I saw. I was humbled. The store is now home to new brands such as Timberland, Condor, Coleman, Entre Prises, Reef, Rip Curl, Russells and much more.
This expansion comes as SEALs celebrate two years of giving their best to show people how to get through an adventure trip with the right equipment. They believe that right gear will keep you well protected, give you shelter in any weather and above all ensure that you are safe outdoors. Be it a rapid filling river, a rock or a waterfall.
This revamp was about more space and getting involved with more brands. Now they have brands coming along with some clothing lines, surfing brands as well as provide some activities for interested parties. And there is more to it. They are planning on a new scheme. Caravan Adventure. You will get to know it sooner.
Major Ruwan Ranathunga, founder of SEALs think that it’s time to take full advantage of the end of the war and enlighten all those enthusiasts that there is an opportunity to rediscover this country. This is what he told;
'Setting up a store of this nature two years ago was for the purpose of encouraging people to go out. Trying to break the youngsters out of the pop culture and getting them to discover the nature.'
The best thing about SEALs is that it is not only about buying some piece of equipment , they are ready to show the buyer how to use the equipment they purchase , ways to safeguard and other things that one has to know about the product. The activity part is the new area they are trying to put a lot of emphasis on. And all above to teach safety. Not only safeguarding the traveler, but also the environment and the communities in areas where adventure activities are conducted.
Right now, they are giving knowledge through social media in the areas of safety, planning outdoor trips, first aid, navigation and many more. In the meantime they want to make the store itself a hub where people with similar interests come together.
‘This needs to be a resource hub and not just a store. All of us who are employed here have experience in the outdoors in various levels. We have people who have done all kinds of things – climbing, diving, sailing, kayaking, trekking and camping. So we do have people who we can put together when the knowledge is needed. ‘
So this is one of the main things they are looking at – the training and reaching out where they have conducted awareness programs in schools, universities and hiking. Some of these seminars and workshops they have carried out are free of charge. It’s actually giving out more than getting. It’s not an expectation of getting business or making money out of what they do , they bring in people from overseas to help the enthusiasts to gain that extra bit/edge to take this forward. They do it from heart. The best as they can. To assure that travelers do the right thing.
Everything began when Major Ruvan wanted to walk across Sri Lanka for a good cause from down south to Jaffna and Seals played a small part in it. Ishan and Major Ruwan had this plan which Supem thought was mad enough to do. The whole team got behind Ruwan and provided him with all the necessary equipment along with moral support and whatever they could do for him to make his journey a success.
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| Major Ruwan and his team. |
Sometimes the craziest of ideas even if it is mad enough to do is what all takes to start things.
After Ruwan made his journey they supported Jeremy Bolling to sail around SriLanka, they supported Elmo when he wanted to climb the next highest point that one day would reach Everest.
‘Even the Peradeniya Explorers Club, when they want to do their activities, we supported them as they wanted to do something different’, Major Ruwan added.
Keep the adrenaline rush aside for a bit. When it comes to adventure , you cannot afford to make mistakes. Because if anything goes wrong , that is the end of everything. This is why Adventure SEALs is focusing on safety and has the proper guides who know about what they are doing.
They are a good team. Working hard. And doing pretty good . Passionate . Friendly.
Major Ruwan made a request. Just before I had left the store. He wants all adventurers to join their team and experience this knowledge hub. That is what you and I could do to them , to keep their dreams awake.
Do not forget to meet Ruwan sometime , if you would like to take up some adventure , he will definitely have things to tell you.
Written for Daily News , 2015 September 20th.
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