Oyster Rocks

Oyster Rock Lighthouse is located in Karwar, Karnataka, India. It is approachable by a machine boat to be taken from Karwar port. The RT station at Karwar provides logistic support to the Oyster Rock Lighthouse. Which is situated on NH-17 near Custom Quarters Kajubag. The general public are not allowed to visit Oyster Rock Lighthouse. A prior permission from authorities is required to visit Oyster Rocks Light House because it is very close to the defence project INS Kadamba.

Oyster Rocks are the group of islands and rocks- Devad gudda is the main summit on which the Lighthouse is situated. The hill has very good forest growth around lighthouse. The landing at Devad gudda island (Oyster Rock) is on the eastern side. The European Light House expert D. Alan Stevenson during his visit to the station in January 1927 described it as over staffed station.

The existing Lighthouse was built during 1860’s. The top of Tower ends in a dome through which there is entrance into lantern room. The first order optical equipment with four wick burners supplied by M/s. Chance Bros., Birmingham was installed and light was commissioned into service on 25 March 1864. The cupola of the Lighthouse lantern was painted white instead of orange or red for making the day mark more conspicuous. The first order optical equipment was removed and replaced by 2nd order optical equipment and 55 mm PV burner in the year 1933. The storm signal mast at Oyster Rock was shifted to Karwar port premises for logistic reasons.

Under the modernization programme the PV light source was replaced by 230V 250W Metal halide lamp along with invertors, Batteries charged by SPV modules. The system was commissioned on 30 November 1999 and the light source was changed to 230 V, 3 X 70 W MH cluster lamps.