Last Time, First Time

Couple of days back I visited a place that I had been planning to visit for a long time. Had heard so much about it, seen fascinating visuals on screen, read unbelievable accounts of its diversity and cosmopolitan culture. And yet when I visited, everything that I had heard, read and seen was not even close to what it was. The place and the experience was truly out of this world. The inhabitants were moving around nonchalantly, there was no particular order but also no chaos. Just perfect synchronization. The terrain wasn't smooth but everything felt perfect. There was pollution but not what you see and feel in all big cities of the world. The 'pollution' was more natural the dust/mud is only because of some naturally occurring events. The place was 5 kms of the coast of Goa. From being a tourist on the shores of Goa, I became a foreigner just a few kilometers of the mainland. The minute I dived into the sea, I witnessed the unbelievable world under water. I did my first scuba dive and it was phenomenal. 

Although the dive was just 6-7m deep and lasted for 30 minutes, it was an experience to be remembered for the rest of my life. A lot of people say that Andamans or Lakshwadeep or even South East Asia are better places to dive, but I didn't wanted to waste the opportunity in search for perfection. At 48 years, you don't want to procrastinate any more and want to seize the moment that comes along. I am glad that I was able to do it with my two boys - 17 and 14 year old. My wife who is still struggling in her relationship with water decided to give it a miss. The excitement and energy of my boys was also a big motivation for me to do it. 

Scuba diving has been growing in India and the movie 'Zindagi Na Milege Dobara (ZNMD) could have been a catalyst. However, there are a few things that movies like these should add as a disclaimer. 

1. Your instructor in all likely hood will not be Katrina Kaif

2. The oceans can be rough and if you are not used to it, sea sickness can get better of you. I am sure the director edited the scenes of Hrithik, Abhay and Farhan throwing up in the ocean. 

But these were minor irritants in the journey to experience something which was truly breathtaking.

The decision to go for Scuba diving was a bit impromptu. A few google searches and reference landed me to Dive Goa. We booked our dive and were asked to arrive a day before at 4 pm for a training at the pool. Our instructor was a young boy 19 years old. Parv was chasing his passion. Doing what he loves to do, earning as well and up-skilling in the process. Blessed are the souls who find their calling so early in life. I asked him if his father was supportive of his decision and he had a grin on his face, and passion in his eyes. There is a growing demand for PADI certified divers and instructors.  A vast coastline, young population looking for adventure and our very own PM promoting underwater tourism off the coast of Dwarka and Lakshwadeep, the future is very promising. Moreover, if you are passionate about it then you don't have to run the rat race. You just swim and float with the fishes.     

Our training went off well and were fairly confident for our first ever dive. 

Next morning, we arrived at the jetty point where there were two more divers - a guy from Wales, who had just quit his corporate job and was travelling across India and the region for the last 2 months. He had already done quite a few dives in Thailand, Kenya, Malaysia and Europe. So was quite a pro. The other was a MBBS student, she was doing an instructor course and had already done quite a few dives. So it was only me, my wife and my boys who were novice and had no idea what lay ahead. 

The initial few minutes into the sea was very exciting and fun. However, as we went deeper into the sea and the waves continued to rock the boat, the euphoria turned into sickness cycle, with almost everyone hanging from either side of the boat. After 1 hour 30 minutes, we anchored our boat just a few meters off the Grand Island and were ready to go for our first ever dives. First the boys were escorted by the instructors - Ajai and Parv. Me and my wife were anxious and initially spotted a few bubbles on the surface but when they went deep, the bubbles disappeared. The bubbles reappeared after 30 minutes and we had a sigh of relief. I was proud and happy that they completed their first every scuba dive.

Boys under water 

 

Next was my turn. I put my gear and flipped over the boat into the water. Ajai was waiting for me and then after a few minutes of acclimatization we went into the water. After couple of minutes I felt uneasy and had salty water in my mouth. I rushed upwards towards the surface and after a pep talk by Ajai, I calmed and then we went inside again. This time I came out only after 40 minutes. The 40 minutes inside the water were truly amazing. The muddy water reduced visibility but coming from Delhi, where bad visibility and pollution are a norm, the view beneath the water was still beautiful. There is no reference of time, no past, no future, only present. Just breathing and the visuals. It was an experience that you want to repeat again and again. And perhaps the next stop is Andamans.   

My Awesome moment under water

There is a saying - When was the last time you did something for the first time - 

I did a few days back. What about you?