"He lives the poetry that he cannot write"
~ Oscar Wilde

SCUBA Diving
How do you Explain Silence?

Bindoo Poornia writes her impressions of diving, and a world of ecstacy and silence.

Is it a state of mind, a suspension of hearing, or is it that ecstasy you experience when you are in the depths of the ocean. I have often wondered what motivates one to undergo the arduous task of getting to a remote island by bus, rain ship and boat - pretty tough by normal standards. Then kitting up, and plunging into the ocean. Only one thing. The sheer exhilaration of being able to share another world, so unknown. The adrenaline rush as you move gently through the utter silence, when all other senses are heightened, when you are permitted by marine life to share their world. All else is forgotten. You live only in the moment. The sheer beauty of which brings tears of joy, and a heart filled with gratitude.

Lakhshwadeep Islands is all this and heaven too.

I had the good fortune as an amateur diver, armed with nothing but an overwhelming desire to be able to dive, to undergo a course at the Lacadives Diving School at Kadmat Island, Lakshwadeep.

The course acquainted us gently to the intricacies of the kit, the importance of checking your equipment, and the faintly unnatural method of breathing through the mouth at all times. After a few test runs came the moment of truth, when we actually went down. Nothing prepares you for the sensational and extraordinary beauty of the ocean.

 Scuba Diving
• Diving Experience
• Discovering Diving
• Ocean of Joy

Travelogues
• Islands of Adventure
• Islands in the Sun


Adventure activities
• Mountaineering
• Trekking
• Rafting
• Paragliding
• Rock climbing
• Scuba Diving

It's stunning colours, the seeming ease of motion of marine life, the vivid fish, the multiple varieties of coral. Wonderful creations, that make your heart fill with unbounded joy. Makes you want to be part of it forever. But, all too soon one has to surface, albeit very reluctantly.

The excited chatter of my course mates only confirmed the same shared experience. Only later in the course did we realize, the importance of mask clearing and buddy breathing and the buddy system And as the course became more intense, a close bonding began to be formed with our instructors and our "buddies". Little did we realize that our instructors were keeping such a vigilant eye on every single diver, and as we became more conversant with hand signals, we were able to share more and more. The buoyancy exercises came in handy when we felt the urge to explore more.

The evenings were devoted to theory classes and planning dive tables. At the end of the day evening seemed to tumble out of the night sky. Stars and ocean mingle.

Sitting in its midst one is inclined to wax lyrical and indulge in haiku.


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Editor: Romola Butalia       (c) India Travelogue. All rights reserved.