On the flight to Cochin an inner voice cautioned "No Diving". From Cochin we took a Dornier flight to Agatti and from Agatti to Kadmat we flew by chopper. We were surrounded by the beautiful turquoise sea : serene, calm, peaceful and very enchanting. The sea bewitched me and the inner voice receded, replaced by a gentle encouragement. I decided that I would dive and on day one I was raring to go.

My confidence to dive was strengthened by meeting the dive instructors Anees and Adarsh and the excited group of 8 who had come for the same course. The first few dives were not very comfortable and I did encounter problems with my finning, breathing, getting used to the dive equipment and especially to the fact that I was underwater. After the first couple of days I developed confidence in myself and that was the beginning of a wonderful holiday at Lakshwadeep.

What a feeling it is to dive and cruise with the huge manta ray, the stately turtles and shoals of colourful and beautiful fish as your companions. We were informed that a reef shark had graced us with it's presence but I did not see it. On the last day we snorkeled in the company of a school of dolphins. Such graceful and playful creatures - felt like swimming the seas with them.

The course got over just as I had begun to have fun and enjoy my underwater experience. The course has a bit of it's curriculum on land - the theory. I had to sit for exams - something I had not done in a long, long time. Managed to straddle this hurdle as well. Now I am a one star diver, which entitles me to dive upto depths of 20 m anywhere in the world, along with a dive instructor. I am proud of my achievement and am thankful that the doors to a truly wonderful and enchanting world have been opened to me.

My holiday with Lacadives is one of the best I have ever had, and I will be back.