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

SCUBA Diving
Diving Experiences

O. Athikho Mao introduces himself saying, "I am from Manipur, belonging to the Naga tribe. I am a government officer at present posted in the big city of Mumbai. To contribute my bit to national integration I married a Gujju ben from Amchi - Mumbai."

I never imagined that I would be scuba diving - water and me have not been the best of friends. The credit for this wonderful experience goes to my wife Bela, who loves water. She had been wanting to scuba dive for a long time but wasn't aware of the possibilities in India. Surfing the net, hunting for an exciting holiday destination, she hit the India Travelog site which led her to Lacadives and the beginning of this exciting journey.

One fine day Bela suggested that she would like to go scuba diving at Lakshdweep. Though I was reluctant to the proposal, I didn't show it as I didn't want to displease her. She went ahead with the booking but knowing my apprehensions, she did not book me for the scuba diving course at Lacadives. I was informed that if I wanted I could join the course on reaching Kadmat.

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

Travelogues
• Islands of Adventure
• Islands in the Sun


Adventure Activities
• Trekking
• River Rafting
• Rock Climbing
• Paragliding

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.


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