Submerged

Just look at the world around you
Right here on the ocean floor
Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you lookin' for?

My first Adventura trip was the wonderful scuba diving experience. I'm not a water baby - in fact I'm a million miles from being a water person and prefer staying that distance on most days. Parents did enroll me into swimming classes one summer when I was less than half the height that I'm now. I promptly put on my life jacket and refused to budge out of it, preferring to float and left the actual swimming business to my also-dedh-footiya* friend. I will learn swimming one day. The day just isn't tomorrow.

So, my point being, I prefer being on top (er.. top of the water). But I do love the beaches (more on that some other time). This one trip attracted me with the line, No swimming skills required.

The trip started on Friday night when we met at the designated pick up spot and entered the sleeper coach(?) bus. There were two birthdays the next day and to kill time till 00:00 hours,
we did a super-fun intro round. Everyone was friendly and encouraging. At twelve o'clock we surprised the kids (Well, anyone less than twenty five qualifies to be called that) with yummy cakes.

Roads were bumpy all the way but I'm ready to sacrifice a night (or two) of sleep, provided I can stretch around and relieve my back from taking the brunt of the pain. We arrived early in the morning (the drive took around nine and a half hours) at Murudeshwara which is a town in Bhatkal Taluk, Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, India. We barely had the time to freshen up and then we were on our way! A motor boat took us from the beach to the Netrani island. This took about one and a half hour and the two instructors from the Dreamz-Diving training camp explained some of the rules, dos and do nots during the boat ride.

Once we were there, we got to snorkel a bit with life jackets and the snorkelling apparatus. Then the diving began. Tip - wear light clothing or clothing that doesn't get heavy when soaked in water. The scuba apparatus was put on and we were thrown (quite literally) into the water one after another. There was one scuba instructor per person. I got the one with the camera and managed to click a few underwater shots (\m/). The experienced people were probably allowed to move around on their own but I held onto my instructor for dear life. He did let go of me for few brief seconds, mainly to click pics. This is why swimming skills weren't necessary and suited me fine. I was shivering the entire time that I was under. And it was the cold because I was feeling pretty secure in the scuba gear. On comparing notes it turned out that I was the only one feeling cold down there (makes a note to get information about this)

The marine life that you see down there is breath-taking. The water isn't the clearest but I'm not complaining. It is still wow-able. Some of the coral patterns are beautifully symmetrical and the fishes, molluscs, crustaceans are all so colourful. We had around thirty five minutes of underwater time and then the ascent began. I was sad to leave the colour behind but so glad to have taken the memories which will definitely last a lifetime.

Then there was the return journey by boat (not entirely uneventful. A mildly sore arm is something I can live with). After which we dined and left for home. The bus journey was entirely uneventful and I managed some hours of sleep too.

I can't wait to go scuba diving again! But before I do that I resolve that I will learn swimming. Even if it means sacrificing some of my precious movie weekends.

*dedh-footiya - (slang I think) person two n a half feet tall. Hindi.