BENGALURU: Holidaying is not only about sightseeing and shopping for this group. They go an extra mile and explore the life underwater.
The Bangalore Scuba Diving group that was started in 2014 has about 88 scuba divers. The organiser of the meetup Abhishek Sukumaran says, “People opt for adventure sports looking for new experiences. They may not pursue scuba diving always but like to try it at least once in their lifetime.”
The group meets once in two months at workshops organised by Abhishek’s company Aquanaut India where they teach the basics of the sport and introduce the equipment. They also tell them about underwater photography.
Scuba diving is an addiction to him. He has grown up watching National Geographic Channel and wanted to explore the mystery below the sea. He is been scuba diving since 2009. He took a basic course with his wife while on a holiday in Andamans. He says, “It is an out of the world experience. I would regularly go on a holiday and scuba dive. I then decided to come up with a business related to it.”
The Aquanaut provides scuba diving course with three modules. After the first and second modules – that speak about the basics and the skills required – the candidate needs to complete four dives, anywhere in the world to get the licence. Any person above 10 years can learn scuba diving but they should know swimming and be medically fit.
Abhishek says since Bengaluru is a landlocked place, people go to the outskirts. They get the licence from the city and travel to different countries for underwater diving. The popular destinations are Red Sea, Malaysia, Maldives, Indonesia and Andamans.
Every water body is different, he says, adding, “You enter into a completely different world and understand lives of the animals.” They visited Havelock Islands in May this year.
Divya BT, a member of the group, says that the trip to Andaman was the best. “We spent six days there. By the end of the trip, I made lots of friends,” says the architect.
A scuba diving session lasts 45 minutes to an hour on an average. The members say that the best part of scuba diving is seeing the animals in their natural habitat. Divya says, “When you look at them, you realise how important it is to protect them.”
Neha Contractor adds, “You learn to respect these species. The experience is spiritual. You just need to go with the flow.” An advertising professional, Neha has worked with Abhishek and learned about his passion. When she got to know that he had started an institution, she joined him and completed the open water advanced level. She is be joining the group for their scuba diving in Maldives this month.
It is safe if you follow the guidelines, the group says.