There are incredible stories, incredible moments, incredible personalities, incredible actions, and even incredible experiences! I remember the first time I boarded an airplane, I was overwhelmed and I had said to myself: ‘This is incredible!’ Flying is no longer ‘incredible’… but I still find the lift-off not just incredible but a super sensual experience. However, diving into the sea is different! Scuba diving is an incredible experience full of soul-uplifting moments.
My wife and I had this ‘incredible experience’ of being 9 metres below the sea for nearly an hour and frankly, I didn’t want to come out into my own world. The undersea world was charming and watching the colourful fish swim around was more than just incredible… it was poetry.
It is this poetry that this blog post is all about. A poem that has forty-five pictures, a few paragraphs, some rhymes distributed at random, and captions that reflect the philosophy of life!
01
The romance began on Havelock Island quite early in the morning… the dive into the adventure happened a few hours later, of course. We were by the shore much before the conventional tourist even sets his wake-up alarm and saw the sea slowly inching towards us, delicately as if it didn’t want to unnecessarily disturb the sleeping corals and the murmuring sands on the shore. We walked carefully quite a distance into the shallow waters and retraced our steps with the playful little wavelets folowing us resolutely!
‘This is so romantic,’ said my wife, ‘we’ve walked where the daytime will be having shoulder high water and roaring waves.’
‘And the sun will no longer be so benevolent and subtle and photogenic and friendly!’ I replied, and then added, ‘Even this boat will no longer be anchored and will probably set sail with excited fishermen aboard.’
Early morning.. much before sunrise… the calm sea on the East side of Havelock Island
02
Is this a sketch that the heart has drawn
Of the soft strokes of an Andaman morn?
The sea seems so full of mysteries… so vast… so inspiring… so intriguing
03
We walked for miles that early morning watching the dark shadows of trees turn bright and begin to reveal the harsh secrets of a beach that is no longer uninhabited. The foot-falls will soon start and little kids will rush towards the low branches searching for mysteries that cities do not have any more.
‘What else do we do today?’ asked my wife.
‘Let’s go scuba-diving…’ I replied. She smiled and our plan was final.
As the sun emerges, the waves slowly, lazily wake up and come hurrying to you…
04
I search not for shells
Nor do I want a hidden pearl
I look for the wisdom that rides the waves
And goes from shore to shore
Waiting to be held in a willing palm
Cupped for a closer look and then
Gently lowered to carry on its journey
To other lands!
I step into the sea and feel its infinite charm rise up within me!
05
It just seems as if everyone and everything wishes to bend and embrace the sea
The first resolute step towards an incredible adventure
06
Our decision was made. We cycled up to the barefoot Scuba Diving shack and did some intensive form-filling after a hearty discussion with Vinod, one of the diving instructors there.
To go… or not to go? And then we decided to go for scuba diving!
07
The hand did not shake, the mind did not waver… the heart knew what it wanted!
08
My eyes explored all the suits and the other things that divers use and began dreaming of what the next few hours might bring with it…
‘I can’t swim,’ my wife had asked Vinod.
‘No problem. Our instructor will always be there with you to guide and help you every moment.’
‘Even below the sea?’
‘Yes, even there. And don’t worry, this is an experience dive where you wouldn’t be going deeper than ten metres anyway.’
‘That too is around three storeys,’ asked my wife, but the excitement of an undersea adventure over-powered her fears and there were no more queries aimed at stalling our early morning resolve!
Are these dreams that hang out there to dry? Are these what I’ll wear and go deep into the sea?
09
No venture is begun unless the armour is fully understood!
10
Why venture forth if you cannot see what new things the world has to offer?
11
It is a force that helps you fly high or dive deep… to help you jog along with your imagination at least once!
12
We went on a fisherman’s boat quite far away from the beach to a site where there were a lot of interesting corals and mesmerizing fishes swam around reflecting the colours that can be there only for them!
‘We’re going to learn a few essential skills before we actually go below and swim with the fishes,’ said one of our instructors.
And we were taught and made to practice all the vital signs that divers use when under water, how to breathe only through the device held by the teeth in the mouth, how to balance the pressure, how to use your own spit to clean and shine the goggles that we were to wear, and how to control our urge to touch any of the sensitive life that we see there.
‘And please don not say WOW when you sight a gorgeous fish,’ laughed the instructor and continued, ‘becaus eif you do, your device will fall off and you’ll be full of salt water!’
Seeing a bit of panic all around, he spoke again, ‘Therefore, another skill you need to learn is how to retrieve your breathing device.’
The skills session went on for quite some time before we were asked to lie face up in the water and towed to the deeper sea…
Move ahead, said the heart… but the mind said: Let me first learn a bit more…
13
Think! Focus! Always seek help for a clearer vision… even if it is your own spit!
14
You climb up one step after another… and you dive deep armed with skills!
15
You are with you… and no one else… and you must know your will before you plunge into action!
16
…and where one world fades away, a new dimension appears magically!
17
Steady yourself, remember all your lessons, follow the rules, and… don’t ever panic!
18
As the wind plays with your hair, you find that even water does the same… and you are fully immersed in this joy of finding a new friend!
19
As the bubbles rose up I knew
I was going deeper than I had ever been
To be where only a few
Have dared to be and this would mean
There’s something ‘fishy’ in my genes!
You talk in signs and the only sound is the heartbeat of a new romance that you’ve just begun!
20
Happiness, I remembered, is not to be
A spoken word but just a sign
And I used my hands that were free
To say ‘I’m lovin’ it’ and ‘I’m fine.’
With every passing moment you find your joy has doubled… as you effortlessly seek new depths and yet another new incredible moment!
21
The bottom of this new world waves at you joyously and you tell them you too are happy to meet them!
22
No words uttered, no sounds were made
And yet there was poetry of a high grade!
As you go nearer, you see that this new world is still deeper and you look towards those newer sensations…
23
…and then you just happen to look closely at these waving fascinations of the denizens of the deep sea and wonder at their youthfulness
24
It seems as if I would not blink
Would not speak, would not think
These moments in this different world
I want them etched in thoughtful ink!
Each part of you is eager to feel each moment completely… and the eyes too have momentarily forgotten to blink!
25
Let me touch my new friends, you say to yourself… and then remember to respect their need for a private space of their own!
26
You control your impulses when you are in a new world… and you wait for new friends to come along and play with you some day!
27
You move from one place to another not because you’re restless and bored… but because there is so much to discover and so less time!
28
My fate, my destiny
Has brought me here
And I shall see
What until now
Was just a picture
In the mind!
Wait! Be still! Let everything else move and let me just watch this incredible lovely dance of nature down here!!
29
Big.
Yes, this short period will remain big
In my memory for a long long time
And will have a rhythm,
A beat that will refuse to fade away…
I know I’m inconsequential but even a short while in this vastness of impressions makes me larger than I’ve ever been!
30
Desires never quit, never cease their demand for more!
31
Your hands locked as you watch silently… and the new world goes about its daily routine as if you’re not there at all!
32
Are these in vogue? Are these the colours that the store here sell?
33
She looks at me as if to say: ‘You are so nice and warm and brave… I’ll surely blog about you tonight!’
34
No, this isn’t a villain here, my friend… this one’s a performer to the core!
35
A movie star then emerges… and I wished I could’ve got his autograph!
36
Then they came in hordes to watch and admire me… some daring ones came close and even try to put me under their spell…
37
Time goes by and all we know is that we’ve seen and felt a lot… and I let my thoughts go up as bubbles, hoping to catch them later when I surface!
38
Specky too prays hard to be back here some day again…
39
And even our friends deep below seem sad… but we must all get back to our own worlds and let the adventures remain in our thoughts and words!
40
Back to the base, we changed, bathed, hung our diving suits to dry after washing them in fresh water… and here I am posing with the one that I wore.
All that remains with me is a wet dress that I fondly hold in my hands… the diving suit that I wore to go dive into the Andaman Sea!
41
An incredible adventure below the sea is over… Specky and me are still in that world so far away now!
42
Our diving instructor and now a great friend!
43
Our other friends from the diving team at Barefoot Scuba Diving in Havelock Island…
44
The Chief Diving Instructor gives Specky her well deserved certificate…
45
There is no reason why I should have missed my certificate! 🙂
We shared all the pictures that we had clicked and though there a lot of smiles all around there were less words floating. We were all still somewhere in the deep sea playing with the corals and the fishes…
This incredible experience was an adventure and the certificates that are now with us tell us that this was as real as real could ever be.
Note: all pictures were taken by me, my wife, and a friend with an under-water camera.
—
This post is an entry for the Incredible Experience Contest on Indibloggger.
Arvind Passey
10 April 2012
21 comments
Parminder Uppal says:
Apr 13, 2012
Hanji Jija G great photo under the water
Arvind Passey says:
Apr 24, 2012
Thank you, Parminder bhai. Your warm comments are always needed here…
Karin Ahlf says:
Apr 15, 2012
Wonderful, Arvind! I know this enchantment you describe so well here.
Arvind Passey says:
Apr 24, 2012
Thank you Karin. Yes, it was indeed a wonderful time we had below the sea… memorable, incredible, and mesmerizing! 🙂
Punit says:
Apr 20, 2012
Awesome! I so much enjoyed reading your verses with such wonderful images…you write so beautifully that I actually started experiencing the dive 🙂
(Arvind ji, I am still waiting for your take on Riding 🙂
Arvind Passey says:
Apr 24, 2012
Well, the posts on biking will certainly be up in a couple of days now. And thank you for liking the pictures and poetry in this post.
Renita says:
Apr 27, 2012
Wonderful post! The pics made me relive my recent dive experience at the Andamans! And wonderful to see the rhythm in the words bringing to mind, the rhythm of that blue world, 9 metres under! KUDOS!
Arvind Passey says:
Apr 29, 2012
Thanks, Renita…I’m sure you had a wonderful time under the sea. Scuba diving is one activity that I’d surely love to repeat… and maybe go deeper some time in the future.
shooting star says:
Jun 12, 2012
andaman & nicobar is my most fav destination and we had an amazing time there….i have done a lot of snorkeling..but somehow havent been able to overcome my fear for the scuba diving and missed out two times on this oppurtunity, once in bali and next time in andamans..looking at your images…i guess i missed out on a lot…so im gonna try this on our next beach holiday if thers the option of scuba diving available
http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.in/
Arvind Passey says:
Jun 12, 2012
Scuba diving is surely possible wherever the sea is clear enough for good sightings, is safe, and has lots of fishes and coral etc. The Andamans is great… I think there would be scuba in the Lahshyadweep islands… in India.
Hope you do have your go at scuba and dive into a new and wonderful world!
priya says:
May 13, 2013
loved the poetry attached to every picture :-), seems like an experience no one should miss…excellent blog…cheers
Arvind Passey says:
May 13, 2013
Nice to know you liked all the poetry linked with pictures! :0
sophia says:
Oct 2, 2013
Barefoot Scuba are doing a good job…loved reading your post…I want to go back to Andamans 🙂
Arvind Passey says:
Oct 7, 2013
Thanks a lot for reading and liking the post, Sophia. Yes, even I’d love to go back there and complete a deep-sea diving course now!
Paradise Andaman says:
Jun 2, 2014
Awesome! described everything so well
Arvind Passey says:
Jun 2, 2014
Thank you for reading and appreciating, my friend. Yes, I wrote what I saw and what I felt. Do read my other posts on the Andamans… and do reach out again. Will be writing travel posts on London, Paris, and Amsterdam in the coming two months.
Azhar says:
Jan 17, 2015
Nice to find your article. Havelock is beautiful indeed. I believe you availed the beginner scuba diving program. Its an overwhelming experience for sure. May be in future you might go again to Andamans for advanced courses in open waters, which can take you to 15 meter. Nice pictures as well.
Arvind Passey says:
Jan 19, 2015
Thanks… but I guess you’ve written the same comment earlier.
Azhar says:
Jan 19, 2015
Sorry about it! The web didn’t showed any message of submission. I thought its not yet submitted so I did a re submission.
Vivek says:
Sep 26, 2016
Awesome Post and Pics. Scuba Diving is a must do thing in Havelock. Though i have not done it via Barefoot SCuba but me and my better half did Scuba Diving in Havelock and it was just amazing. Firstly it was too hard to take oxygen from cylinder when they make you practice. But as soon as you learn it and goes underwater , the feeling is beyond words. It feels like this dive never ends. The marine life and the corals you see through your eyes is amazing.
Arvind Passey says:
Oct 4, 2016
Thank you. Do visit the blog again, buddy. 🙂