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FireFlyz ~ 63
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the ocean to die slowly or be eaten by
predators. Large fisheries catch and sell
many undersea creatures like shrimp,
octopi, squid, prawns, groupers, seabass,
and even larger fish likewhale sharks to
be eaten. As a diver, youwill soon come
to realise that the population of these
creatures is drastically reducing.
As a scuba diver youwould enjoy ben-
efits like seeing awhole newunderwater
world andwitnessingmany different
symbiotic relationships. Diving is an
amazing sport andmany people think
of it as a relaxing and fun activity. Many
creatures can be seen like nudibranchs -
basically snails without shells - false clown
anemonefish or ‘Nemo’, whale sharks,
triggerfish,manta rays, largewrasse and
many different types of fish and coral.
Youmay also come across the of wrecks of
ships and planes.
The diving equipment is very complex
and helps us breathe underwater. The
main components of a full dive set are the
regulators which help us breathe, the BCD
or buoyancy control devicewhich helps us
stay level and not damage any creatures,
themask and fins which help us see and
move underwater respectively, and the
tankwhich holds up to 200psi of pressure
of air for us to breathe.
Different topologies andmarine
life
I hold a certification level of Advanced
(Junior) OpenWater Diver, having
undergone structured training and I have
dived atmany amazing dive sites.My
depth limits to dive are to 21m/ 70ft.
My father wasmy inspiration for taking
up diving. He is a Technical diver - a profes-
sional level of divingwhich goes beyond
the limits of recreational diving.We have
been diving together for over five years
across countries likeMalaysia, Indonesia,
Philippines,Mauritius,Maldives, Thailand
and Brazil.
There aremany such sites that can I
count as favourites. Each site has different
topologies andmarine life. Some of these
sites include Sipadan,Malaysia, for its
bottomless vertical walls that go down to
over 2300 feet, with hundreds of barracu-
das, black-tip sharks and hawksbill turtles,
Moalboal, Philippines, for having a unique
sitewheremillions of sardines swim
together along a vertical wall stretching
tomore than 5km long andNusa Penida,
Bali, Indonesia for deep dives and large
fish likeManta rays and sunfish.
Symbiotic relationships
I regularly participate in ocean clean-up
dives through Project AWARE.Wemake
at least four to five dives each day and
pick up trash (cans, bottles, paper, etc) by
using gloved hands and spring tongs, all
thewhile being careful not to damage the
reef or corals.
Each diver picks up at least four to five
kilogrammes of trash during a dive, which
lasts anywhere between 45mins to an
hour. I also love to undertake activities like
Coral Plantation, which involves building
an artificial reef on sandy bottoms of the
ocean, and transplanting semi-dead coral
onto the artificial reef/contraption, where,
over time, the ecosystemwill develop.
I absolutely love diving. Beyond the
feeling of weightlessness and silence, the
ability to see and appreciate the symbiotic
relationships between and amongst
species separated at times bymillions of
years of evolution is an emotional and
priceless experience.
Being a diver requires the passion to
pursue a technically robust and compre-
hensive programme of learning, where
science and anatomy come together.
Discipline to learn the fundamentals
diligently without being flippant is also
very important.
Regular practice is also needed. No one
ever became an expert diver just by gain-
ing a certification. The key lies in practice,
and encounteringmultiple situations in
an element that is not natural for humans.
My personal divemotto is to take only
pictures and leave only bubbles! My
recommendation to everyone is to try it.
Diving is a fantastic sport and the ocean is
awonderful place. So keep diving and save
the ocean!
Being a diver requires the passion to pursue
a technically robust and comprehensive
programme of learning, where science and
anatomy come together. Discipline to learn
the fundamentals diligentlywithout being
flippant is also very important.
The beauty of the deep can be
breathtaking.