Unwind under water

What can be better than a day spent racing a shoal of puffer fish around Johnny's Gorge in the Andamans or observing the giant moray eels flit around vibrant corals in the warm waters of Thailand's Similan Islands? A dive is all it takes to gain entry to the world of soft corals, sea anemones, sponges and luminous limestone rocks. Home to some of the most bio- diverse waters on earth, Asia offers an experience that scuba divers are unlikely to forget. "I would say that the Raja Ampat and Bunaken Islands, Lembeh Straits, Bali and Gorontalo in Indonesia, Coral Islands in Maldives, the west coast of Phuket, Similan Islands, Balicasag Island and Puerto Galera in Philippines and Malaysia's Sipidan Islands are some of the best places in Asia to go scuba diving," says Venkat Charloo of Goa-based Barracuda Diving India. Along with business partner Karen Gregory, he is among the highest qualified PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors)and SSI (Scuba Schools International) instructors in India and offers diving trips to different international locations under the Scubacentric banner.

Most scuba diving destinations teem with instructors and trainers who promise not just an introduction to the marine world but also arm you with the basic skills. Even first-timers, therefore, can enjoy an underwater sojourn. The courses range from a day-long refresher course to a three-week-long divemaster course. Gurgaon-based entrepreneur Ranjana Deopa enrolled for one such course two years ago at Sharkey Scuba in Phuket to become a certified scuba diver. "The first two days involved training in a pool, and the third day was spent in the sea," she says. The entire course cost 14,000 baht which is equivalent to Rs 38,000 today. Airfare and accommodation cost Deopa Rs 70,000-80,000. "The best part about Phuket is that there is so much variety in terms of diving sites. I don't think I have ever been to the same site again," says Deopa who has made a scuba diving vacation to Phuket an annual feature. "Some of the sites I went to were Karon Beach, Racha Yai and Bungalow Bay. The highlight of my trip was seeing a huge octopus lazily lying around. For those 45 minutes under water, you forget the world that lies above."

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Apart from Phuket, Malaysia's Sipidan Islands are rated very highly by scuba enthusiasts. The highlight is the "turtle tomb" containing remains of green sea turtles that got trapped in the narrow tunnels. Or visit Komodo and Raja Ampat in Indonesia to spend a leisurely afternoon with pygmy seahorses, ghost pipefish, sunfish, mantas and blue ringed octopus. However, the one place that all divers swear by is the Andamans. "I have been to Mauritius and Ko Samet, but nothing beats the Andaman when it comes to scuba diving, be it clarity of water, depth or vibrancy of colour," says Mumbai-based marketing executive Varun Mendiratta. A certified SSI scuba diver, Mendiratta has been to the Andamans thrice and is planning to go there again this September. "This is one place where you can go all year round, even in the monsoons," he says. The timing of your visit depends on the kind of marine life that you wish to see. "Monsoons are the breeding season for fish. So if you go diving at that time, you will see lots of small little juveniles. In October, the water is clearer, the currents are less. Every time, it's a different experience," he explains. The best diving sites are in and around Havelock, such as Johnny's Gorge, Minerva's ledge and the Wall. "We spotted the rare guitar shark at Johnny's Gorge and a 160-year-old turtle ," says Mendiratta.

However, don't be misled into thinking that only certified scuba divers can enjoy the treasures of the water world. You can go scuba diving even if you don't know how to swim, as Gurgaon-based Neeti Saxena found to her delight. "Forget swimming, I used to be petrified of water," smiles Saxena who works with a money security firm. But a trip to the Andamans changed all that. "Our diving trip had been organised by an associate of makemytrip.com . The first 15 minutes of the one-hour session were spent learning the artificial breathing techniques and the sign language to be used under water," says Saxena, who agreed to dive only at the behest of her husband who is keen on adventure sports. "The trainers first take you into shallow water where they slowly take you down and bring you up several times. One diver is assigned per person, so they do the swimming part for you," she says. One of the challenges she faced during the dive was the increasing pressure on her ears. "After a while, nothing matters but the beautiful world swirling around you," she gushes. The scuba diving trip cost Rs 4,500 per person. "The package includes point-and-shoot cameras for underwater photography as well," she says.

However, a scuba holiday comes with some caveats. Only children above 10 years of age are allowed to dive, while heart patients, pregnant women and those above 60 are actively discouraged from going underwater. "Also one has to remember to maintain a 24-hour no-fly zone after diving. When you are breathing from the oxygen tank underwater, you are taking in a lot of nitrogen as well, so if you fly immediately after that, you can even die," warns Mendiratta. Charloo elaborates further, "Accumulation of nitrogen in the body can lead to decompression sickness, so one needs to be careful. One should enjoy the beautiful underwater world, but responsibly."

Home to some of the most bio-diverse waters on earth, Asia offers a range of unforgettable scuba diving experiences