On the open waters

It’s the easiest way to love your planet! Our guest writer Nikhil Chinapa tells us why a diving vacation could be the best getaway for the whole family

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The year was 2015. “It’s their summer holidays and I need to get them out of the house. Can they come diving with us?” asked our friend, Jayram. He was talking about Kunal, 16, and Keerthana, 14, and was entirely oblivious to the wild journey of discovery his kids were about to embark on.

Fast forward nearly a decade to 2024, and Kunal, who is 26, and his sister Keerthana, 24, are now certified Advanced Open Water divers, with over 500 dives between the two of them. I’m writing this while on a week-long diving trip with them (and their five friends)—doing three dives a day. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Let’s rewind for a second, to the early ’90s when the Berlin Wall was coming down in Germany (entirely unconnected) and my brother Nitish and I were growing up in middle-class India. The economy was opening up, but middle-class India hadn’t begun to unleash its travel-thirsty millions on the world and they certainly didn’t indulge in activities like swimming with sharks, turtles or mantas. But my brother Nitish and I did.

A group of teenagers being led on an open water dive. Pic Courtesy/Fleetfoot Adventures; (right) Nikhil Chinapa and Nitish Chengappa 

Nitish and I learnt to dive in Thailand and by the early 2000s, had been certified as Open Water Divers in the Maldives. As we continued our diving adventures around the region—it didn’t escape our friends’ attention. Some of them asked if they could come along and learn to dive with us. “The more the merrier,” was our normal reaction and we introduced dozens of them (and their friends) to our fascinating world beneath the waves. Over the past decade, we’ve helped certify over 2,000 Open Water Divers in India, through our company Fleetfoot Adventures. But the real epiphany in our lives happened when our friends started bringing their kids along to dive with them.

Diving and discovering the underwater world leaves an indelible impression on people’s minds, especially kids aged 10-15. It creates awareness about the delicate nature of life on our planet but, most importantly, creates an everlasting bond between them and the world we live in. Diving also creates a shared experience with their friends that stays with them for life—regardless of the future career choices they go on to embrace. I have no doubt that it also positively impacts mental health and promotes wellness amongst its participants.

To understand the profound impact diving has on the young mind, you’ve only got to be around a group of kids surfacing after a dive. You have to listen to the unbridled excitement in their voices—which can only be compared to a group of Taylor Swift fans discovering that the star is coming over for a playdate… and it might just turn into a sleepover. Yup—THAT level of excitement when they describe the things they’ve seen underwater. Things that you’ve seen a hundred times before—but they’ve just seen, for the first time.

A “giant stride” entry into the water from the dive boat

“The shark!! It came towards me,” squealed 11-year-old Anika. “I wasn’t afraid and it was so cute! Can I go back in,” she asked? “I want to see more sharks.” 

“What do you think, this is an aquarium?” laughed Keerthana, who by now was 23 (last year) and had brought her younger cousins to dive with us. Being out in the open ocean with people you love is an amazing feeling and creates a close bond between friends and family. Add that to incredible underwater life, sunsets that will take your breath away and a trillion stars at night, and you begin to understand that these diving trips are a lot more than just getting into the water and swimming around with Scuba gear and spandex.

Then there are the conversations. Things you witness on dive boats and underwater, that become memories for life. Kids, clownfish and turtles are a particularly heady combination that will yield you hours of delightful stories and anecdotes. “That turtle was so close!” exclaimed Meera. “It looked right at me and then went back to munching coral!” Yup, those turtles are super chilled and as for the clownfish—how many ways can you say, “they’re sooooo cuuuuuute, ya!” in a kids voice?

We’ve seen these excited conversations and scenes play out dozens of times and the kids who came diving with us are kids no more. Some have completed over 150 dives with us and are certified Advanced and Rescue divers today. All this, while pursuing careers in business management, finance, engineering, digital media, law and more. And it isn’t just the kids.

Over the years we’ve noticed a dramatic uptick in solo travellers (especially women) who’ve taken to scuba diving. It’s a unique activity which empowers you with a new skill set and it’s a skill set you can learn at any age. The oldest person who’s come diving with us was 74. Our own mother dived with us when she was 70—and she loved it!

Rajani, 54, was introduced to diving by her son Shreyas. “She used to go trekking a lot,” he says. “This is her new trekking. Her meditation, almost,” he smiles.
“I’ve taken care of my family and our home all my life,” said Rajani. “Now that my kids are studying abroad, I wanted to learn a new skill and do my own thing. Something I didn’t need to ask anyone’s permission for.”

The thing about diving is that it self-selects a cool, happy-go-lucky crowd. Over the years I’ve met dozens of solo travellers on dive trips. Without exception, everyone’s become a friend and we’ve exchanged diving stories, phone numbers and emails, by the end of the dive trip we’re on. On a few occasions we’ve even planned other trips with these strangers-turned-friends.

So the next time you’re wondering what to do with that five-day break, or just wondering what you’re doing in life—pop your head around at a scuba diving shop. Whatever your reasons for getting into diving, the reasons why people stay are always the same. It’s therapeutic, has a great community of people and every dive trip always feels like a brand new adventure—even if it’s to a place you’ve been to before.

Where and What

Maldives on a Liveaboard boat: A “liveaboard” is a floating hotel on a yacht. Ours had 13 double bedrooms with attached bathrooms/showers, a full crew of chefs, housekeeping staff, boat crew and dive crew, a fully stocked bar and buffet meals. We also had one dive guide to every four-five divers. We dived at North Malé Atoll, Rasdhoo, North and South Ari atolls and Vaavu atoll. A beach BBQ on one night was also included. Cost: For this trip organised by Fleetfoot Adventures, the cost was $2,000 for 17 dives, all meals and tea/coffee. We paid extra for equipment hire (approx 150$ for the week) and for extra drinks + tips. Mumbai runs two direct flights to Male every day. Connect with @fleetfootadventures on Instagram. 

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