Fun with scuba diving

Swerve through the cool blue sea water and come face to face with tiger sharks, small Napoleans, clownfish and  blue triggerfish as you swim underwater soaking in the colourful, breathtaking marine life.

You can explore the wonderful world below by learning the tricks and techniques of scuba diving as did Kareena and her husband Ashraf Hussain who experienced the wonders of marine life in Australia.

“Our first taste of scuba diving happened at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia on our honeymoon seven years back,” recalls Kareena. What started out as a fun activity soon had both husband and wife hooked on to it. They decided to learn and get certified as scuba divers. Back home, they learnt about The Orca Dive Club and mastered the techniques of scuba diving.

The Orca Dive Club offers scuba diving training and certification on completion right here in the city. Lessons begin in a swimming pool (maximum depth is 10 feet) as part of confined water training in Mumbai. The five sessions training includes teaching how to use the equipment, what to do in case of an emergency, how to check air pressure, how to use the regulators for breathing etc.

“I have a theory session too which include quizzes and tests,” adds Anees Adenwala, founder of the Orca Dive Club. At the end of the session, there is a written exam. The next step involves completing four open water dives, for which Adenwala organises trips to Andaman, Lakshadweep islands, Phuket or Maldives.

This completes the open water certification after which one gets a certification card and an identity card that allows them to execute dives (upto a depth of 18 metres) anywhere in the world.

Scuba (originally an acronym for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving involves going deep down underwater and exploring marine life whilst continuously breathing from a cylinder on your back. This differs from snorkelling which depends on how long you can hold your breath.

“I’ve swum with turtles, sharks, octopuses, scorpion fish, Napoleons and seen a wreck,” says Sundeep Gulrajani, who learnt scuba diving to “explore the fascinating world below.” Life under water begins between 15 to 30 metres and Gulrajani has experienced the best of it.

“You do not think of anything else, just get lost down there. Swimming with so many fish, most of whom don’t interfere with you makes you realise just how small you are in the whole scheme of things,” he says. 

Adenwala, who has completed over 5,000 dives also organises diving trips for certified divers to dive resorts and dive sites the world over. It costs Rs16,750 (for the Mumbai training).

A certified World Underwater Federation (CMAS) instructor and Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) open water instructor, Adenwala started the Orca Dive Club in September last year.

He is also part of the Underwater Film Services — a company he started with advertising guru Prahlad Kakar. He has done some underwater scenes in movies like Kidnap, Tashan, The Fall and Thoda Pyaar, Thoda Magic.

Gear for diving
Aqua lung: cylinder made of aluminum/ steel and filled with compressed air.
Regulator: it supplies the diver with breathing gas
Jacket: inflates so that the diver floats and deflates so that the diver can enter the water.
Wet suits: body suits of varying thickness (0.5mm to 7mm)
Masks: include a tempered glass plate in front of the eyes and a ‘skirt’ of rubber or silicon to create a watertight seal on the face.
Fins: or flippers are worn on the foot and made of rubber or plastic, to aid movement inside the water.

Contact: The Orca Dive Club: 6627 7705/ 2492 8175