KIDS CORNER
STEPPING INTO THE BLUE WORLD! BY OM KISHAN MANOJ (ADVANCED OPEN WATER DIVER)
Om experiencing his first breath underwater during his Discover Scuba Diving course.
When you open your eyes underwater, you see the colour of bright blue, and when you look around, you see the rainbow hued marine life. This was my experience in a nutshell when I had been given the opportunity to witness the underwater world for the first time.This world which is largely unseen by us land dwellers, is quite mesmerising! It all started in early July of 2021 when I was in the Maldives for my summer vacation. While taking a stroll amongst the lush palm trees, my dad and I stumbled across a dive centre. Since I didn’t have anything planned for my week there, I decided to try a DSD (Discover Scuba Dive). I was told I would meet my instructor the next day, and she would teach me the basics and then take me for my first dive at their house reef. I went to the dive centre the following morning unaware of what lay ahead of me, greeted by my instructor, Queenie. She was a cheerful lady with a sweet smile on her face – she was also very patient. She started teaching me the basic hand signals which would later become our only form of communication underwater. Once the briefing was over, I got ready with my dive kit and went for my first ever dive. I soon saw myself staring at one of the most incredible sights I had ever seen in my life. When I looked around, I saw gardens of beautiful coral, and schools of colourful fish in
their playground, while the deep blue ocean made the perfect backdrop for this scene. Most of all, I felt a connection with them and their world. After the dive, I was asked if I wanted to continue learning to become a scuba diver, and I screamed “YES!” with all my heart. I was then given a lot of theory work to complete my Junior Open Water. Even though it annoyed me that I had to study during my long awaited vacation in the Maldives, I realised that it was for the greater good. I studied day and night and was rewarded with small dives. On the 5th day I had completed all of my theory and practical work, and I was ready to go for my first open water dive. I was so happy the night before that I almost couldn’t sleep, but I managed through the night and woke up the next day very enthusiastic. I went to the dive centre and since I learnt how to set up my kit, I proudly did the same. We took a 20 minute boat ride to reach our dive site named, ‘Maha Thila’. Once the boat halted, I plunged into the ocean with my gear on my back, and my instructor beside me. Over the next hour, I saw many exotic marine creatures such as a nurse shark, an eel, a pufferfish, tons of sea urchins, and a starfish who looked like Patrick from SpongeBob, but the icing on the cake was the rare sighting of 2 lionfish sleeping upside down in an underwater crevice, and a peacock mantis shrimp (AKA a boxing shrimp) peeking its head through a hole.
Since then, I am now a proud certified Advanced Open Water diver, and I look forward to exploring more of this blue world around the globe, learning from each experience to have a deeper understanding of this exotic life. I also wish to inspire my friends and family to do something adventurous and take a plunge to earn the experience of a lifetime!
ABOUT OM: Om did his DSD and JOW with TGI in Oblu Helegenli in the North Male Atoll, Maldives, and is now an Advanced Open Water diver. Om goes to school at the Gems Modern Academy in Dubai. DECEMBER 2023 | DIVERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
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