Scuba Diving 36 feet deep in Goa (Surreal but Nice!)

"Surreal but nice" that's what Hugh Grant's character managed to blurt out, mesmerized by the beauty of Julia Roberts (in the movie Notting Hill). And this was the exact thought that was running in my mind as I was rising from a depth of over 35 feet under water in the Arabian Sea near Goa, India. I had just finished my first dive (rather second dive of my first dive) with grouper fish, tailor fish - and many more - knelt at the bottom of the ocean floor and touched a ship wreck that sunk more than sixty years ago!

It was a surreal experience that has left me with a feeling of self-satisfaction as well as endless curiosity. The two feelings very rarely take a house together in my mind. Probably the last time they shacked up together was when I got an admit for my Master's from State University of New York. The feeling of gliding underwater among the fishes, water pressure trying to burst your ears drums, flying over huge boulders of rocks under sea; like an underwater Superman and touching a ship that has been under water since 1955 feels unreal now!

My Fear of Water and It's History

Abhinav (my friend for over nine years now) coaxed me into going for a "diving trip" in Goa. I had tried snorkeling in Andaman Islands about six years back and took swimming classes about three years back. But both were unmitigated disasters that managed to wane down my confidence when it came to any water activity. I also tried whitewater rafting in Rishikesh in December of 2010 but frankly I was holding on for dear life with my right foot (I had to row with my hands). I got a chance to jump from an about 25 feet high cliff into freezing water but chickened out at the last moment. So going by my track record the chances of me completing my dive were about as bad as me completing a marathon (the maximum I ran was 5 kilometers, it's freaking tough).

So I arrived at the diving site, Grande Island, off the coast of northern Goa on a nice sunny morning of January. My diving instructor reassured us (me, Abhinav and Brijesh) that ninety nine percent problems underwater can be solved underwater. Thank God! Somehow trying to believe in this assumption and hoping the one percent wont come up; I jumped off the boat for my first dive. I went a couple of feet inside water but came out popping like a cork as my buoyancy compensator device was full of air (throwing out a jargon here, but it's just a jacket that can be inflated/deflated to control buoyancy; will call it BCD from now on). Next step was to put on the mask and take the regulator in your mouth. And start to breathe normally from your mouth. Turned out it was the hardest part, I panicked but a thought came rushing into my mind, "I don't want the money and my efforts I have already put in to go to waste; so just get going".

First Dive in Bounty Bay, Goa and Prayer Seventeen Feet Underwater

So I took a deep breath and deflated my BCD. Thus began my journey to the bottom of the sea. As it was only 17 feet deep I soon touched the bottom. I looked up and saw rays refracting their way through the water and into my eyes. Everything looked slightly greenish and in a slow motion kind of state. My instructor indicated me to kneel down on the floor. I added to the moment and raised my hands towards the heaven. I said the name of "Shri Radhey" and completed my first prayer underwater. The instructor told me to inflate slightly so I can raise my legs parallel to the bottom of the sea.

Soon I was gliding over the bottom like an underwater Superman! Although this Superman was guided by an instructor all throughout the dive. I glided over boulders which were easily 10 feet high, through the marine life and over a beer can. Yes, someone had to pollute the home of fishes with his vanity. The hour with the fishes passed quickly and soon it was time to go up. I raised my left hand and paddled my fins; went up rising through the water straight as an arrow (my instructor had hard time controlling my buoyancy). As the warmth of the sun embraced me I filled my BCD with as much air it can hold. I didn't want to sink back as I was still afraid of water.

Suzy's Wreck, My Favourite Fish and My First Underwater Song

The next dive was in Suzy's Wreck. Suzy's wreck aka SS Rita, was a 130 meter metal cargo ship built in UK in the 1930s. By the time we reached Suzy's Wreck I was all excited and feeling at home with the water. I stood over the edge of the boat to make my jump again; I said a small prayer and took the plunge. This time all of the divers were holding onto the rope attached to the anchor. All of us (about seven) began our descent to about 35 feet underwater. As we congregated at the bottom of ocean the visibility was about just 3-4 feet. My instructor indicated me to turn left and we began the glide towards the wreck (under his careful supervision of course). As the ship came closer it rose from the depths of ocean like the Titanic! However this "Titanic" was just 35 feet underwater and sank more than forty years after Titanic hit the iceberg. Interesting fact here, SS Rita also split into two when it ran aground in the shallow waters off the coast of Grande Island. 


My instructor told me to hold onto what might have been a railing on the side of a deck full of sailors bustling around in the past. All of us came closer and held with our fingertips (we don't want to damage the corals and more importantly wanted to avoid touching anything that could sting). I got a closer look of the ship decorated with small corals, sea whips and loads of fishes roaming around us. I also managed to peek through a small crack on the side. Inside some fishes were floating around unaware of humans. But beyond a few tens of feet there was just blackness; felt like an astronaut staring at the blankness of space and time. About five us of us latching onto the side of ship drew the curiosity of a small fish. She came close to me and our eyes met for the first time. It was love at first sight for me. She moved a feet closer then rushed back as the bubbles escaped from my mouth. But she came back again when everything looked normal. This continued for the next couple of minutes till it was time for us to move and explore the rest of the ship. I was so not  hoping to see any body floating around but as I was told later only one seamen lost his life. I tried to search online but the historical facts about the ship are scarce.


The ride around the sea continued for the next half hour as we passed through beams, plates, rudder, winch and other mechanical parts of the ship. I was feeling home underwater now and I began to hum an old Hindi song. I don't know why I chose the song but it goes something like this, "Hai apna dil to awara, na jaane kispe aayega". Translated to English it might have a meaning, "I don't know on whom my drifting heart would finally settle upon". Maybe I was in love with the sea and wanted to stay here forever! But my instructor pointed to me that it was time to go back up. As I rose back to the surface I was too excited to think about anything but it definitely felt like I had made friends with the sea. It was happy to be back in the sunlight with my earthly buddies floating around me but I was already missing my fish. As we stepped on the boat we could see from each other's face that we were still mesmerized by the divine beauty of the sea. It all seemed surreal but was the nicest thing that had happened to us!

Info:

Dive Operator: Barracuda Diving
Dive Date: 15th January 2011
Dive Site: Grande Island, Goa, India
Underwater Temperature: 26 Degree Centigrade
Maximum Depth: 36 feet

Note: Photos to be posted later :)