Just a little something

He looks me straight in the eye. I am hooked.

Many feet under water, when a sea turtle wakes up from deep slumber and stares, there's only one word to describe the feeling. Love. Pure and simple.

Down here, I am consciously aware of each breath I take. I need to make sure it's measured because I want to stay here for a long time. If possible, forever.

I've been slightly influenced by this Hindi movie “Zindagi Na Milegi Doobara” (which roughly translates to “You won't meet life again”). There's a scene where the leading man is coerced into diving by the leading lady. He gives in and what follows is a life changing experience. So admittedly, my diving dreams are tinted by this particular scene.

For us in India, the best diving location is the Andaman islands, accessible from Chennai and Kolkata airports. As the plane touches down in Port Blair (the capital), I catch a glimpse of the stunning blue-green waters and can't help but feel a sliver of anticipation at what lies beneath.

We choose DiveIndia for our scuba experience and I must admit that the first few moments under water are not some of my best. I panic, clutch the instructor's hand and refuse to go under. They're quite used to this erratic behaviour, I find out later. For the next dive we're in the middle of the sea. The instructor takes my hand, gives me no chance to think, leads me down and immediately begins to show me around.

What lies beneath cannot be described adequately in words. How does one even begin to convey the feeling of gliding in slow motion, watching a whole new world unfold?

It’s fascinating to watch sea creatures in their natural habitat. An octopus exercising his eight limbs. Scorpion fish showing off. Shoals of yellow and silver fish in straight lines. And the sun filtering through the water and creating flickering patterns of light and shadow. My jaw drops to the sea bed in amazement. I have to remember to pick it up. And breathe. The most important rule under water.

It's time to surface. I spot a pair of orange and white fish. I excitedly point to my instructor, for whom this is possibly just another day at the office. “Nemo, Nemo” I mouth. He pats me as if to say he realises my excitement, but there's loads of other fish in the sea.

We're back on our boat, but I remember that fellow whose I eyes I looked into. It has to be love.