Whisky Tour in Edinburgh, Scotland

Whether you are a whisky lover or a teetotaler, it’s totally worth exploring the whisky tour in Scotland. The Scotch Whisky Experience is beside the Edinburgh castle, Scotland. 

The Barrel-train ride inside a dark tunnel takes us through the whisky making process. The doctor whisky character appears on the walls of the tunnel with a husky voice explaining the types of grains used to make whisky. Malt whisky is made from malted barley, whereas grain whisky is produced from grains, such as wheat, and corn.

I didn’t know the difference between Malt and Blended whisky, until doctor explained it. Single Malt whisky is from singe distillery, like Glenfiddich. Malt whisky manufactured in Scotland is known as Scotch whisky. Blended Whisky is mix of many types of malt and grain whisky, like the popular Johnnie Walker.

The color and taste of the whisky will alter based on the wood of the barrel, and the number of years the whisky was aged. Gallons of whisky is evaporated from the barrels whilst it is aged, and this holy loss is refereed as the ghost’s share of whisky. Wine continues to age in the bottle, even after it is removed from the barrels, but whisky stops ageing once it is removed from the cask.

After the Barrel ride ended, the guests were taken to an oval-shaped whisky tasting room. The guests were given a whisky glass and an aroma paper with four partitions.  Each partition of the aroma paper has a different smell, like fruit, smoke, wood, vanilla. Based on the guest’s aroma preference, a drink which meets the aroma is poured into the glass for tasting.

Choosing whisky is apparently an art, and one needs to swirl the glass and notice the mark trail left by the liquid on the glass, as well as sniffing the aroma. The trace left by the whisky helps to determine the age of the whisky!

Each individual has a different preference whilst drinking whisky, some prefer drinking it neat, some like it on the rocks, or dilute the whisky with water. Although the staff did not insist on the correct method of drinking, most of them in the room preferred neat. At the end of the tasting session were a ‘happy’ crowd and each one got to keep the glass as souvenir.

The staff walked the guests out of the tasting room, and we ventured into the whisky museum. The place had all types of whiskeys stored in huge glass cabinets which were colorfully lit. The staff spoke about some of the key possessions in the whisky vault, and the value of these liquid, which will never be tasted!

There is also a whisky souvenir shop, and the price starts from as less as five pounds for a miniature peg bottle and goes up to million bucks for a bottle. Next time you hold a glass of whisky or see someone holding one, remember it takes ages and a lot of effort in making the liquid gold. Cheers!

Mother of all the bike rides – Khardung La, Ladakh!

It was one of those hectic days at office, and I received an e-mail from my ex-boss Hubert Augustine, about the upcoming motorbike ride to Khardung La. We had done handful of small rides, like Bangalore-Mysore (150 kilometers), Bangalore-Kanyakumari (650 kilometers), the newly proposed ride was mother of all the rides. I obviously replied to Hubes e-mail “Aye, Chief”.

Khardung La is 18380 feet above sea level located in Ladakh, and it is a biker’s paradise. Chief had planned the 11-day itinerary from Delhi to Khardung La, which was tallying up to 2500 kilometers. The ride was scheduled in the month of June, as the roads are cleared of snow. Plan your ride in advance as the roads are open only for 4 months in a year. 30 folks had confirmed the ride, and Chief took the responsibility of booking flights, transferring our bikes to Delhi, booking accommodation, and finding a mechanic who will be with us for the ride.

Since it was a bigger group of bikers, we managed to get sponsorship from Castrol, Wildcraft and Standard Chartered Bank. Castrol gave us really cool biker’s jacket, Wildcraft provided saddlebags for our bikes, and Standard Chartered offered to pool in money for the fuel. In return our sponsors wanted us to hold their banners on Khardung la (K-top), click loads of pictures and share it with them.

One week prior to our ride, we took our babies (read bike) to Bangalore Railway Station. The vendor was waiting to ship our babies to Delhi. My baby is a black beauty, has a sleek body, and her name is CBZ. During this week, we shopped all necessary spares for our babies, tyre tubes, clutch cables, headlamps, brake shoes, and accelerator cables.

I flew from Bangalore to Delhi to experience the ride of my lifetime. My childhood-buddies, Adi and Naveen were also part of this ride. Adi was my pillion rider, and Naveen was a fellow rider. We were roomies and riding buddies for the next 11 days.

Delhi

Delhi is hot during June , and we went to the warehouse near the railway station to pick up our bikes. We were skeptical about condition of our bikes after looking at the condition of the warehouse. Our bikes were bundled in newspapers and gunnysacks. After unpacking layers of newspapers, we were glad to see our babies in perfect condition. We filled up petrol on bikes and move to our motel.

Today was a no ride day, went about sightseeing in an air-conditioned taxi. Of all the places visited, I personally liked, Qutb Minar and Chandni Chowk.

Qutb Minar reminds me of the Gherkin in London. Wonder how Qutb was built 700 years ago with no cranes and heavy machinery. People are not allowed to go inside Qutb, but it’s a sight to see the erected structure and to hear stories of the King who died whilst playing polo.

Never take a girl to Chandni Chowk, as she will die of shopping for designer and cheap clothes. One can shop for varieties of shiny wedding sarees with heavy embroidery, and accessories like bangles.

Delhi - Chandigarh

It was 4:00 AM and we started our first leg of 250 kilometers ride to Chandigarh. Bikes were ready with water proof saddlebags; all the bikers wore a jacket, pair of gloves, and a full-face helmet with visor.

Our first hurdle was the heavy rains, in spite of waiting for 30 minutes the rain did not stop; we decided to ride in the rain to keep up the schedule. The Castrol sponsored jacket came in handy!

The Delhi-Chandigarh is a National highway, the roads are really wide and one can easily ride 100 KMPH. This stretch has quite a few road-side eating joints known as Pujabi Dhabas. It’s cheap, tasty and quick to relish some Rotis along with Dal (for veggies like me) or butter chicken (for carnivores).

Pit stop

We crossed Panipat, the ancient city which has connections with Bhagvad Gita and Mahabaratha. Our bikes rode in the midst of lush green farms. Watch out for cattles, buffaloes and tractors on the road.

Chandigarh girls are as beautiful as the city itself. The city is well planned, and divided into sectors. Each sector has a commercial hub, residential colony and a park. People here mostly speak Punjabi and Hindi. Many sardars wearing a turban reside in Chandigarh. It is said and believed that a sardar will drive a truck, run a dhaba, or do anything which is ethical to survive, but will never beg. We were stopped by traffic police in Chandigarh, ensure you carry all the relevant papers or be ready to shell out fines and energy explaining the cops.

We used our evening to clean our babies and check if everything was okay for next day’s ride.

Chandigarh - Manali

We started early again to avoid the traffic and the afternoon heat. The roads are both okay and bad, both are equally good experience. The bike ride ascend had started, we could see mountains at top covered in snow. Most of us had never seen snow, and were excited to reach the peak. Whilst ascending the mountains, the hairpin bends are narrow and only one big vehicle can use the road. The bikers usually have to let go big vehicles to pass by. Accidents are a common sight in the hilly terrain, but can be avoided with presence of mind and precaution. Long bike rides are not a race, instead enjoy the ride.

The best experience of this stretch was riding in a pitch dark tunnel for 3 kilometers. The air is much cooler inside the tunnel. Although there are few bulbs on the ceiling of the tunnel, most of the stretch is dark, which makes the ride fun.

Our 300 kilometers ride came to an end and we had reached the honeymoon city for many Indians couples. Manali is a small town thriving due to tourism. From the hotel balcony, one can see the mountains, the green patches, and the Beas River. The snow we saw from foothills was not visible in Manali, it was even higher!


The BeAs and the birds :)

We visited the Hidimba Temple in Manali.  The legend says, Hidimba Devi was a she-demon who resided and mediated in the foothills of Himalayas; hence a temple was constructed and dedicated to her. There is a National Park too, and outside the park you can get a picture of yourself with a Python around your neck (I don’t know if it is legal to own a Python) or ride a domesticated Yak. Manali is a nice place for trekking, stay for another day for trekking or venturing out in the woods. You might get lucky to spot a Snow Leopard!

In the evening the only shopping street gets buzy, selling warm clothes, leather goods, souvenirs, and Indian fast food. We picked up rubber boots to help us cross rivers. Purchase all necessary goods in Manali, such as medicine, liquor, and snacks. Our stay was in Drilbu, a warm place to stay with average food on the menu.

Manali – Tandi

We had planned to leave Manali at 8:00 AM, and to my shock the bike’s front tyre was flat and bald. The Chandigarh-Manali road had done its trick to my old tyre. Had I checked it the previous night, it would have saved time. Found a garage in Manali and replaced the front tyre and tube.

With all delay in fixing the tyre, we rode towards Rohtang Pass. Along with us were a backup jeep and a mechanic. It is a steep climb to Rohtang Pass, we were getting closer to the snow. The Jeeps carrying tourists is annoying, but bikers cannot be selfish. As we proceeded ascending, we caught first glimpses of snow on road. As we went up, there were more snow, and when we reached Rohtang, we felt the entire place was filled with white cotton. It was -3 degree Celsius and being a Bangalorean, we never get to experience the real cold. Some of the bikers were scared to pee, as it might freeze their hosepipes.

Experience nail biting cold in Rohtang

The localities are smart to make money out of snow, by just carving heart shapes on snow and names of the couples in glossy colors. The honeymooners seemed to enjoy getting their pics taken standing behind the heart carvings, how romantic, grrrr. Some localities were openly selling Bear claws, pashmina shawls, and saffron!!! It is believed if a pregnant woman consumes saffron, the baby will have fair complexion, I have no comments here…

Naveen and I took opportunity to paraglide in Rohtang. Felt like birds with wings when we were airborne. Although the glide lasted around 15 minutes, it was a sight to see the mountains from above. 


Tandem Paragliding

Tandi was not as cold as Rohtang Pass. We stayed in a cottage which was facing the Chandra-Bhaga River and snow clad mountains. The sunsets a bit early in this region, and one can see thousands of twinkling stars because of zero pollution and no lights. The cottage was illuminated by a kerosene lantern. Our cottage staff was very friendly and lit a bonfire and gave us some hot crispy Indian snacks. They even offered locally brewed alcohol and weeds, which we refused as we had another steep ride next day! 



Our cottages and beloved babies



Tandi – Sarchu

The mechanic was the first one to wake up and was helping lubricate the brakes, and clutch cables. Breakfast was bread and eggs. We started our bikes and reached the only station to fill petrol, the next filling station is in Leh – 365 kilometers away. The spare drums in the jeep were filled with petrol too. 



If you miss this signboard, be prepared to be stranded in a no man's land!

Whilst passing Keylong one of the biker complained of a sore bum. The only doctor in this sleepy village diagnosed the soreness as piles. For the next few days, the biker with piles had to use an inflated tube to sit!  

Breathtaking view from Keylong

The ride is fun – the road belongs to us as there are very few others who use them, other than the Indian army. On the left is the mountain and on our right following us is the Bahaga River. Bikers could sense the less oxygen level in the air.

There is no civilization here; we caught few glimpses of nomads and their Mules. Roads do not exist in many places, and we had to cross river on bikes. My pillion Adi got down from the bike while I had to cross the second stream, it was fun crossing the cold river until I heard a loud noise and my bike stopped moving. With help of Adi, we pushed the bike to the shore. After inspection we saw the chain guard took a beating from a stone and was obstructing the movement of chain. The mechanic was helpful here, and he quickly dismantled the chain guard and our ride was on!  



Nomads crossing stream with their Mules

We could not believe our eyes when we spotted a Sadhguru in a place which was far away from any civilization. The long haired Sadhu was wearing a saffron colored loincloth and walking barefoot with a sling bag. A couple of bikers stopped to take pictures of the holy Sadhu, but he vanished very quickly to seek nirvana.


No words to express beauty of Ladakh

Naveen had problems with his bike's spark plug, and was struggling cleaning it with a tiny piece of cloth, carry a spare spark plug for your ride. After 9 hours of ride, we had reached our destination Sarchu. We had luxury of staying in tents in the midst of mountains. Each biker shared their story while relishing the barbeque around the bonfire. This was the coldest night, the bone chilling night; even the tents and thick quilts did not help to keep us warm.  

Luxury at its best!

Morning was pleasant and everyone wanted some sunshine. The bonfire area looked messy, the resort guy told us that the Himalayan Bear had visited the area last night in search of left overs. We were blissfully sleeping and did not realize, till date we are not sure about the bear story!

 

Sarchu - Leh

We checked our bikes, and filled up petrol from the drums. The first lot of bikers had already left, we were late. The 200 kilometer ride in the cold desert started. There is no sign of people living; it’s only the Indian Army folks at the checkposts. The soldier’s life in these conditions is grueling and they guard the territory round the clock, risking and sacrificing their lives.

The Army folks are friendly and inquisitive to know the reason behind the bike rides. Perhaps they thought we are fools in search of Roadless-Roads. We ate chocolates and garlic to keep our bodies energized and warm. One of the soldiers smiled and hugged us when we parted with chocolates and a liquor bottle. Army men’s love for liquor was evident, when we passed through many passes named after beverage, Whisky Nullah, Rum Ptse, and Brandy Nala.

We passed through many plains, and saw wild Yaks rearing. At one place we were lucky to spot wild horses fleeing after hearing the thump of our bikes. Adi and I saw a yak-calf like creature ahead of us; we went really slowly only to realize it was a wolf waiting to hunt. We were scared looking at the intensity in the eye of this beautiful creature.



Notice the shadow of clouds and the wild Yaks

I loved the ride through Morey Plains - the highest flat land in the world. There is a stretch of good roads amidst desert on both sides. 

Fellow bikers enjoying in Morey

The road ends, and bikes need to sail through desert, thus testing the bike and the biker’s endurance.  


Fun riding in Morey Plains

Taglang La is the second highest motorable road at 17582 feet. The oxygen level in the air was less, and we stopped over for a couple of pictures, ate a clove of garlic, drank glucose water, and moved our bikes.


Im pointing at the numbers, ignore the grammatical errors

It was mesmerizing to ride through god-made arches and man-made bridges. We found a parachute tent, and were welcomed by an old lady selling noodles for 15 rupees! We slept on the beds until the granny was preparing noodles. All the bikers enjoyed the noodles and thanked the old women.

Some of the bikers had breathing problems, and the pit stops were increasing every 30 minutes. This may be the sign of AMS – Acute Mountain Sickness. Bikers took a chai break in a tiny village with about 10 houses, and within minutes surrounded by cute kids asking for chocolates.



Adorable kids of Ladakh

Leh welcomed us with ancient clay houses, and a monastery. It was after 2 days we saw a petrol bunk, so filled up our tanks. The petrol bunk boasted the words “You are on the world’s highest petrol station!”. There is an airport in Leh, but it is not advisable to take a flight. It is better to get acclimatized in lower regions before reaching Leh, this way one can reduce the chances of AMS. We were asked to keep our physical activity and enthusiasm under control. Our night stay was in a concrete building with a toilet!

 

Leh – Khardung La

Couple of bikers backed off as they were not confident in making to Khardung La, which was about 52 kilometers ride. The AMS is dangerous and can lead to swelling of brain and eventually death.

Ascend was steep, at times we felt the riding angle was about 70 degrees. My bike was struggling too, compared to Enfield Bullets. We were stopped at the checkpost and were forced to bribe to continue our ride, although we had all the necessary papers.

Roads in Khardung La are heavily guarded, and many tourists take jeeps from Leh to reach. We also noticed some brave folks on cycles. A natural rock has been painted to look like a frog, this is known as the Khardung La Frog.

The frog which doesn't croak

Roads become pretty bad and narrow as we ascend and are filled with gravel.  It is challenging to burn energy when the oxygen levels are really low. Our bikes maneuvered and reached on top of the heaven! We had a sense of achievement when we stood behind the red board. The view from Khardung La was astonishing.

Three Musketeers - Myself, Naveen and Adi at K Top

We took many pictures of Khardung La, and brought souvenirs from the shop run by the Indian Army. We had to start descending to Nubra Valley to avoid breathlessness.

Khardung La - Nubra Valley

The initial descend from Khardung La is a bit of challenge, due to snow, water-filled potholes and gravel. But once the challenge is over, it reminds me of playing biking video games. On our left side was the mountain with colorful flowers and on the right was the Shyok River. Not many visit Nubra, and this gives us the feeling of owning those roads.

Our 120 kilometers ride from K-top had come to an end. We stayed in tents, with God Father Beer in hand and spoke about the best ride of our lives. 

Yes, that is how heaven would look like!

We had covered over 1200 kilometers one-way, it was time to get up early next day and complete the remaining 1200 kilometers of our round trip!

If you have not visited Ladakh, you are missing LOTS in your life!

Scuba diving in Netrani!

Have you ever fantasied to swim underwater with colorful fish and corals? I did and my dream came true. Read on, you can accomplish your underwater fantasies, as well as explore the hidden cultures of India.

I did the open water course from Planet Scuba Bangalore. After completing the confined water pool sessions, it was time to test the waters! I headed to Netrani Islands, Murudeshwara, India.  

Murudeshwara Town – Day 1

After 10 hours of journey in a sleeper bus from Bangalore, I reached Murudeshwara, the temple-beach town. Took an auto (tuk-tuk) from bus stand to Sea View Resort, on my way I saw the tall temple tower known as Gopura in Indian languages, and a 123-feet tall statue of lord Shiva. The 20 storied Gopura is the entrance to the temple. Lord Shiva is considered as the destroyer and one of the most powerful gods in the Hindu mythology (there are millions of gods in Hinduism!). Whether you are an atheist or not, the four-hand Shiva statue is mesmerizing and a masterpiece.

Due to holiday season, hundreds of people had already thronged near the temple. Many people had tonsured their head; this was their way of showing gratitude to the god for answering their prayers.  This town is not for a foodie or a party animal, it is for divine seekers or adventure buffs.

I reached Sea View Resort which is away from the maddening crowd and faces the Arabian Sea. The Netrani dive shop is also located in this resort. Whilst I had Idly-Vada, the typical South-Indian breakfast, I looked at the water-sports menu. Jet Ski, snorkeling, banana ride, boat trips to nearby Islands, kayaking were being offered. Since I was anyways diving the next day, I chose to do 60 minutes of kayaking by paying INR. 500. This town is not card friendly, so remember to carry cash or be ready to walk near the temple to find an ATM.

It was time to explore the town by foot. The town has small souvenir shops, selling idols of gods, apparels, sea shells, and quick bites. Just like any coastal area, there is a fish market too. Dinner in Sea Side View Resort wasn’t great, just the normal boiled rice and Indian vegetable gravy cooked with spices, but watching the sunset has a soothing effect on the soul! Time to hit the sack as a big day waits.

Scuba Diving in Netrani – Day 2

I was ready by 8:00 AM and waiting for my dive instructor Andy just outside the resort, near the big blue container which houses all the scuba gear. Just when I started conversing with the dive shop boys, saw a jeep with Netrani Diving written on it. The jeep was driven by a white man, with a batman ear stud, I guessed it was Andy, and Andy it was. Andy has over 15 years of diving experience and has clocked over 7500 dives, and has been diving in Netrani for over a year. There were about 12 DSD divers and I was the only Open Water Diver for the day. Andy met all of the DSD divers and gave an orientation of the DSD program. Since I was doing the OWD program, I had to assemble and fix the scuba gear without anybody’s help. I managed to fix my gear, thanks to my confined water trainer Aaliyah. The dive shop boys helped me choose the best fitting wet suit, mask, snorkel, fins, and a six kilogram weight belt. Andy asked us to head towards the beach with all our scuba equipment.  It was exciting time, the boat was waiting. The fishing boat was converted as a dive boat. We loaded all our gears on the boat and started our dream journey.

The motor boat started the one hour sail to Netrani Island. On board was Andy, about 5 divers, the dive shop boy, and our helmsman. Netrani is a heart shaped island, which is inhabited only by goats, perhaps Indian version of Robinson Crusoe can be shot here. The villagers from Murudeshwar and surrounding villages drop live goats into the island if any of their prayers are answered by Lord Shiva! The dive shop takes all necessary permits from the local government for sailing and diving in the sea. Night diving is prohibited in Netrani, restrictions imposed by the local officials.

Andy spoke like a native and brand ambassador of dive site in Netrani whilst looking up the sky for sea gulls, no wonder he has made Murudeshwar his home for over a year.  Sea gulls can actually drink salt water because they filter out the salt from their glands and excrete it from their nostrils. Sea is pretty calm, but heard it gets rough during June and September, that’s when the diving industry in Murudeshwar shuts shop.

On our way to Netrani, we saw a tiny island known as Piegon Island. Netrani Island kept growing bigger as our boat approached it, the blue water started to appear as green. Andy asked me to put on my gear as the first dive would be mine. He also briefed on the dos and don’ts of the first dive. While still on board, I noticed fish movements in the waters, although the visibility on the surface is not clear like one of those beaches in Phuket. Andy threw the anchor to the shallow waters, and the boat came to a halt.

I wore the BCD jacket, spat on the mask to defog it, and wore the fins. Andy asked me to do the buddy pre-dive safety check, the way I remembered the BWRAF abbreviation was Blonde Women Really Are Fun, which translates to Buoyancy check, Weight check, Releases check, Air check, Final check before diving. It was my first open water dive, and I was on top of the world to explore the underwater. The air temperature was 33 degree and water temperature was 28 degrees. Andy was ready already and did a back roll entry to the open water, and shouted on me to follow suit. Wearing heavy dive gears and breathing through mouth feels a bit uncomfortable, without wasting any time, I did a back roll entry. The sea water was warm compared to the pool sessions I had. I was floating because my BCD was inflated. Andy called me near the anchor line and asked me to hold the rope and descend slowly.

It was Dive #1, I was descending and my ears started aching due to the pressure underwater. It was time to equalize the sinus by squeezing my nostrils and blowing air thorough my nose. Andy asked me if I was ‘okay’ using the diver’s sign language, I gave him the okay hand signal and continued my descent. I was stepping into a different world. Objects underwater appear 33% larger than they actually are. Within minutes I was 18 feet deep and my legs were touching the sea bed. I had to let go the rope and was floating like an astronaut in a spaceship.

My first sighting was a yellow and black bannerfish. I was still getting accustomed to breathe at ease and not use my fins to stay under water. Underwater is a different colorful world, I saw sea cucumbers which looked like dead dark black cucumbers. Andy asked me to partially flood my mask and remove the water, this was part of the exercise. It was not difficult to remove water from mask when we were 18 feet deep. I just had to look up, hold the top frame of the mask from my hands and blow air from my nose. The second exercise was to remove the regulator from my mouth, put it behind my shoulder, blow bubbles, search for the regulator and put it back in my mouth. Second test was a pass too. After spending 30 minutes underwater, I had to use the anchor’s rope and surface back. Andy was still underwater and asked a couple of DSD divers to dive with him.

DSD diving was completed in about 35 minutes; it was time for my Dive#2. I was much comfortable this time, but was still learning to float just above the corals and watch the marine life. The visibility had reduced, and was around 15 meters. There were less fish this time, perhaps it was nap time for them and were hiding under corals. There was a bit of surge too, and I was drifting away from Andy. The trick was to swim slowly and control buoyancy using the BCD and slow breathing; it sounds easy but requires a bit of practice underwater. Looking up and kicking legs would mean ascending, I was trying to look down and kick slowly as to be swimming just above the corals. Andy signaled me thumbs up, which was sign for STELA ascent, Signal, Time, Extend, Lookup and Ascend. Dive#2 was satisfactorily completed.  It was snack time and feedback session on the boat whilst we sailed back towards the shore of Murudeshwara. The boat reached the shore and we had to remove salt water from the dive gear by washing them in fresh water.

The second sunset of my stay in Murudeshwara had arrived. It was great to hear Andy’s adventure dives and his views on best dive sites in the world, while sipping a pint.

Scuba Diving in Netrani – Day 3

It is 9:30 AM and the boat was ready to take us to Netrani for my dive#3 and 4. This time there were two young couples who wanted to explore DSD. Thirty minutes journey in the sea and folks on the boat started having sea sickness!  Andy asked them to concentrate and look at the horizon instead of looking at the water, and it looked like the sea sickness had stopped. Today’s air temperature was 32 degree and water temperature was 28 degrees. The girl in the boat started puking again, and this attracted a variety of fish!

Dive#3 was a fun dive as I went down with Andy and a DSD diver. It was a 5-point descent, SORTED, Signal, Orientate, Regulator in, Time, Equalize and Descend. I was pretty comfortable controlling my buoyancy and swimming underwater. It was a sight to see schools of tiny zebra fish enjoying their meal. I had to perform two skills underwater, clearing the mask, removal and fixing back the weight belt.

A variety of colorful parrot and trigger fish were sighted. Parrot fish has the ability to changes its sex, the females are generally light in color, whereas males have bigger foreheads and dark in color. I saw many parrot fish excreting sand; they were basically digesting the corals. It is known that a parrot fish excretes over 100 kilograms of sand in one year. Trigger fish is an aggressive fish, and was seen eating sea urchins. I also saw some of the trigger fish attacking smaller fish, was not sure if they were hunting or simply guarding their territory. 35 minutes flew like a minute, and I had to perform the 5 point Ascent - STELA.

Whilst on the surface, Andy asked me to remove my BCD and put it back. It was easy to remove the BCD, but was challenging to put it back. I had to slide my hands into the jacket on the surface, I somehow managed to wear the equipment and tighten the buckles. As part of the second surface task, I had to swim using a compass, Andy pointed me to an object and I adjusted my wrist-compass needle pointing at the object and started swimming towards it by looking at the compass. As part of the final surface task, I had to exchange snorkel to regulator and back for about 5 times. Dive#3 was a successfully completed.

Folks on boat took turn to puke, and I still had time for Dive#4. I made use of the break time to snorkel around. Small fish relished the puke, and this in turn attracted couple of the medium-sized predator fish. The predators were on the prowl and were harassing and eating away the small fish. Many colorful fish are in Netrani, the sighting of them depends on the visibility, dive site, patience and a bit of luck! I had all the four elements on my side; I even saw a moray eel peeping though its burrow. Morray eels are territorial creatures with poor sight; they are seen with their mouth wide open to breathe.

When snorkeling, avoid swimming around jelly fish. Although they are tiny and transparent, their sting is painful and will look like red goosebumps on your skin. I heard quite a few goats bleating from the Island, ours helmsman said these were new domesticated and scared goats let by villagers. Andy surfaced with DSD divers and some fish hooks. People in Netrani are nature lovers and fetch any unnatural things from the water thus keeping the waters clean.

Andy asked the helmsman to steer the boat to deep waters for my Dive#4. I could sense the water was deep, the current was high too. Andy and I were ready and did a back roll entry again. I was supposed to perform a buddy pre-dive safety check at surface this time. We had to descend; I deflated my BCD and started the free flow descent without using the rope. The descent is so fast, and within minutes we had reached 60 feet. The visibility was around 6 meters, and I could barely see Andy in front of me. I looked up but could hardly see the sun rays. The surge was very strong and pushing me away, I must admit I was scared losing sight of Andy. I felt Andy betrayed me and took me deeper than 100 feet; I looked at his dive computer to check the depth and realized it was only 60 feet.

Now the scariest moment of all the three dives, mask removal and replacement. Andy was holding my jacket to ensure I do not go deeper than 60 feet. As soon as I removed my mask, water was gushing through my eyes and it started itching due to salt water and underwater pressure. I was consciously telling myself not to breath from my nostrils. I replaced the mask, and started blowing through nose to drain the water; I had to blow around five times to clear the mask. Sigh of relief, now the second exercise was to use the compass as navigation underwater.

Andy pointed towards a direction, and I had to adjust the compass and swim towards it. I swam for about 20 feet, while Andy was swimming on top of me to see if I was doing it rightly. Even a slight deviation while swimming would change the pointers in the compass. We had swam further from the anchor line, and could not see it. The only option left was to ascend to the surface. Once on the surface, we saw the boat was hundreds of feet away from us. Andy used his whistle and the boat started sailing towards us.

I was happy that I completed all the tasks successfully, only to hear Andy say CESA! Holy, I did not have energy to perform Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent. We went down again until 18 feet holding the rope, I had to breathe three times, and while ascending had to exhale slowly without inhaling until I reached the surface, this technique helps the diver in case he runs out of breathing air. I also had to orally inflate the BCD jacket to complete the task. I completed the CESA because of Andy’s persuasion and curses. I was a certified open water diver when I got onto the boat.

Now, I plan to do dives in Andamans, and Mauritius sometime this year. Try diving once!