Bengaluru :
This Bengalurean spends more time underwater than on land.Ajit SN, a diver and underwater photographer, has completed 190 dives in two years and surprised most dive masters around the world.
It started two years ago when he took a diving course in Sri Lanka with a friend. “It was a spontaneous decision. I knew nothing about underwater photography or diving but I was determined to learn both,” he said.
But it wasn’t as easy as he imagined it would be. “I had to make a huge investment in underwater photography equipment because it wasn’t available in India and had to order it from the US,” he said.
While his friend left after four days into the course, Ajit stayed three more days and completed the advanced open water course which takes divers 30 metres deep.
“I wasn’t allowed to take the camera first.When I did, water leaked into a very expensive camera. Fortunately , the lens wasn’t damaged,” he said. Then followed trips to remote islands off Cambodia and Sri Lanka and Ajit was certified in technical diving. He also got a wreck diving licence but the first time was a near-death experience when he entered the HMS Hermes, a World War 2 British aircraft carrier in the waters off Sri Lanka.
“It was pitch dark and I was 45m below sea level. I had a blackout and began taking in water. I couldn’t even see my dive buddy . I was inside the wreck and saw a beam of light through a hole and began waving my torch.My buddy saw me and quickly put my mask back on my nose. It had got dislodged when I was entering the ship,” he said.
That experience didn’t stop Ajit from exploring other wrecks near Sri Lanka. And snorkelling was on his bucket list. He spent a week in the ocean in the Maldives with certified divers.
“I was in the middle of the ocean when I saw a manta ray circling around the boat. I grabbed my camera and jumped into the water at 9pm. It brushed by me many times. I got a brilliant shot and when I came back to the deck, it was 1am,” he said. That shot was among the top four trending photos on National Geographic Daily Dozens.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bengaluru / by Aditi Sequeira, TNN / December 14th, 2015