'Deep Dive'...

In business lingo, the latest euphemism for an otherwise simple word like analyze is ‘deep dive’...for eg. – “Mr. Chatterjee can you deep dive into the marketing budget and see which heads can be scaled down for the next quarter.”

Well, Mr. Chatterjee did deep dive today...Not into any mumbo jumbo numbers on a spreadsheet but right in the middle of the Indian Ocean. What I experienced today was a learner’s dive and went down about 50 feet or so. The coral reef with all the aqua life was truly breathtaking. It almost seemed like there was an entire civilization that existed on the ocean bed which we city slickers are completely oblivious of. Species of different shapes and sizes all co-existing peacefully.

The preparation was extensive with the complete diving gear (rubber suit, oxygen cylinder) and the works. The introductory lesson made everything look simple. It definitely soothed the nerves of the asthmatic in me who has a mental block and yet wants to push the limit.

The only scary bit was when all the weight was being attached to me. A 6 kg belt with iron weights, the oxygen cylinder and the harness like Buoyancy Controlled Device. It almost felt like I was better off with the few extra kilos I have so painfully lost. Infact when I complained of the extra weight, my instructor nonchalantly asked me to breathe normally. I thought to myself with all the weight not only will I breathe normally but also shit normally...right there in my rubber suit.

Anyway once I took the dive the entire load seemed to disappear. All my physics lessons of gravitational force and relative weight were coming back to me. I remained underwater for a good 45 odd minutes and ironically had to surface because my mouth was all dry with thirst. Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink!

My New Year resolution is to do the international certification course for underwater diving within the next 2 years. Till then I have no option but to ‘deep dive’ into various business problems!

Parting thought – Today marks the 5th year of the Tsunami that wreaked havoc in this part of the world. I was standing on the beach that was one of the worst affected and was thinking to myself...if a Tsunami was to strike again, what would be safer...on the beach or underwater? Any thoughts...