At the tender age of 8 and 10, brothers Ayush and Pranav Sardana respectively, have made their parents proud! They have made it to the Limca Book of Records for being the youngest siblings of India to complete Junior Open Water Diver Course and Bubble Maker Course certified by Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), USA.
Both the boys underwent training at Bangalore in use of Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (Scuba) equipment. While Ayush did his Bubble Maker course in Scuba Diving (permitted for children below 10 years of age) upto five meters (18 ft), Pranav qualified in Junior Open Water Sea Diving Course at Netrani Islands of Goa on February 20, 2011. Pranav did four Open Water Dives upto 12 metres (40 ft) depth (maximum permissible as per PADI Rules for boys below 15 years of age). Both were trained at Planet Scuba Diving School, Bangalore.
Pranav and Ayush were in the City recently to receive certificates of the Limca Book of Records when Metrolife interacted with them. Ask them how they feel and Pranav says, “It is great prove that Indian boys can do well in adventure sports. My mother is a mountaineer, skydiver, base jumper and a scuba diver instructor. Scuba is the easiest and I can do it at this age.
Ayush says, “I was waiting to be 10. I was inspired by my parents. My father is a submariner in the Indian Navy. I too wanted to explore the underwater world.” Both of them are based in Delhi but study at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla. While Ayush is a Std VI student, Pranav is in class VIII.
Before achieving this feat, they went through pre-course swimming practice in swimming pool in Visakhapatnam; in Port Blair to get a feel of the sea with equipment; theory classes and training films followed by written examination for one day in Bangalore.
“I learnt from our achievement that any child can become from a non-swimmer to deep sea diver in 30 days. All he or she has to do is swimming for one and a half hours regularly for 15 days; buy or borrow snorkeling gear and get a feel of it for three days; go through the study material for two days and travel to Neil Island, Port Blair for eight days,” says Pranav.
“Initially I was scared but within a few minutes I became comfortable. The water was warm, had excellent visibility and I saw an amazing array of fishes and corals around me. I spent around an hour underwater on my first day in the sea,” shares Pranav, who aims to complete the Search and Rescue Course by Professional Association of Diving Instructors, USA by 2013. Both of them maintain that sea diving is not at all dangerous as in scuba diving, one is equipped with devices which enables one to breathe under water without any problem.
“The diving kit has face mask, snorkel tube, air cylinder, buoyancy control device, body suit, fins, depth gauge and air gauge which ensures safe diving,” they say. Ayush wants to complete Open Water Diver Course and digital underwater photography course by 2013. But their ultimate aim is to cross the English Channel by 2015.