Three Young Ocean Explorers from Kavaratti Earn Their Junior Open Water Certification

A proud day for Lakshadweep — and a reminder of how beautifully the ocean continues to shape lives here.
Three remarkable young girls — Aisha Sana (10), Shifa Fathima (12), and Rena Khan (13) — have officially completed their PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification at Lak Scuba, becoming some of the youngest members of India’s diving community.

Their achievement isn’t just about earning a certification card. It’s about curiosity, courage, and connection — the kind that grows when you live surrounded by the sea. For the people of Lakshadweep, the ocean is more than scenery; it’s a teacher, a playground, and a home.

Growing Up Beside the Sea

Growing up surrounded by the turquoise waters of Lakshadweep, the ocean has always been part of their lives. Over the past few years, they’ve watched countless visitors and professional divers explore their island’s reefs — surfacing with stories, laughter, and photos of the vibrant world beneath. Seeing this up close sparked something special in them. They wanted to know what lay beyond the waves they had grown up beside, to see with their own eyes the magic others spoke of.

For children in Lakshadweep, the ocean is more than a distant horizon — it’s part of everyday life. The rhythm of waves, the glimmer of reefs, and the laughter of fishermen returning home are woven into the island’s heartbeat. Yet, for most, the underwater world remains unseen, just beyond reach.

When Aisha, Shifa, and Rena arrived at Lak Scuba to begin their Junior Open Water Diver course, they were both excited and nervous. Learning to breathe underwater for the first time is a mix of wonder and disbelief — but with every dive, they grew more confident, more comfortable, and more captivated by the marine life around them.

Sharing their experience – After surfacing from their final dive, their excitement was impossible to miss.

• “I was a little scared at first,” said Sana, the youngest of the trio, grinning from ear to ear. “But once I saw the fish swimming all around me, I didn’t want to come up!”

• For Rena, it was the beauty and calm of the ocean that stood out. “It’s so peaceful down there. You forget everything else.”

• Shifa shared that her favorite part was learning to control her movement underwater. “It felt like flying — slow and quiet. I could move any way I wanted.”

Their words capture what every diver knows — that sense of awe and calm that comes only when you take your first real breath beneath the surface.

Learning to Dive — and Discover

The PADI Junior Open Water course is designed for young ocean explorers — and the girls took to it with incredible enthusiasm. From their first breath underwater to learning buoyancy, every skill was met with laughter and determination.

They learned how to move slowly, breathe calmly, and work as a team. Every dive revealed something new — clownfish darting among anemones, a curious wrasse following their fins, or sunlight dancing through the corals.

“After the first few minutes, it didn’t feel scary anymore,” said Sana, the youngest. “It was like entering another world.”
Rena added, “It’s so peaceful down there. You forget everything else.”
And Shifa, smiling, said, “It felt like flying — slow and quiet. I didn’t want to come up!”

Their excitement mirrored that of any diver taking their first steps into the blue — a universal joy shared across generations and geographies.

The Ocean as a Classroom — and a Beginning

In the classroom, they learned physics, safety, and the science of diving. But beneath the surface, the ocean became their greatest teacher — one that taught patience, respect, and presence. Every dive was a lesson in calmness and awareness: how to stay steady when things get murky, how to notice the quiet beauty in small details, how to move gently through a living world.

Through those dives, the girls began to see their island differently. The reefs they had only heard about were now places they understood — fragile, vibrant, and alive. The ocean didn’t just test them; it shaped them. It gave them confidence, curiosity, and a sense of belonging that only divers truly know.

For Sana, Shifa, and Rena, this is just the beginning. Whether they go on to become advanced divers, underwater photographers, or protectors of marine life, their story will always begin here — in the blue heart of Lakshadweep. And for the rest of us who dive, their smiles remind us why we started: for that moment when fear turns into fascination, and the ocean feels like home.

Inspiration for a New Generation

At Lak Scuba, we’ve always believed that diving has the power to transform lives — and watching these three young girls take to the water so naturally reminded our entire team why we do what we do.
Their laughter between dives, their endless curiosity about coral and fish, and the sparkle in their eyes when they saw their certification cards for the first time — these moments captured the pure joy and wonder that diving brings. It’s that sense of discovery, calm, and connection that keeps us all returning to the sea.

But their story also reflects something much larger taking shape in Lakshadweep — a rising wave of curiosity and pride among the island’s youth. More and more children are eager to explore the waters that surround them, not as tourists, but as locals discovering their own backyard in a new light. As conversations around sustainability and marine conservation grow worldwide, these young divers remind us that real change begins at home — with awareness, respect, and firsthand experience of the ocean’s beauty.

What makes this moment truly special is the community behind it. In Kavaratti, diving is no longer just something visitors come here to do — it’s becoming part of island life itself.

Every new diver adds to that energy: stories exchanged on jetties, friendships formed over gear rinses, laughter echoing across the dive center after sunset. The diving community here isn’t just about exploring reefs; it’s about belonging, learning, and sharing the sea together.

Sana, Shifa, and Rena symbolize that transformation — from watching others explore their home waters to taking the plunge themselves. Their courage and curiosity are inspiring a new generation of divers in Lakshadweep, showing that the ocean’s magic isn’t reserved for visitors — it belongs to everyone who respects and cherishes it.

Ready to Start Your Own Underwater Story?

The ocean has lessons waiting for everyone — no matter your age or experience.
Join us at Lak Scuba, explore the coral gardens of Lakshadweep, and discover the calm, freedom, and wonder that only diving can bring.

“We never imagined we’d see what’s beneath our island — it’s so peaceful and full of life. Now that we’ve been there, we just want to keep diving again and again.”

– Sana, Shifa & Rena