Now Vizag has the world’s youngest scuba diver, Debopriya Saha, and this prodigy is already brimming with the aspiration to save underwater aquatic life.
Hailing from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, the girl was inclined toward conserving marine life, and the credit goes to her father, Deepankar Saha, a former diver in the Indian Navy. In an exclusive interview with Life Beyond Number, Debopriya and her father shared the awe-inspiring story.
Source of Inspiration
After retiring from the Indian Navy, Deepankar continued diving at various places, including Andamans, Thailand, and the Maldives. Often he would return with immersive pictures of the mesmerizing underwater life. And at times, there were images of plastic menace causing harm to the marine ecosystem and life. It felt alarming for the little child, and she expressed her willingness to become a marine biologist. She was barely seven years old.
“The underwater life is beautiful. But I was sad to see how fish and turtles were trapped in plastic waste and fishing nets and suffering so badly. I wanted to save them,” says the young Debopriya Saha.
Her father explained that to pursue her dream; she has to become a marine biologist. The stepping stone would be as a qualified underwater diver. From then, there was no looking back for Debopriya. Without wasting a single day, she embarked on the journey.
Coach’s Words
Debopriya, who turned ten on June 30, has been enthusiastic about learning more about scuba diving. She was prohibited from diving down to a depth of 40 meters. Vizag-based professional scuba diving coach and founder of Liveinadventures, Balram Naidu, has been mentoring the little girl.
“According to regulations, diving is permitted based on respiratory function after ten years. Debopriya got the required permissions from the doctors and dived, creating the incredible record,“ Naidu shared the preparation and the event.
Balram says that child divers have more attention to their safety. Once they clear the preliminary stages, later they are trained in more comprehensive and advanced levels of scuba diving.
Record creating feat
On June 30, her 10th birthday, she completed all the required formalities, including clearing online exams, one confined water dive, and two open water dives in the middle of the sea.
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Debopriya became the world’s youngest certified junior scuba diver. Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the world’s largest ocean exploration and diver organization, certified her feat.
Officially, the PADI junior scuba diver course eligibility includes minimum age not below ten years, sufficient swimming skills, and sound physical health.
Receiving Parineeti Chopra’s Patting
The 10 YO girl idolizes PADI India AmbassaDiver Parineeti Chopra, the Bollywood celeb. It was her wish that her idol dive along with her during this record-making feat. Recollecting it, Dipankar Saha says:
“We were fortunate to convey the message to the celeb. And the outcome was an achievement in itself.“
Though the star couldn’t make it, she replied to her wishes and messages through Twitter.
Hey Debopriya, well done! So proud of you. And of course, would love to dive with you! Lets make this happen 🤿💕 https://t.co/xTwy0TSJoN
— Parineeti Chopra (@ParineetiChopra) July 17, 2022
Dream and Reality
There is a difference between dreaming of becoming a diver and doing it in real-time; often, reality hits hard. But, Debopriya defied it. When her PADI instructor Balram Naidu asked her to take the first plunge in the middle of the sea, the little girl nailed it with bravery. She was elated to witness the underwater life.
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Academic life
Even at 10, Debopriya has her priorities set. She doesn’t believe in textbooks-based or classroom-oriented education. For her, it’s about acquiring knowledge through real-time or practical experiences.
“I love to learn about new things by doing various activities. For example, diving has taught me much about marine life.”
Her parents are also lenient enough and don’t burden her with the pressure to excel academically. They believe in letting the child have the required freedom to explore the world of knowledge. Having said that, her academics will continue parallelly.
How the future looks like
To hone her skills further, Debopriya has to practice more and get trained in both, i.e., diving in the swimming pool and open water (sea). Meanwhile, there will be upgradation in her diving abilities by participating time-to-time in various activities. She will also acquire further certifications in diving, such as Open Water Diving, Advance Open Water Diving, and Dive Master Diving.
Debopriya, who has already become popular in her peer group, has a message for other children.
“Diving is an amazing experience, and everyone must try it. Two-thirds of our earth is covered with water. And, we humans live on the surface and miss fascinating underwater marine life. Diving introduces you to that world.”
Debopriya wants to motivate everyone to consider diving.