Irrespective of the number of movies that you may have seen or books you have read or heard stories recounted by experienced sailors, nothing can prepare you for how compact, or even constricted, a submarine really is.
This was the first observation that your correspondent made as she descended down a narrow hatch into a submarine, for the first time ever. Barely 10 m long and 2.8 m wide, it had space just for 10 seats, arranged in two rows like aboard an aircraft with an aisle that was barely broad enough for even one person. The sole crew member, the captain, sat at the controls, situated in the bow or right at the front of the submarine.
The submarine is operated by Blue Safari, said to be one of only 12 operators of leisure submarines in the world. Our adventure for the submarine journey began at Trou aux Biches in northern Mauritius where we received a comprehensive briefing about what to expect on the journey. Next, we board a speedboat to reach the submarine base, "Le Betty des Mascareignes", situated about 15 minutes away in the open sea.
Here, we step on the submarine and follow the captain through the hatch into the belly of the submarine, after another security briefing, where he explained to us what needed to be done in case of emergency.
The dive, which takes the submarine 35 m below the surface, lasts barely half-an-hour. We first head to a shipwreck, Star Hope, that was especially planted here. Over the decades, the wreck has become the home of many kinds of marine life and is located in an area with vibrant, natural corals that abound in a variety of species of colourful fish.
Though we were 35 m below the surface, the crystal-clear waters meant that the visibility was very high, allowing us to take in the marine ecosystem in its entirety. After the dive, we retraced our path, after some refreshments and collection of our certificates in the reservation.
This story is from the September - October 2023 edition of India Outbound.
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This story is from the September - October 2023 edition of India Outbound.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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