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here was a leak in the scuba tank and Parvin Dabas could hear a hissing sound. The needle had touched zero in the air compartment — the tank had burst and Parvin was already 40 feet deep in the ocean at Havelock Island in the Andamans. But what Parvin learnt at the Australian Scuba Diving School stayed with him and even though his lungs were bursting for want of air, he signalled to his companion who had taken the dive with him and they swam up together sharing a common gas cylinder. Parvin was back again in the water in 10 minutes after fixing the leak. “It is like falling off a horse. But to combat fear, they tell you to get on the horse and ride again and that’s just what I did,” says Parvin. However, this is only one of the incidents that Parvin recounts as he talks about his tryst with underwater photography — a hobby that turned into the Monsoon Wedding actor’s addiction. It started in 2000, when Parvin went on a recreational trip to Koh Samui, Thailand, where he discovered the pleasures of a whole new world, under the water. He decided to learn the craft and travelled to Australia to hone his skills and then did an extensive course in scuba diving in Thailand. But for a hobby that requires ��������
swimming with the sharks, quite literally, Parvin had to buy the right equipment. And this means carrying a 10 kg load underwater, which includes his Nikon D 200 camera complete with a housing or a protective waterproof case that covers the camera and comes equipped with buttons, which allow you to operate it like any other camera underwater with a flashlight and cable. Parvin has travelled with it to Malaysia, Thailand, South Africa, Lakshadweep, Goa and the Andamans. “It is tough to stay underwater, but what makes it thrilling for me is that while you are swimming with the most exotic creatures, you are also taking pictures, trying to maintain your balance, dodging danger and constantly moving at the same time,” he explains. Fortunately Parvin is someone who isn’t easily intimidated — while trying to capture the Great White Shark on film in South Africa he got knocked by its enormous tail! “Once they see you swimming with them they get comfortable around you and will not harm you unless provoked. But these beautiful, strong creatures are extremely unpredictable, so you have to be cautious — you simply cannot afford to lower your guard. And that for me is part of the excitement. It gets my adrenaline pumping,” he confesses.
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