Ever since I was young I wanted to traverse the world inside and out. I have set foot tens of thousands of kilometres away from where I am now, as well as thousands of meters above and various meters below surface level.

I became PADI certified at the age of 12 in the Philippines. Since then, I have gone over 30 dives. It is a surreal experience, scuba diving, one that has no other resemblance other than being in space, in my opinion. It is truly a different world. The vibrant color of fish and colors bursts through the cold blue as all sorts of different species swarm around you. Floating, weightless throughout a vast expanse of hidden tranquility.

Best Dive Spots I have been too:

• Anilao, The Philippines

The place I became PADI certified

• Puerta Galera, The Philippines

A beautiful white-sand beach and even better underwater ecosystem!

• Manado, Indonesia

The place I first saw turtles

Reef Clean-Ups

My interest in marine life also led me to participate in annual reef clean-ups, where we would dive to the depths of the reefs with plastic bags and pick up all sorts of trash from the bottom of the ocean. We would then take these bags filled with garbage back to the beach for safe disposal. There is no way the ocean can remain as beautiful as it is with all the garbage that is constantly going in them. The importance of healthy coral reefs can not be underestimated, for fish population to flourish and the predator/prey cycle to work its charm.

In addition to picking up trash from the reef, I also participated in placing engineered coral to stimulate coral growth. With some electric wires placed strategically, the coral surrounding it can grow onto the wires rebuilding the integral structure.

Somewhere in Indonesia there is a coral in the shape of my name,

where the coral grew on the electric wires that spelt Utsav.