10-year-old becomes India’s youngest diving instructor, cleans thousands of kilograms of plastic from the ocean
Accompanied by rescue, mother, and support boats, we collected plastics. We threw the debris into a kayak to be picked up and stowed away. Suddenly, the weather changed, and I worried it might overcome us. I found the strength and kept going. For stretches of the swim, I felt my body remember my training. It activated like electricity in the face of difficulty.
- 3 weeks ago
August 29, 2024
CHENNAI, India ꟷ In my native language of Tamil the words love and sea contain little difference and to me, they mean the same thing. At 10 years old, I serve as India’s youngest certified Professional Association of Diving Instructor (PADI). I also work as an environmental activist in Chennai, advocating for clean beaches and water, and the protection of wildlife.
From the moment my parents conceived me, they planted the seed which flourished into my love for oceans and seas. My father immersed me in water on the third day of my life and by nine months old, I floated on my own. He accompanied me every time, helping me to feel comfortable in the water. I swam by the age of two and began diving with him at the age of five. The water never scared me.
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Young girl’s first dive opens door to another world: she saw beautiful fish and plastic pollution
As a professional diver and environmental activist, my father inspires me. He dove for the first time in the Andaman Islands in 1997 with a friend who worked as a naval officer. When he detailed that day, I felt transported by the words flowing from his heart. After that first dive, my father fell in love with the ocean and marine life, making the decision to pursue diving professionally. At the time, nobody in his family knew much about diving, but his father supported and encouraged him.
When my father took me on my first dive, the aquatic world revealed its magic before my very eyes. The display of colors felt like traveling to another world. The moment I dove, it seemed as if a door opened. I saw jellyfish nearby, as a school of vibrant fish surrounded me. The rays of the sun crossed the water illuminating everything.
Progressing forward, I observed species whose names I later learned: jacks, groupers, and the wonderful corals. Yet, the diving session did not end there. On my descent, I began to see plastics. My heart did not allow me to ignore them. I recalled the many times my father told me this happens both above and below the water.
Continuing my diving experiences, I came across beautiful sea turtles caught in nets bearing injuries. Seeing their wounded flippers, sadness arose and together with my father, we rescued them. Afterwards, we retrieved the garbage and cleaned the underwater area. While we saved those turtles, I knew many other animals face the same situation or worse. Many might die. In that moment, I realized we humans fail to care for our planet. I decided to do something to change that: diving to clean the ocean and its coasts.
Rescuing trapped animals fills young diver with excitement, but many more need help
Once I began diving in open water, I often thought of my father’s stories about training me as a small child. He taught me skills in small bathtubs, then pools, and finally, I made a smooth transition to the deep ocean. On my eighth birthday, I celebrated by embarking on a memorable underwater journey even deeper than the first one.
Now older and more experienced, I felt excited to explore different places. After checking all the safety precautions and weather, we boarded the boat. With all our equipment prepared, I comfortably dove into the water. The ocean offered me something beautiful to walk through.
Immediately, I witnessed the most wonderful landscapes as incredible creatures surrounded me. However, almost everything lay stained with plastic waste. Doing our work during dives, we regularly see animals injured or trapped in large fishing nets. My father has successfully saved dugongs, turtles, sharks, and small fish caught in ghost nets left on rocks.
An intense excitement fills me the moment we rescue animals. Even hearing my father’s stories about rescues, I feel that same sensation. We take great pride in the tasks we complete. At the same time, I often feel sad. It hurts to see their condition and to know we must be in the right place at the right time – which is often not the case.
We cannot know how many species became trapped or died and no one heard about it. This leads me to reflect on the fact that I dive in a small portion of the world. Many more oceans and many more miles remain plagued by the need to save animals and creatures. For two people, it becomes impossible to be in all those places at the right moment.
10-year-old Thaaragai Arathana, her father, and seven-year-old brother set out on an epic swim across countries
In time, training in the water and collecting plastics became my regular routine. Then, one day, my father and I set out on an incredible challenge to raise environmental awareness. In 2022, we birthed an unparalleled idea, to swim 30 kilometers from Thalaimannar, Sri Lanka to Dhanushkodi, India with my seven-year-old brother Nishvik.
We trained hard. My past experience included my first long-distance swim at seven years old: 19 kilometers on January 24, 2022 from Kovalam to Neelangarai. The following two years I swam 20 kilometers. Now I faced a new, big adventure.
I began swimming three times a week at different time of day, jogging, and doing cardio and cycling at the gym. We added in yoga and meditation exercises to strengthen ourselves mentally. Facing real challenges, we practiced in choppy waters, strong currents, and bad weather. We jumped in before dawn, starting some days at 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. and going back in at 8:00 p.m.
In my last training session, we spent many hours in the water to acclimate to the required duration. At some point, my dad decided we were ready. On the day we scheduled to embark, a warning arose: if it rains, you will face extremely cold, rough waters. We knew we could overcome this.
On the eve of our trip, I found it difficult to sleep. From the moment we agreed on this trip, I dreamed about getting into the water. With the aim of drawing attention to marine life conservation, we set out on April 3, 2024. The sky looked cloudy at dawn, but no rain came. Throwing myself in wearing my bathing suit, I felt my body move forward with strength. We proceeded this way for several hours, collecting garbage along the way.
Young diver successfully completes epic swim, raising massive awareness of marine pollution
Accompanied by rescue, mother, and support boats, we collected plastics. We threw the debris into a kayak to be picked up and stowed away. Suddenly, the weather changed, and I worried it might overcome us. I found the strength and kept going. For stretches of the swim, I felt my body remember my training. It activated like electricity in the face of difficulty.
The last four hours became very complicated. Just two kilometers from the finish line, I thought I might not make it. We began to swim against the current and I felt the force pulling me back. I struggled, when suddenly, I saw the shore, but it looked unreachable. “We have to swim,” my father shouted. “We are going to reach our destination!”
I struggled with fatigue, but I thought, “I have to make it.” Each stroke felt like one less stroke I needed execute. Suddenly, the coast grew closer, and we began hearing murmurs. The coast guard saw us and sent a vehicle. We climbed onto the hovercraft, successfully completing our swim.
Stepping onto the sand, tears of emotion erupted as fatigue hit our bodies. The people honored us. They lined up and made a path through which we passed, welcoming our arrival. Those waiting felt great anxiety, and when we appeared; they burst with applause and shouts of joy. Children and adults celebrated with us, including my family and friends.
They wrapped us in flags and hung beautiful flower necklaces over our heads. My father took my hand and raised my arm upwards toward the sky. I looked at him and saw tears falling from his face. I could barely believe it. We made it! Every applause and shout made me shudder. My body vibrated as the people clapped, connecting me to that unique rhythm.
Father and daughter spark a movement: 30,000 kilograms of plastic removed and 10,000 people cleaning debris
To date, my father and I have collected over 30,000 kilograms of plastic from the ocean. Studies estimate between 15 and 51 trillion pieces of plastic litter the world’s oceans. At the current rate, plastic will outnumber all the fish in the seas by 2050.
We continue to speak at fishing villages and through community awareness programs. Children become inspired and full of hope, seeing our work. The pictures and videos we take in the ocean show the truth, revealing the amount of plastic and the marine wildlife affected.
With my dad’s job as a diving instructor, I enter the water every day and three times a week we do underwater cleanup. On Sundays, more than 40 children my age join us and collaborate in cleaning the coast. We see the threat of extinction loom for species who eat or get trapped in plastic garbage, and fishermen catching plastic instead of fish. We even lead roadside cleanups.
At 10 years old, I live by the maxim, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Ask for a cloth bag rather than a plastic one. Clean your house first, then the streets, then the oceans. Sometimes the task feels impossible; we need more divers to help. The limit for recreational diving is 40 meters, but trash and plastics do not stop there. They continue their journey into the deep, and we need new technologies to clean the ocean more.
While underwater cleanup remains complicated, I see people’s minds changing as they gain understanding. All of us must take an active role because the problem challenges us equally. Together with my father, we have watched 10,000 people move along the coasts, streets, and highways collecting garbage and plastics that would end up in the ocean.
The mission remains clear: clean our oceans
Bad experiences arise and my father prepared me. He said people will make fun of us and question our efforts. They will throw away garbage with no conscience. Once, some people approached and asked if I wanted a job in the cleaning department. The question implicated a negative connotation, and I ignored them completely.
When people act negatively, I shrug it off knowing this work remains incredibly important. I remain dedicated to my job. We also meet people who believe in what we do and join us. They congratulate my father and remind him to be proud of me. We achieved a lot together and they thank us. Their support makes me happy and strengthens my belief in hope. I continue to dream and fight for a better world.
My father wants to one day create an NGO to generate greater awareness of the environmental problems we see every day, and to permeate our voice further. When I grow up, I want to be like my father; to be a diving instructor and share my life experience with those who want to listen. I want to teach what the world taught me and to continue cleaning the oceans. I want our voice to reach every corner of the planet and to realize a planet without plastic.
On this journey, the water becomes my safe place. I could spend all day there. Underneath that water – no matter its color – live thousands of amazing creatures. I see how they move and communicate. During every dive, I learn something new. I meet new fish or recognize some new species.
The mission remains clear: take care of the oceans; clean them until they are free of pollution so these oceans may continue to breathe. Being in the sea is like being in a world apart. The moment I dive, I become one with its magic.
