World Oceans Day 2026: How diving is changing lives in Andaman’s Karen and Ranchi communities

Children from the Karen and Ranchi taste groups of the Andaman Islands learned astir the oversea the mode different children larn a household language.

They inherited it from their fathers and grandfathers, who could work the upwind successful a shifting cloud, consciousness currents successful the question of water, and spot a turtle oregon reef food astatine a spot wherever outsiders saw lone blue. The water was ne'er thing to beryllium conquered oregon discovered. It was simply portion of mundane life, arsenic acquainted arsenic a sidewalk that shared a borderline with home.

For generations, this intimate cognition of the oversea seldom translated into economical opportunity. Today however, successful a translation unfolding crossed Havelock Island, descendants of fishermen and boatmen are becoming diving instructors and marine guides, turning an inherited narration with the water into a assemblage that is reshaping lives, families and full communities. 

Helping steer this translation are Poonam Darne and her hubby D Santosh, founders of Gypsy Divers, a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors, 1 of the world’s astir recognised dive grooming organisations) affiliated five-star dive schoolhouse and edifice located connected Havelock’s Beach No. 2.

Poonam, 50, is among India’s earliest pistillate scuba divers and instructors, portion Santosh, a theatre histrion who has worked alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Mithun Chakraborty , brought his ain unconventional travel to the islands. Together, they established Gypsy Divers successful 2016 with a imaginativeness that extended beyond tourism. In the decennary since, the schoolhouse has trained much than a 1,000 divers from the Karen and Ranchi community, schoolhouse children and recreational enthusiasts and Army unit undertaking rescue diver certification programmes.

However, immoderate of its astir lasting interaction has unfolded acold from the coral reefs.

When Poonam archetypal encountered young men from the Karen and Ranchi communities, galore were moving arsenic fishermen oregon helping run woody boats that ferried tourists betwixt islands. What struck her was however intimately they knew the sea. They could work currents, spot marine beingness with astonishing easiness and escaped dive for agelong periods without equipment. “The applicable skills came people to them. What was hard was the theory, the connection and the certification process, “ she says.

Working with translators and mentors, Gypsy Divers began grooming section younker arsenic nonrecreational divers. The archetypal batch consisted of astir 10 Karen boys. They became divemasters (diving specialists), secured jobs and inspired others to follow. Today, hundreds of Karen and Ranchi men and women enactment crossed the Andaman diving manufacture arsenic diving instructors, marine guides and vessel captains. 

Poonam says that families that erstwhile relied solely connected sportfishing present person unchangeable twelvemonth circular incomes. “Children are receiving amended education, wives and parents often sojourn the dive schoolhouse to stock milestones that would person been hard to ideate a procreation ago,” Poonam narrates. 

Women, too, are uncovering a spot wrong the industry. At Gypsy Divers, Ashrita Kissipota, a 33-year aged Ranchi pistillate who initially joined arsenic home assistance gradually learned administrative work, paperwork and machine operations. Today, she manages cardinal aspects of the dive school’s operations. Across the islands, much women from Karen and Ranchi communities are entering a assemblage that was erstwhile overwhelmingly male.

For Poonam and Santosh, diving is lone portion of the mission. Marine biologists regularly behaviour workshops connected coral reefs, conservation and water ecology for students and section staff. “The water has fixed america purpose,” she says. “If radical larn to emotion the sea, they people make a narration with it and privation to support it, “ affirms Poonam. The goal, she explains, is not simply to make divers but a assemblage of water custodians.

The Darnes are speedy to constituent retired that their communicative is larger than Gypsy Divers. The occurrence belongs arsenic to the Karen and Ranchi communities whose generations-old narration with the oversea laid the instauration for everything that followed.

Twenty-five-year-old Saw Tooaye, who lives successful Mayabunder successful the Andaman Islands, has been moving with Gypsy Divers for the past 8 years. “I joined arsenic a crushed unit but present I americium a vessel captain,” helium says with pride. As a vessel captain, helium ferries divers to dive sites and oversees operations connected the water, often opening his time astatine 5 americium and moving until 2 pm, erstwhile oversea conditions are astatine their calmest and astir suitable for diving. This year, during the disconnected play betwixt June to September, helium is gathering a factual location for his family. Earlier, similar galore successful his community, helium lived successful a hut made from leaves. He speaks astir his enactment with unmistakable affection, and a spark lights up his eyes erstwhile helium says, “Aur bhi bada karna hai beingness mein (I privation to bash bigger things successful life).”

Thirty-five-year-old Saw Toole has been associated with Gypsy Divers for the past 17 years and contiguous works arsenic a dive master. His relation involves teaching harmless diving practices to some young and older divers, portion besides assisting with the assorted PADI-certified courses offered by the school. “Before leaving, guests shingle my manus and archer maine that they volition sojourn america again,” says Saw, a shy fractional grin spreading crossed his face.

The interaction of his travel extends acold beyond his ain career. “Seeing me, galore radical successful my assemblage person go funny successful diving, becoming dive masters and earning a livelihood for themselves. I would besides promote my kids oregon the younger procreation to instrumentality this up,’’ helium says. 

As dive boats permission the enactment each morning, they transportation much than tourists into the blue. They transportation the hopes of a procreation that is proving that successful the Andamans, the oversea tin beryllium some inheritance and opportunity.