If caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, pick Karachi’s coast to get away

Zehra Abid -

In a city where there is little peace on land, a few minutes on the seabed can be a near spiritual experience.

Karachi is at its most spectacular underwater but for most of its inhabitants this realm remains largely undiscovered.

In 2009, Pakistan’s first Professional Association of Diving Instructors (Padi) – certified dive centre, Indus Scuba, opened up.

Padi is the world’s largest diver training organisation and dates to the 1960s.

The diving instructor at Indus Scuba, Aatif Malik, is passionate about bringing the sport closer to people.

After diving in countries around the world, he still finds Karachi one of the most beautiful places to dive.

Here you can see Moray Eels, Batfish, Stingrays, Barracudas and Stonefish, among other underwater species.

“Our best moment was when we saw a Whale Shark in the shallow waters near Charna Island,” he says.

“Beneath the water is my own time. That’s what I do when I want to get away from things.” Just a short distance away, Balochistan has even more to show.

“Diving in Balochistan is amazing as there are huge corals and lots of sea life.

Even the road routes are beautiful, but the security risks are high,” he says.

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