Scuba Diving Experience at Churna Island, karachi, Pakistan by PakistaniCaravan.

Churna Island, a hiddden paradise in Karachi Pakistan

Churna Island, a hiddden paradise located in the Arabian Sea, is best known and popular for snorkeling & Scuba Diving experience. Surrounded by coral gardens replete with exotic marine life, the country’s second-largest island has become a paradise for water-sports enthusiasts. To experience it for myself, I decided to take a trip to the island in October, 2018. The best season to visit Churna Islanad is from October to April becuase naturally the water seems & feels much warmer during the winter as compared to the summers.

Pakistan’s Charna Island is a small jewel in the vast blue sea.

The day of the adventure

At dawn, our bags were packed. We Excitedly get up early morning for the adventure and after getting ready, had light breakfast. We took Uber to our pickup point destination as we were staying in Hotel Mehran in Saddar Karachi and nearest pickup point was DHA phase-I. having in contact with the organisers of Divers Reef Karachi, we reached the right place and met one of the organiser. he told us that there is still time for departure and we waited for the rest of the group who had registered for the snorkeling and scuba diving trip to Charna Island. Located in the Arabian Sea, this small, uninhabited island can be accessed from Mubarak Village, a fishing settlement near the Hub Power Plant on the outskirts of Karachi. Divers Reef organises trips every weekend in winters at the price of Rs 2,500 per person Snorkeling Trip and Rs. 7,000 per person for Scuba Diving experience.

To reach Charna Island we had to drive to Sonera Beach (near Mubarak Village) by following a road that turns off the main Hawkesbay route and leads to the Hub power plant. From the map I had noticed that it is this area where the Hub River turns into a delta and flows into the sea.

After few minutes of waiting, Coaster arrived with few already sitting member. Among them were student divers and first-timers who would be guided and coached. We boarded the coaster to start our journey and small greeting was done. Breakfast boxes were provided by the organiser which includes sandwich, cake and juice and made our way first to Mubarak Village. On the way to the village, we drove past rocky hills and sparse wild greenery, punctuated by brown and dusty land which provided for a rolling, scenic route that eventually gave way to our destination on the shores of Sonera Beach.

It took roughly an hour to reach Mubarak Village. Even though the sun was shining, the winter breeze gave us shivers as we walked barefoot on the almost-white sands of Sonera. There is a small settlement here, a close-knit community where the men go out to sea and the women and children wait for them on the shore. After arival at the beach, a speech was in order from the organisers. Safety always comes first and we had to proceed with caution when flirting with Mother Nature, they warned.  They spoke to us about the dangers of being near the reef, the upcoming dive from the cliff that was not everyone’s cup of tea and the buddy system that must be followed. No one was to be left behind and no one could drift away.

Tip: There is no provision of wash room on boat but you can use wash rooms provided at beach site. again the washrooms are not clean and you have to use it somehow.

“Most of our team members are certified and trained for Basic Life Support and CPR,” said one of the organisers, Arsalan. “A standard medical kit is present on board the boats but in case of an accident, our government does not have many hospitals or clinics in the area.

The beach was beautiful with clean sand. Water was fresh and the view was awesome.  We changed our clothes in one of the huts there and had little enjoyment at beach and took few selfies before the journey.

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Arriving Mubarak Village

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View of HUBCO power plant from Mubarak Beach

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Huts at Mubarak Village

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Scuba Tanks ready for Adventure

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Posing before Adventure Ride

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Food Provided at Boat

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Fish Underwater

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Coral Reef at Churna Island

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Colourfull Fishes swimming around us

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Signing ALL OK during scuba adventure

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Lets have some FUN during Churan Island Scuba Diving

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Dancing Underwater

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After loading the scuba tanks and equipment aboard one of the many fishing boats that were shored there, our combined group slowly headed out from the muddy banks and began the 10-kilometre trip towards the island.  The environment was pristine and majestic, the hills around us were grand and the water that swayed our boat was a dozen shades of blue. As we entered the open sea and the water turned darker and choppier, I used the 90 minute boat-ride to take in my surroundings and find out more about Charna as it slowly drew closer and clearer. Charna appears in the distance behind the splashes of the waves against our boat. 
We started talking with each other on journey. we werer explained that the reef around the island started growing rapidly after the 2005 earthquake and tsunami, and has since become an underwater haven for a huge variety of fish and plants that flourish in the rich, shallow waters.

Hub power plant, clearly visible across the water – draws seawater in for cooling purposes, and then empties it back into the sea. “This causes a slow but regular increase in the water temperature, which may be one of the major threats to the fragile underwater eco-system that is very sensitive to these changes,”.

When we finally reached the Charna Island, we dropped anchor and the team started to check and prepare their scuba gear. I looked over the boat and saw that the water was pretty clear and calm: the waves would hit the island on its opposite side, but behind it we were protected from them.

While they prepared we asked if it was okay to go in the water and swim around. Like most people in Karachi, I wasn’t even aware that we had coral reefs in our waters. The water was pleasantly warm and about 15 to 20 feet deep; except for a few jellyfish here and there, I could spot no apparent signs of life as I swam on the surface and tried to peek under. But when i went close to churna island , i saw wonderfull reef with clouorfull fish. It was an amazing experience. I came back and enthusiatically told everyone that i cant wait to go underwater scuba to see it closely.

  

The Divers Reef team circled us, lending a hand to anyone having trouble with the gear. For the first few minutes, some divers panicked, scared of choking on the extremely salty sea water. Once we all got the hang of breathing underwater, however, we couldn’t help but lose ourselves in the wonders below the surface. But soon the first divers resurfaced and happily informed us that the visibility underneath was great and that there were a lot of fish to see.

Arsalan and some of the other divers helped me get into the gear and systematically checked the pressure gauge, pipes and valves. They helped stand on the side ladder  of the boat, put on my mask and mouthpiece, and gave me the signal to roll backwards into the water.

“We’ll follow this rope down”, said the organiser and instructed me on how to hold my nose and blow in order to pressurise my ears to the water as we gradually made our decent.

Once we went down, I was so occupied by the strange sensation of being able to breathe underwater, and the process of slowly pressurising my ears (they would start to hurt quite a bit every few feet) that I was surprised when I looked around and saw that we were twenty feet below the surface and almost standing on the seabed.

As we started to swim just above the sandy bed, I was surprised to see dozens of stingrays resting just underneath the surface. Everywhere I looked I saw a new kind of creature. Small schools of fish swimming in formation, spiky sea urchins that clung to the rocks, and glittery striped angel fish that darted this way and that along the spongy red corral. When we got near them they would dart off with a puff of sand and disappear by “flying” out of sight. As we swam a few meters further, we reached the actual reef. It was like entering a teeming village of fish and plant life. I could also feel the water temperature as it changed. Every few feet we would enter a slightly cooler zone and sink down a few feet, and then suddenly we would enter a warmer spot and float higher. 
After circling the reef & boat, we reached the point where boat anchor was placed. Instructor asked me to perform some dance in water or make style for video with GoPro. It was full of enjoyment scene which you guys can easily see in my video. Overall it was amazing and lovely experience.

After scuba experience of 30 minutes, while on boat having rest. we were provided with karachi baryani and soft drinks. It was very tasty and much needed.

On the way back as most of our group napped on the long boat-ride, I felt thrilled by my eye-opening experience: After seeing for myself the amazing hidden world below, I finally understood why these divers cared for it so much.

In a way, I also felt really proud that just a few hours from home in Karachi, it was possible to see and do such amazing things that I had assumed could only be experienced in other countries and in documentaries on television. It was my second scuba dive experience after i have done in Phuket Thailand. But to enjoy it in our own country has great feelings.

If anyone has a taste for adventure, a capacity to admire natural beauty, and a desire to discover one of the hidden wonders of our Pakistan, they should definitely plan a trip to Charna, and perhaps even a dive below.

https://youtu.be/8VaLzMF-1Q4
 Full Video of Trip

Two best Activities that can be done there are Snorkeling & Cliff Diving. Snorkeling is viewing Marine life by floating at surface level. Snorleling is swimming on the body of water while wearing diving mask, a shaped tube called snorkel. In Cliff Diving The Cliff is 30 to 80 Feet in Height. You dive into clear blue water from 30-50 feet height.

Health Tip: You may experience Sea Sickness if you are traveling for the first time in boat. To avoid vomiting, you must not take breakfast or Heavy Food/ Snacks during the whole ride.

Normally, You will be traveling with Group of People ranging from 8 to 12 per boat.

Recommended Gear:

• Water bottle
• Sun Block and Sun glasses
• Trekking boots/Joggers/Comfortable Shoes/Slippers
• Back Pack
• T shirts for day trekking