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Meet Kasimedu’s divers who are experts at maintaining boats and rescuing sunken vessels
They are busy through the year, scraping marine life and barnacles off the underside of boats docked at the wharf
The team from G Underwater Diving Works
| Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B
C Ganesan’s office smells of grease, rust, and seawater. A refurbished shipping container, it stands near the N4 beach, holding precious cargo: his team’s diving equipment. T-shirts and shorts are hung on a clothesline along a corner, and at the far end, stands an air compressor. Outside, their nameboard reads: G Underwater Diving Works. This team, consisting of seven divers, has been aiding in the maintenance of berthed vessels at Kasimedu for 25 years.
The men are all kitted up in their diving gear
| Photo Credit:
JOTHI RAMALINGAM B
These men are called muzhugali, meaning diver, and their key responsibility is to scrape marine life and barnacles off the underside of boats docked at the wharf. To do so, they swim underwater, kitted in diving equipment and armed with large metal scrapers. There are only four such teams at Kasimedu, and Ganesan’s is among the oldest. “I learnt to dive from my father,” says the 54-year-old, minutes before donning his diving attire on a muggy afternoon.
It will take five men 30 minutes to scrape a boat clean, for which they go four metres underwater.
| Photo Credit:
JOTHI RAMALINGAM B
His father R Chinnayya who did odd jobs at the wharf, was drawn to the sea. “He learned to dive on his own,” says Ganesan, adding that Chinnayya used to assist the dockmaster and dock engineer. “He would dive underwater to inform the boat operator of the best angle to move their boat so that it slid into the perfect docking position,” explains Ganesan.
Chinnayya eventually trained his sons to dive, and taught them about investing in good equipment as well. Today, they are busy through the year, scrubbing gillnet boats and trawlers that can range from 40 to 80 feet in length. There are around 900 such vessels at Kasimedu harbour.
The men are sought-after for rescuing sunken boats
| Photo Credit:
JOTHI RAMALINGAM B
Taking the plunge
As we speak, Ganesan’s brother C Raja and cousin A Kathirvel mount an air compressor on to a three-wheeler that snakes its way into the wharf, puttering to a stop. This machine with its long tubes, will supply oxygen to the divers. They use metal plates in place of rubber fins for better mobility underwater. This is especially because they dive holding heavy metal scrapers.
A palm-sized jellyfish floats near a trawler at anchor as the divers do last minute checks before taking off. Jellyfish, that they call kilicha, can give them nasty cuts on the skin, but they are unperturbed. Years of diving has taught them to ignore minor inconveniences.
All that is left to do, is jump and disappear into the inky-blue sea.
It will take five men 30 minutes to scrape a boat clean, for which they go four metres underwater. They receive ₹4,000 for a 40 feet-long boat. “It’s not exactly a risky job since we dive very close to the wharf,” says 45-year-old Raja. It is one they enjoy, since they get to experience a side of the sea very few get to see. Ganesan talks about a sound that defines the underwater world. “It is probably due to the currents; it envelops us the moment we jump in. It is deep, similar to the sound of the wind, and plays in the background as we work,” he says.
His team is also sought-after for rescuing sunken boats. “We can dive up to 60 feet into the sea and regularly get calls to get back sunken vessels,” says Raja.
For this, Ganesan’s team has come up with a technique that employs plastic barrels. “We fill several of them with water and submerge them underwater, tying the barrels in a row along the entire body of the boat,” he explains. “We then release the water and pump air into the barrels.” This acts like a gigantic float, lifting the boat up in seconds.
The men have several stories to share about encounters with sea creatures. “I once had a fish follow me around wherever I went,” chuckles Raja. “It swam really close to me; I kept turning to look at it as I worked. It appeared curious about what I was doing.” He has an underwater camera, and has quite a collection of selfies with fish.
Then, there was a time when a fish with a long, silky tail did a hypnotic dance right in front of him. On another occasion, their team was attacked by a school of jellyfish. “It’s a completely different world underwater,” says Ganesan. He recalls his father taking naps floating in the sea on his back. “He would come out grudgingly every single time,” he laughs. “I now understand why.”
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