Freediving is dangerous at the best of times. Diving into the pitch-black unknown on just one breath.
But one competitive freediver couldn’t resist breaking the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to go back to his favourite spot.
The Strait is currently the centre of the Iran war, which has seen cargo shipping lanes grind to a halt amid fears of sea mines and Donald Trump’s‘shoot to kill’ order against small Iranian boats deploying them.
But Mr Khurana still finds his sense of peace at the centre of this warzone. He even says the blockade and the absence of international shipping have allowed marine life to thrive more than ever.
He told the Metro: ‘I have been on dive trips in most parts of the world — the Maldives, Asia, the Red Sea, and Europe.
‘But I promise you, there is no diving spot that compares with the Strait of Hormuz. I first went three years ago and have been in love with it ever since.
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‘It was amazing. It was clear that the ocean is doing well. It was a bit green and algae-filled, with jellyfish.
‘There were fish everywhere, and the fish-eaters on the boat were very happy with what they caught.’
Just two hours drive from his home in Dubai, the location had become deeply personal.
In his many dives, he has encountered whale sharks, hammerheads and even the elusive mola mola.
Night dives in complete darkness, he said, were something he trusted here more than anywhere else.
‘There are very few spots I feel so safe diving at night,’ he added.
Since the Iran war began, he has stayed away before he went back last week. He joined the same trusted boat crew he had dived with more than 15 times, but there were moments of trepidation.
Crew members were worried they had ventured too deep into the Strait and were in danger of being boarded by Iranian speedboats or crushed by US warships patrolling the region.
But the freediver saw no naval battles and didn’t pay any tolls. He said: ‘I don’t even know what the navy looks like.’
His only dangerous encounter was when two groups of pirates tried to sell his crew some smuggled oil.
He said the Strait of Hormuz is one of the most misunderstood regions on Earth with dolphins, sunfish and sea turtles making up a diverse ecosystem.
‘The beauty of nature is that it can thrive through anything,’ he said.
‘A lotus can bloom even in the dirtiest of places, and even the worst-affected regions have their own beauty. It is up to us to find the beauty and ignore the noise.’
(Picture: AP)
‘Nature is a very powerful force. As humans, we like to believe that we are above nature, but a single act of nature can wipe us out.’
The deepest Bux has been during training is 101 metres down. He said: ‘I am not a big believer in creating too many targets, I will go as deep as the ocean will let me.’
The young diver’s only fear is Omani authorities reading this story and blocking him from returning to his beloved spot.
But with the war raging above him, it is beneath the waves of the highly contested Strait that he feels calm.
‘My family don’t really worry’, he says not even contemplating the dangers of the war with his focus on his diving season.
‘They have seen the safety protocols I keep in place and are very supportive.
‘I’m no longer the type of person to push for a record or prize, and I only go as deep as I can joyfully.’
He ‘absolutely’ wants the conflict to end so people can appreciate the beauty of the area again.
‘Even as someone completely outside the world of geopolitics, I can see how the tension is affecting everyone. I have staff in the Philippines who are struggling.
‘I have family in India who are struggling. I really hope that this tension can end with a resolution that is suitable for everyone.
Asked his message for world leaders fighting over the stretch of water, he says: ‘We came from nature and we will go back to nature. We need to respect the power of the forces that are beyond our comprehension.’