Priyadarshini Paitandy travels down East Coast Road and has a thrilling time trying her hand at windsurfing, scuba diving, kayaking and paramotoring

Balance…grab the boom of the sail…and splash! That’s the fourth time I’ve clumsily landed in the middle of the sea. I clamber back on the windsurf board with whatever little dignity is left in me. A canoodling couple sniggers from the rocks. My trainer Shekhar holds on to the windsurf board, expressionless, even as I giggle mortified. “Come on, try again. You’re almost there,” he says relentlessly, while surfer Murthy Megavan and his team of trainers enthusiastically shout out words of encouragement. Two hours later, I waddle out of the sea, panting. (Wonder how Daniel Craig manages that swagger when he's emerging from the waters?)

At Covelong Surf Point, known for introducing surfing to Chennai, they’ve got new additions — windsurfing, kayaking and scuba diving. “You’re the first girl from Chennai to windsurf here,” Murthy proudly declares. There is a team of four head instructors, each trained by Arun Vasu, an avid windsurfer, industrialist and co-founder of Covelong Point surf school. “It is yet to pick up here. Last year, there was a competition in Rameshwaram and we were only five of us from Tamil Nadu,” adds Murthy. According to him, January to April are the best months to learn this sport, as the sea is relatively calmer.

There’s a lot of technique that goes into this adventure sport. “We explain wind condition, wind direction and nature of the current, as a lot depends on these factors,” adds Murthy. The facility has five windsurfing units. The length of the sail varies, depending on the surfer’s expertise. My sail — a bright blue and red — is six ft. long and weighs five kg. It seemed fairly easy to hoist while practising on the shore. But in the choppy sea, it seems as tough as hitting cricket balls with chopsticks. Balancing takes a while; and just when I’ve perfectly positioned myself on the board, all set to pull up the sail, a wave rocks the board and topples me. “It develops upper body strength,” grins Shekhar. How long did he take to master this sport? “I managed to do it on day one,” he smiles nonchalantly. Well, it does appear a tad tougher than surfing, but there’s nothing regular practice can’t help overcome. Also, this is loads of fun. If not for anything, try it for the workout, adrenaline rush and the entertainment. A few laughs are guaranteed. A five-day course is priced at Rs. 7,500, with each session extending to two hours.

There’s water in my ears, but no time to shake it out. A blue tandem kayak waits by the shore. “This is far simpler than wind surfing,” says Shekhar, who is a four-time all-India kayaking champion. The 25-year-old has also won stand-up paddle and surfing contests. He rows slowly, in sync with my languid pace. Twenty-five minutes later, the oar begins to feel heavier and my shoulders creak in protest. The trainer takes charge. All of a sudden, the kayak moves rapidly, bouncing over waves, almost transitioning from a lethargic slob to a horse on steroids. “I row at this speed during competitions. If the oar misses the water even once, it can set you back,” he adds. A school dropout, Shekhar now imparts training in surfing, kayaking and windsurfing. His students are from across all age groups, and from countries as far as Australia. “I am working on my English skills,” he grins. (First session costs Rs. 1,750 for two hours and regular lessons then on cost Rs. 650 per hour.) For the confident kayakers, there is always the option of setting out on their own. There are rocks to explore, and sometimes the lucky ones get to spot a school of playful dolphins. Last week, around 200 white dolphins swam past. Since it’s an activity that can be done at a relaxed pace, there are elderly couples who take it on for an hour or so. Over the weekends, there are more takers. And if there’s an emergency mid-sea, Murthy and his team are ever ready to dive in, just like the competent bunch from Baywatch. (These men are just as sculpted).

In the distance, a fishing boat bobs about. Anisha and Karan jump off into the sea, along with their student for the day. These scuba diving experts set up Barefoot Scuba at Covelong Point in October. “It suffered a setback because of the rains, but it’s picking up again now,” says Anisha, who has been diving for three years now. Considering these are the best months for diving (till April), she expects a lot more beginners. The visibility is 10m now. There are interesting sites like North Rock, Middle Rock, Anchor’s Point…and you can see octopus, butterflyfish, bannerfish, honeycomb morays, pufferfish, snappers and manta rays. A fishing boat takes the divers eight km into the sea, from where they dive to a depth of 12m for beginners. The deepest the divers have ventured here is 30 m. They offer fun diving programmes for non-swimmers and PADI-certified courses priced Rs. 2,600 onwards.

Further from Covelong Point, blue and red parachutes dot the skyline. But these have whirring motors that resemble table fans attached to them, and if you squint you’ll see a couple of people suspended from them. “This is paramotoring, an advanced form of paragliding,” says Mani Kannan, who runs Aero Sports. Trained pilots take enthusiasts for a quick ride, which normally lasts 10-15 minutes. The ride provides great aerial views of the area. The contraption can go upto a height of 18,000 ft, but due to a lack of oxygen, they restrict the activity to 1,000 ft. If clients are scared of heights, the pilots keep the flight as low as possible, sometimes barely 10 ft. The paramotor runs on fuel, and a 10-15 minute flight costs Rs. 2,500. “These are joy rides. There are those who want to fly the machine themselves, and I organise classes for them at Palavakkam beach,” says Kannan. His students practise by the beach. Windsocks line the area. A massive parachute lies on the sand. It’s got numerous strings; one of the students holds onto them and gauging the wind tries to get it off the ground. Up it goes, much to the delight of the people gathered on the beach; some even clap in delight. “The task is to keep it up in the air for at least 10 minutes,” says Maheshwaran D., a 35-year-old IT professional who trains with Mani. He tried paramotoring once, loved it, and has ever since harboured a wish to fly his family on his paramotor. Watching them, it’s obvious you need oodles of patience. But that’s a small price to pay if you wish to fly, and this time not in a metal fuselage manned by a stranger.

For details on windsurfing and kayaking call: 98409 75916. For scuba: 9840774995. For paramotoring: 9488011194.