As a terrestrial ecologist, I had been comfortable on terra firma. My fascination and knowledge of the marine world largely came from watching the ‘Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau’ broadcast on Doordarshan in the 1990s. I purchased a pair of prescription swimming goggles and learned to tread water in our university pool. Accompanied by my wife, Vidisha, who is also an ecologist, we spent several days snorkelling across parts of Southeast Asia.