Parineeti Chopra’s 67 million-plus social media followers might have had some influence on the Indian actress and singer being named the latest PADI AmbassaDiver – her activities are keenly tracked, and the training agency says that she spends most of her free time diving around the world.
Chopra, who stars in a recent Hindi remake of The Girl On The Train on Netflix, took up scuba in Bali, Indonesia in 2013 and qualified as a PADI Open Water Diver later that year in Palau.
“The first time I came up to the surface after diving I was crying, because it was such a life-changing experience,” she says. “It is now something I can’t live without.
“I make sure I do a diving trip every three months despite my work schedule, because it is my form of meditation. And it is the place I am immensely passionate about protecting.
“We are all equal under water and all speak the same language,” says Chopra, who is 33 and now an Advanced Open Water Diver. “Over the years I have seen the changes that have taken place beneath the surface.
“During my time as a brand ambassador for Tourism Australia, I witnessed the bleaching and damage that has occurred to the Great Barrier Reef. I was so sad to see this and am now committed to being a diver with a purpose.
“I have also seen first-hand how marine reserves, like the ones in Sipadan, Malaysia and Palau, prove how valuable marine protected areas are. As a PADI Diver, I want to make sure that our entire blue planet gets the protection it deserves.”
‘Force for good’
Chopra was born in India but studied in England, gaining a triple honours degree at Manchester Business School and planning to become an investment banker – until, returning to India, her career in Hindi cinema took off in 2011.
Scuba diving is a rapidly growing sport in India and, although many devotees head for overseas destinations such as Thailand, PADI has 43 dive shops in the country, 18 of them 5* centres/resorts.
“A PADI AmbassaDiver is someone who is passionate about using their force for good to encourage others to protect our blue planet,” says Kristin Valette Wirth, PADI’s chief brand and membership officer.
“We could not have found a more respected and authentic partner than Ms Chopra, a long-time ocean-lover, to advance our shared mission of saving the ocean. She is unmatched as a shining example of how to protect what you love – and inspire others to do the same.”
Chopra hopes to qualify as a PADI Mermaid this year, and to take part in citizen-science projects during her dive trips around the world, with all her underwater adventures and projects posted on her Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts.
PADI now lists some 75 individuals and groups as its AmbassaDivers.
Also on Divernet: Miranda K Joins Ambassadivers Team
