Odia scuba diver entered Limca Book

Odia boy Pratik Patnaik entered Limca Book of Records on Saturday as the youngest scuba-diver of India.

The 14-year-old student of St Xavier’s High School at Khandagiri here achieved the feat for diving 70 feet under water in Havelock Island, near Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

“I am very happy and will strive to achieve greater heights in future,” said a jubilant Pratik.

His family celebrated the occasion. “It is celebration time for us. His hard work has been rewarded and hopefully he would create more such records in future,” said his father Sunil Patnaik.

Reacting to Pratik’s achievement, noted scuba-diver Sabir Bux said, “It is a great achievement for a boy from our state. Pratik was earlier training as a swimmer in Kalinga Stadium pool when his father brought him to me for scuba-diving lessons. Later, he did a course in Andaman too, where he finally achieved the rare record. I am glad his feat has been recognised.” (Source – The Times of India)