Chidiyatapu Drift: A Diver’s Life Between Chicken, Chai, and Currents

Let me paint you a picture.

You're in a tiny coastal village at the edge of the world Chidiyatapu, where GPS signals disappear faster than your towel in the sea breeze, and the biggest concern is that the neighbours' chicken has gone rogue again. The roads end in forests, conversations start with “have you had tea?”, and sunsets are a whole emotion. It’s quiet, simple, and absolutely bonkers in the most wonderful way.

And I lived here.

Not as a vacationer, not as a passing backpacker — but as a diver, living the underwater dream and the topside sitcom, all rolled into one. Every day begins with the sounds of roosters arguing, goats plotting their escape, and someone loudly wondering if the neighbour’s cow is pregnant again. There's a rhythm to it all, messy, musical, and oddly comforting.

You grab a cup of hot LAL chai from Lakshmi Aunty's tea stall, where she already knows how much sugar you like. The bhajis are crisp, spicy, and life-affirming, and the gossip? Even better.  

I nod wisely, sipping tea, wearing a wetsuit down to my waist. Because in ten minutes, I’m switching from villager to aqua-human. Chidiyatapu isn’t just peaceful above water - underwater, it’s a flipping fantasy novel. Every site is like turning a new page, and the best chapter?

Parrot’s Rock.

Oh man.

This isn’t your average, lazy floaty dive. Parrot’s Rock is a full-blown joyride. It’s you and the current, locked in a dance. The pink soft coral passes you like a blur. You hold your position like a skydiver in reverse — only it’s blue all around, and there’s a sea turtle passing by like, “what’s the rush, human?”

The walls here are ALIVE. Soft corals, fans, whips, shoals of fish so thick you lose your buddy, your bubbles, your mind. Every dive here feels like nature showing off. You come back salty, grinning, high on adrenaline and sea air. You hang your wetsuit on a coconut tree, rinse your gear with a hose that works sometimes, and flop into the hammock like a sea cucumber on sabbatical.

And then comes sunset.That’s when Chidiyatapu turns golden, pink, orange and everyone heads to the beach — not because Instagram said so, but because it’s what you do here sitting on the wall at the Dive Center where friends and divers come to watch the beautiful sky. Living in Chidiyatapu as a diver is like being two people — the wide-eyed adventurer flying through underwater wonderlands… and the local who knows which tea stall has the crispiest snacks and whose goat is currently in heat.

It’s drift dives and driftwood, coral walls and coconut groves, dive logs and lost livestock.

It’s chaotic. It’s peaceful. It’s absolutely ridiculous. And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way. So if you’re dreaming of a life where every day is either an adventure or a sitcom, come visit.

Or better yet — STAY.