Step out of the mundane and celebrate the New Year with the salty winds, on the golden beaches, and soul-seizing sunsets. Gokarna is beckoning and this time you are listening with heart and hiking shoes.

The adventures start at the remote Paradise Beach where the blue waters are lapping the virgin shores and where all winds blow. May the calmness of this gem of the earth bring a feeling of breath-taking as you immerse your feet in the most serene store of nature.

Half Moon Beach is a crescent-shaped sanctuary and lapped in relaxed charisma between cliffs. This is the time to take a break. We will arrive here at lunchtime, so dig out your snacks and have some water and relax. Walk a bit further and you will reach the Rock of Peace - a seat of sunset chasers. The take here? Pure magic. The sky is painted in pastels, the sea in gold and, sometimes, when the universe is willing to be benevolent, we will see dolphins jumping along the horizon.

A trail goes forward to Om Beach which is naturally in the shape of the sacred Hindu symbol of Om. It is a very fulfilling, although fairly difficult, 2.5-3 km hike. When you get there, immerse yourself into the boho feel: buy yourself a handmade trinket, get a souvenir, or go out to the jet ski ride. 

We bring the trek to its end at Kudle Beach which remains etched in the heart of every traveller. This is popular because of its seafood shacks, wood fired pizzas and acoustic sessions at sunset, so with every meal you have a view. Relax, allow the air to be having its fun with your hair, watch the waves coming and going and just feel the heartbeat.

With twilight, we go back to Gokarna Beach, where warmth is forecasted in the night. Sit around the campfire, tell your stories and find the stars to keep you company.

Wake up in an excitement to go under the sea- today you are going to see the underwater world of one of the most attractive lands in India. After a filling breakfast, we head out to Netrani Island, a coral reserve whose location in the Arabian Sea is 67 km out. Sometimes referred to as the heart-shaped island, such an uninhabited beauty cannot be explored on land, but its waters preserve secrets to which only the divers become witnesses of.

A reserved boat is available with bathrooms and simple snacks and food, and the 45-minute cruise to cover the Arabian Sea will be easy. Once on board, professional dive masters train you with an informative pre-dive introduction- safety measures, hand signs and hints that enable you to maximize your dive experience. Make sure your snacks are light, and your energy is constant, you have a dive to look forward to!

Gear up. Breathe. Dive in.

Get in deep blue with your teacher, and observe life in the colorful movement - flocking schools of fish, psychedelic coral walls and the silence that is present only in the ocean. It is not a dive; it is a personal experience with an unknown world.

Once back on top, have a light post-dive meal and get used to that adventure high. On the way back, we make a short halt in Murudeshwar, where you get a chance to freshen yourself up (self-sponsored). Before the trip runs out, laugh together, exchange stories, and have dinner with your fellow travelers.

When your head touches the pillow tonight, you will not hear the silence and instead, your ears will be filled with the soothing whims of the ocean, the heartbeat of Netrani, which will be echoed in your memories.

This is not just a dive. It reminds you of the worlds that exist when you decide to explore.