Nayantara (Tara) Jain

Having first tried diving at the age of 16, in the Maldives, Nayantara “Tara” Jain became a PADI Divemaster in 2010 and an instructor in 2011. While she’s had the privilege of diving in Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, California, Galapagos and many other exciting places, her favorite remains the under-explored reefs of India where she lives and works.

Over time, Tara began to see firsthand the deterioration of these beautiful ecosystems and became passionate about conservation. This drove her to complete her Masters in Marine Biodiversity & Conservation from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California, USA. She now heads ReefWatch Marine Conservation – one of India’s only not-for-profit organizations dedicated to protecting our ocean and coastal communities – and uses diving as a tool for education, awareness building, restoration and science. “I want to create a personal connection between Indians and their ocean,” says Tara, “and to eventually inspire and empower our youth to protect it.”

• Winning GQ’s Woman of the Year Award for her work in marine conservation
• Establishing India’s first coral restoration program powered by mineral accretion
• Establishing “Ocean Art Sundays” – a free-of-cost program that introduces underprivileged island children to snorkeling, diving and kayaking so they may become passionate about the protection of their coral reefs and mangroves
• Establishing a capacity-building program for local young adults in the Andaman Islands, training them to create and maintain artificial reefs
• Establishing a marine megafauna rescue and response center on the coast of Karnataka, India
• Establishing “Blue India,” the country’s only underwater imagery competition to encourage Indians to explore and document the ocean
• Being featured in Conde Nast Traveler, Vogue India, GQ India and many other publications raising awareness about marine issues, scuba diving and the career possibilities that come with the sport