Cuttack, Jan 20 (IANS) Most people soar high in their imagination. Sabir Bux dives deep. Now the international scuba diver from Orissa is going to take on a national-level billiards player for an undersea game.”I am going to play billiards underwater off the coast of Gopalpur in Orissa,” Bux told IANS.

“It is the first initiative of its kind across the globe. The effort is an extension of my dream to put Orissa on the international map for positive reasons,” the 43-year-old scuba diver said.

Supporting him is Ahsan ul-Haque, a national-level billiards player from the state.

“I am learning scuba diving from Sabir bhai and we are practising in swimming pools in Bhubaneswar. I am very excited about the game,” Haque added.

“While Sabir is teaching me scuba diving, I am teaching him how to play billiards well,” said the player who represents National Aluminium Company (Nalco) in the sports arena.

Bux, a man with a fascination for both music and diving, has already filmed music videos underwater, both in the Bay of bengal and in the Mahanadi river.

“Ocean is my fascination. I want to unravel the mystery and do more creative things. By playing billiards under sea I want to create a world record and be part of the Guinness Book of records. It will also highlight Orissa as a land of beauty and bravado,” said Bux, an engineer by education.

The game - to be played on a special metal table - will last for nearly 30 minutes. It will be telecast live.

“We will invite all major media houses to cover it. While we are playing under water, an LCD will be fixed outside so that everyone can see what we are doing there,” Haque told IANS.

The duo will first play a practice match nine feet underwater, at a swimming pool in Bhubaneswar. “The date for the practice match will be decided soon,” Haque added.

The real match will be played in a couple of months. “We are getting ready with the required infrastructure,” Bux said.

How are they planning to finance their adventure? Bux said: “We are talking to a few people and corporate houses. We seek their support to achieve this world record.”