Living on the edge

Around a decade ago, 35-year-old Bhavin Turakhia plunged headlong into the waters of Colorado. For several hours he scuba dived amidst coral and other sea creatures. This was followed by days of kicking, thrashing and floating on a riverboard as the walls of the Grand Canyon around him echoed of wildness. And this is just one of the many instances. 

Whether he is wakesurfing on the ocean, snowboarding in the Alps or flying his private jet in Mumbai, adventure — and the adrenaline rush that comes with it — gives Turakhia, co-founder and CEO of Directi, unparalleled happiness. Thanks to a profession that constantly challenges him, Turakhia has been pursuing these hobbies for years now.   

It all started in 2000 when Turakhia, while on a trip to Thailand with his brother, was introduced to adventure sports. This was followed by shark cage diving on a trip to Cape Town and snowboarding in Dubai, and since then, there has been no looking back. 

As his business flourished, Turakhia hopped across cities —  Dubai, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver — and across five continents wake surfing and flying everywhere.

“The reason I could build successful businesses is because I like to challenge myself constantly,” says Turakhia. These risky sports, apart from the thrill, open the world out to him giving him the right perspective on everything, especially business issues. “Such sports enhance your ability to see things,” adds Turakhia. These extreme sports have also helped Turakhia understand his capacity of errors and his limitations. “It helps you understand your own ability to take risks when it comes to decision-making and take the required safety measures,” he says. 

Whenever he is in a particular city, Turakhia makes it a point to try out the adventure sports the place has to offer along with his friends from there. While he owns some of the sports equipment himself, he hires the rest from agencies. Though not a licensed pilot yet, Turakhia enjoys flying his private jets — in Mumbai and Los Angeles — from time to time. “In a larger sense, such adventure sports take you through a vortex, make you fall, lose control and yet help you to connect with your best self,” says Turakhia.