Muscat: What was supposed to be another joyful Friday exercise, turned tragic when Krishna Nair, a well-known Indian expatriate and a swimming coach in Muscat, passed away after suffering a massive heart attack while swimming at Kalbouh Park. He was 45.
“He was gone within minutes,” recalled his friends, who had been swimming with him that morning.
“Every Friday, we swam from Kalbouh Park to the nearby mountain and back. Krishna always reached first, and last Friday was no different. But when we turned back, he told us, ‘You carry on, I’ll follow.’ Sadly, he never made it back.”
Krishna, originally from Ernakulam district of Kerala, worked with an engineering consultancy firm in Muscat.
Yet to many in the community, he was far more than an engineer—he was a coach, mentor, and inspiration.
An avid member of the Alawi Swimming Academy, he had trained hundreds of children and residents, instilling in them both skill and confidence in the water. He was also a passionate trekking expert who encouraged others to embrace outdoor adventure.
Colleagues remembered him as “the heart of the swimming group” and “a captain who led with kindness.”
Members of Alawi Swimming Academy said: “We are grieved to announce the sudden and unexpected demise of our beloved Krishna Nair. Words cannot capture our loss. We pray for his soul and for the strength of his family.”
Krishna is survived by his wife Swapna, an employee with the Kerala government, and two children, Raghuram Krishna and Poornima Krishna. He had been living alone in Muscat for work.
Messages of grief and gratitude flowed across the community. One of them wrote: “Krishna, you live forever as my first swimming coach. The memories of your teachings are still fresh in my thoughts.”
Another added: “It is a very sad and shocking day for the Alawi Swmming Academy. He will be loved and remembered by all.”
And as one of his friends movingly said: “Krishna will be remembered by many every time they touch water for swimming.”
Arrangements are being made to repatriate his body to Kerala.