Once upon a time, Stefano Zinno was a professional footballer playing for his local team in Venice. Then he was injured and decided to join the drug squad and spent his time living dangerously dismantling drugs networks. He then realised that his kids were growing up while he was busy working and the person with whom he fell in love, while on a trip to Mauritius was growing apart from him. It was the wake-up call.

Stefano packed his bags, handed in his resignation letter and booked his family on a one-way flight to Mauritius. The once supercop has now found another ally - the sea. His new best friend? ?I suppose she must be a friend, she?s been feeding me all these years,? says the cheeky Italian.

Stefano deep-sea dives. He?s always practised this ?sport? and it is now his trade. What he does is complicated. ?It?s technical stuff under water, we repair things, we build, we refloat sunken boats?? he says with this faraway look in his eyes. How dangerous is this activity? Very dangerous, agrees Stefano; ?sometimes you go in and it is pitch black. Your senses are the only things that help you. And if you panic, you die,? he says seriously. Is he scared of the sea? ?I respect her. I cannot allow myself to get scared. Otherwise I wouldn?t be able to perform,? is the answer.

He needs this, Stefano - this rush of adrenaline. At this stage in our conversation, it made more sense why Stefano didn?t seem to miss the excitement of his former career. But how do you stop being a policeman? ?I suppose you don?t. I still take a keen interest in the matter; I closely follow the work of the local ADSU and, if I have any information, it will be my duty to disclose it. But that?s as far as it goes,? says a still wistful Stefano. He?s seen it all, working against the tide to stop trafficking. Does the situation in Mauritius remind him of Venice? Yes and no, says Stefano. ?The good thing is Mauritius is too small to be an interesting market for major international drug traffickers. On the other hand, they (ADSU) are coping as they can. But it is a hard job.?

How does an Italian feel after a meal of pasta in an ?Italian? restaurant here? He laughs.?I haven?t dared try! But I make a point of preparing it for friends. It?s easy to keep an Italian man happy; give him sun, sea and food!?

So is our Italian man happy? He sure is. Stefano is a no nonsense man and he believes that getting stressed and angry is a waste of time. ?Life is for living,? he says. If there is one thing he wishes he could change however is ?the way they are trying to kill sport here. I have never heard of a football game that didn?t end in violence. That?s the name of the game. Regionalisation is killing it,? says an angry and passionate Italian. But, true to his nature, Stefano has decided that moaning doesn?t help; he now teaches some 50 kids the techniques of football every Saturday.