5 Miles Below

Panic seared through my brain as I swallowed a mouthful of saline water. The primary regulator slipped out of my mouth and I tried to grab at something solid as water rushed into what seemed like my entire body sapping me of my strength. After one or two useless grabs I clutched the hand on my shoulder, squeezing it, hoping to raise an alarm. As the top of my head broke the surface of the green water in the reefpool, I gasped. Water filled my ears and my head ached. Not a good sign. But the instructors insisted I completed the entire 5 minutes underwater that was needed as a basic pass grade to help me attempt scuba diving. Seconds later, my head was beneath the surface again. Willing myself to keep calm I focused on looking at the fish around me, trying to ignore the pain welling up in my ear. Breathing steadily and thinking about other things, I found the time underwater passed faster. It was almost as if I didn't want to do this. But that idea was really stupid. People would give anything to be where I was now. Fifteen minutes later I understood why that phrase had been applied to diving so often. The feeling of looking at azure blue till as far as I could see, and watching multi-coloured fish weave in and out among their shoal was indescribable. The water felt cool on my suit and as I concentrated on breathing evenly through my regulator, the sights of the world in the ocean were unvealed to me. The blue starfish nestling quietly between the algeae or the agile clownfish with their perfectly golden-orange, black and white scales glistening in the refelection of the sun wove in and out of their anemone home which in itself ws another wonder. The seemingly gentle anemone with its attractive salmon pink transparent color lightly swayed in the direction of the waves as if dancing to some unheard hauntingly beautiful tune. Informing me when it was okay to touch something and when it wasn't, my instuctor must have had a laugh when he saw my eyes widening at an alarming rate that they did. Resurfacing was not greeted well. I wanted to spend days here, in this place of complete bliss where nothing entered your mind to plague you with unwanted thoughts; just the beaauty of the surroundings was enrapturing. But it's true what they say; nothing lasts forever, however much you wanted it to. It does leave you with memories that you can cherish for as long as you want though. And, that's probably what you're going to have to be content with.