Another Day in the Office

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. My controlled respiration was all I heard as I hovered just above the sand 50 feet below the surface of the sea. Air bubbles from my nose and mouth temporarily obstructed my vision, lingering in front of my mask before bursting upward toward Brendal’s boat. As I inhaled once more through my regulator, a glimmer of silver in the seemingly solid wall of azure caught my eye.

I ceased breathing for an instant as a seven-foot reef shark materialized out of the endless velvety blue curtain of water. With the steadiness of a metronome, the shark’s pointed tail effortlessly propelled it through the water - in my general direction. I wondered if it saw me there below, wide-eyed and paralyzed with awe. Slowly and purposefully, the shark made its way toward the reef. Were we in danger? I wasn’t scared.

I turned back toward the reef to signal the journalists on my Learn to Dive press trip of the shark’s presence. I placed my open palm on top of my head to imitate a dorsal fin and indicated with my arms spread wide that the shark was “this big.” One journalist excitedly turned his gaze toward the shark, but as swiftly as it emerged, the shark had disappeared back behind the curtain.

Angelene