“Lets get strapped up,” my instructor tells me. As a ten year old, I can hardly wait to get into the water. The thought of scuba diving in the second biggest barrier reef in the world engulfed me in excitement. We went over the basics before I submerged, I felt too impatient to listen. 

As I leaned backwards into the water, I could feel the coolness of the sea swallow me whole. A wave of uneasiness overwhelmed my body. My impatience, turned to uncertainty, caused my stomach to turn. The watermelon I ate earlier rolled around, as if knotting my intestines. 

To me, the deep blue sea did not look like it ended, I felt unwelcomed. I turned to my dad to resolve my anxious feelings, but he was nowhere to be seen. An unfamiliar hand grasped my arm, my diving instructor, who had seen the panic set in my eyes, comforted me and began to lead the way.

We all followed, leaving a line of eager bubbles racing towards the surface. Down the rope, descending into the ocean. Inching downwards I feel a burden creep from inside of my ear. The feeling of the pressure, like my head is about to explode. Equalizing to ease the pain, my eyes catch a glimpse of the underwater world laid out before me. 

The ocean floor bustled with life. Curious fish of all sizes. The light bouncing off the surface danced with hypnotizing movements. I felt like I had entered a different planet. Although the colors consisted of blues and greens, I used my imagination to place reds, oranges, and yellows where I knew they seemed fit. 

Every corner I turned I saw something new. Sharks moseying along the sandy bottom, minding their own business. Graceful rays, elegantly flapping their wings. Tiny fish, darting here and there avoiding the giant aliens invading their aquatic home. Nothing could prepare me for the giant sea turtle that gently floated over the reef. It was bigger than my dad, which didn't seem possible to me at the time.

10 minutes underwater felt like 10 seconds. As my instructor motioned the group to return to the boat I felt robbed. I didn’t want to go back to basking on the beach or playing catch poolside. We stayed 5 feet below the surface for 3 minutes to avoid getting “the spins”. As my head breached the surface of the water I felt born again. So many thoughts raced through my mind but the only one that I could make out was, “I can’t wait until I come back here again.”