Deep Dive

It was about two weeks into vacation.  I was alone in Greece for almost two weeks now, and it had been really fun.  Diving everyday, causing mass-chaos at our hotel, and all around just chilling were my friends and mine favorite things to do.  I had only one more week to relax and dive without restrictions before I had to return to the “real world”.  Fortunately, before I would leave I had 6 more dives lined up.  As we sailed out on Wednesday, my friend I had met when I was learning to dive in Baltimore. 

“When are we going to get to the dive site, Charles?” asked Ashley.

“I don’t know”

“That’s not very nice”

“Well, I’m sorry I can’t control time”

As we slowly came toward the red and white buoy that marked the reef, we climbed off the bridge and enter the cramped cargo area where all of our equipment was stowed.  We walked to the front of the boat to retrieve all our tanks which had rolled during the trip.  I was already in my wetsuit at the time because previous trips had taught me that it was an easy way to avoid frustration.   Being on the boat before a dive is always the most exciting part of the dive because of all the adrenaline coursing through any divers’ veins.  I sat down on a bench on the starboard side of the boat to strap on the tank weights and do the final check on my gear.  After grabbing her gear Ashley came over and we started talking about the dives last week.

“You think this reef is going to be as good as Socpose?”

“Probably… there used be a Greek temple here or something”

“Looks like there’s a lot of kelp down there”

“Well just don’t spin around a lot”

“Hahaha yea great plan”

“Can you help me with this tank, Charles”

“You can’t do it alone?”

“PLWEASE????”

“Ok “

As I helped her put on her tank and the other divers started to slide down to the ladder, the sun began to sink lower into the horizon.  When had our tank strapped on, slipped on our fins and grabbed our masks off the bench and walked toward the ladder.  Our supervisor gave us the usual run down of the rules: No horseplay, stay with your buddy, and watch your gauges.  We both just looked at each other with a smug look on our faces.  Both of us knew that we had never really followed those rules in all our years of diving.  We always strayed from the group and played with the other divers’ minds.  It was now our turn, and being the experienced divers we were, we spit in our masks so they would fog and washed them in the sea.  Pulling them over our eyes, we stared into the descending sun and watched as it disappeared from view.   Again we looked at each other and then pulled our regulators to our mouths.  As we jumped into the water, the cool “brisk” rush of the ocean entered our wetsuits.  We drew out our flashlights and began kicking toward the other beams of bluish light emitting from the other divers torches.  Gathering around a large flare we waited until the rest of our party arrived.  Once we had assembled, our “chaperone” attempted to show us our boundaries, which he wasn’t that successful at accomplishing.  Finally, we were allowed to go off and explore the reef.  It was amazing; there were Greek columns, sharks swimming through the ruins, and SO MUCH KELP!   It was thickest kelp forest I had ever seen.   The tips of kelp lay limp on the surface of the water and looking down they never seemed to end.   Ashley pointed and gestured toward the dark forest showing that she want to go inside.   I shrugged my shoulders and proceeded to kick slowly into forest.  Ashley and I kept close and side by side as we ventured deeper into the forest.  The forest started to close in around us and never got any thinner.  Then Ashley suddenly stopped, I looked at her and saw that her fins was tangled in a long piece of kelp.  I came over with my dive and tried to cut her loose, but I too was caught in several pieces of kelp around my legs and fins.  Both of us just looked at each other with a “well this sucks” look and what do we do now.  So we just kind of floated there trying to sign to each other and make signals for the other divers to see.  Unfortunately, neither really did anything but further entrap us.  As I gazed down to my gauges I saw that my air level was dangerously level.  I signaled to Ashley but she was to far away to pass her regulator to me to breathe from.                                      She saw that I was in trouble and tried to reach one of her flares however they were just out of reach.   I could feel the air start to thin has I tried to draw a breath.  After about ten minutes I started to feel less weight in my arms and legs.  I brought my head up and looked at Ashley as she stared back now seeing that she had to help.  I kept trying to breathe but it was no use. And then I blacked out.   (This is the part where I’m going to write about what I was told what happened and what I saw (out of body experience).   Ashley saw my body start to sink and go limp.  I was watching in slow motion as I sank and saw myself fall deeper and deeper towards the dark bottom of the forest.   (By now was the part where I could remember nothing so Ashley filled in the gaps).   Ashley finally had gotten her flare and launched it up into the sky and the crew on the boat and several of the divers in the water saw it and swam toward the source of the flare.  At this point, there were about 16 divers in the water, and I was still sinking.  Three members of the crew dove down and started to pull me up to the surface.   (Ok I’m just going to explain this part out of context with the rest of the story.   So at this point I was “dead” and yes it’s really freaky.   This other girl Stacie from France was reviving me and it took like 5 minutes but yea I am alive.  The freakiest part of dying is coming back because its like you just woke up from a really deep sleep and it takes awhile to feel normal again.  But ok enough explanation back to story).   As we sailed back into port our supervisors said that they were very disappointed in us: two of the most experienced divers.  They told us that we would probably not be diving the rest of the week and that they would have to call our parents to tell them what happened.  Fortunately, they never called, but my parents found out anyway from another diver who hates my guts.  We didn’t go diving the rest of the week; we just stayed in the hotel or on the boat.   We were in no condition to go diving however that never stopped us.  Yea that’s it.  Ciao

 

Срфкдуы Рфдфзшт

 

Author's Note

Yea first one so yea dont be a jerk

Reviews

[Charles Halapin]

nope did u finish mine

[TIFFANY!]

u never read my amaaazing story yet!

[Charles Halapin]

no u need to read the story

[TIFFANY!]

no actually i didn't, after i read "PLWEASE" i stopped to laugh, then i commented the story and then i went to do something else, well you could just explain to me how you almost died.

[Charles Halapin]

did u not read the whole story?!?!?!?!!

[TIFFANY!]

well, anyways i'd probably forget if someone told me to pull the cord, i think i have short term memory lost. and why did u almost die (shan's profile comment)

[Charles Halapin]

fish do smell and shark are stupid and scary and im gonna right about it later on.
but u cant smell them u know? lol and sky diving a person would tell u if u need to pull the cord duuuhhhh

[TIFFANY!]

oh haha nice word how do u say it. i can't say it. puh-la-weese that's how i say it. PFFTT! yeah right i'd never go scuba diving or skydiving even if i died the next second. fish smell wierd and i'd be scared because u never know when a shark is around and if i fell off the plane and i forgot to pull out the parachute, then i'd cry and die.

[Charles Halapin]

ok yes this is a true story
yes me and ashley were "close"
and plwease is a real word i just made it up

[TIFFANY!]

is this a true story?...if it is..i think u and ashley got a little somethinsomethin goin on...haha jk

and is PLWEASE even a word i tried sayin it a bajillion times but it's not workin for me.