Glancing back into the water, she saw some algae stream past, then some seaweed. The current seemed swift, heading out to sea.
Unable to delay any longer, Marissa grabbed hold of her mask, let go of the boat, and plunged into the water.
The instant the bubbles disappeared, Marissa was astounded.
It was as if she had leaped into another world. The clarity of the water was beyond her expectations. She was surrounded by butterfly and angel fish. Thirty feet ahead, Wendy and Wynn were waiting at the lip of the channel. She could see them as clearly as if they were suspended in the air. Below her the sand sparkled, giving her the impression she could see each and every grain.
Looking to her right and left, she saw walls of coral in fantastic shapes and colors. Behind her she could see the bottom of the boat with the shark cage suspended from its cable.
Without the slightest effort Marissa found herself carried. by the current toward the other two.
After everyone had exchanged okay signs, they started to swim out of the channel, veering to the left. Marissa paused at the channel’s edge and peered uneasily into the eerie abysmal depths.
The sound of her breathing echoed in her ears. Fighting against a primeval terror, she shuddered to think of what creatures were lurking in the cold, black vastness.
Marissa saw that Wendy and Wynn had already left her behind.
She swam hard to catch up to them, scared of being left alone.
Her fears were soon overcome by the sheer beauty of the world around her. All her phobias vanished as she found herself enveloped in a silvery cloud of cardinal fish.
As she followed the others into a coral gorge, she was thrilled by the number and variety of fish. They came in every size and shape and in colors more brilliant than anything on land. The coral was equally dramatic, with colors that rivaled the fish and in shapes that ranged from brain like masses to antler like growths. Diaphanous sea fans waved sinuously in the current.
Distracted by the beauty, Marissa realized the others had disappeared.
She hurried forward, rounding a large coral head.
Wynn was stopped up ahead. She saw him reach into a net secured to his waist. When he pulled out his hand she saw that he held some bait fish In an instant he was surrounded by batfish and parrot fish. He clearly wasn’t interested in these species because he waved them away. Instead he went close to the opening of a large underwater cave and began to wave the bait through the water.
Marissa’s heart leaped into her throat, almost causing her to spit out her mouthpiece. Out of the shadows of the cave swam an enormous six-foot, six-hundred-pound potato cod. Marissa was about to panic when she noticed that Wynn was not only unperturbed but was enticing the fish to come all the way out. Then to Marissa’s amazement, the huge fish took the bait fish directly from Wynn’s hand.
Wendy swam up behind Wynn and signaled that she wanted to try to feed the behemoth. Wynn gave her several bait fish and showed her how to hold them out.
The cod was happy to oblige, opening its huge mouth and sucking in the bait like an enormous underwater vacuum cleaner.
Wynn motioned for Marissa to swim over, but she was happy to stay where she was and indicated as much via hand signals. She watched Wendy feed the fish, but it was not easy to stay in one place. The surge from the wave action on the reef swept her to and fro, forcing her to fend herself off the coral with her gloved hands. The motion reawakened the queasiness she’d felt on the boat.
Once the potato cod had devoured all the bait fish Wynn was willing to offer, it lazily drifted back into its lair. Wendy went to the very lip of the cave and peered in. Then she swam back to Marissa and motioned for her to follow.
Reluctantly, Marissa swam after Wendy. They passed the cave’s mouth and dove close to the sandy bottom. Wendy pointed into a crevice, then backed away so Marissa could take a look.