I watch my shadow glide underneath myself as I flap my tail, propelling myself forward, cutting through the water. It feels as if it is playing a game of tag with me; at times appearing inches away, other times retreating into the deep blue down below as I swim across underwater caverns and sunken islands.
Once in a while I would cross paths with an elegant ray, or an ancient turtle, and occasionally a school of assorted types of small fishes just happy to be swimming together in this vast terrain. And I thought I was tiny, when I look at all the others in my pod waddling high above me. I squeak in the direction of the small fishes, sending the gathering squirming in ten different directions.
I mean you no harm, really! I just wanted to say hi.
Most of them swam off to hide in the corals, except a couple that approached me and brushed their fins against my side. It tickled and made me giggle a little.
Zig-zagging through strangely-shaped boulders and high rock walls descending into the darkness down below, I explored the ocean as excitedly as any first-timer would in the great migration. It wasn’t very long ago that I was finally old enough to earn some private swim time from my mother, and to be given the permission to be by myself in foreign waters? No words can describe just how ecstatic I am. There’s just so much to see, and every few flaps of my fins a new colour to learn.
An ethereal groan echoes across the region as I was zooming in on some small little purple pointy balls on the ocean bed, notifying me that I should be returning to the pack high up, close to the surface. In fact, I’d be returning to my mother regardless; I was running out of breath from being underwater for so long. I think I’d stayed underwater for 14 minutes, at least it feels like it. I’ll give 15 minutes a go on my next breath, then maybe, just maybe I will challenge my cousin to a breathe-off by the end of this trip too.
I streamline my body and swim as fast as I can towards the pod of 50 dolphins, crossing them, and shooting out of the water and into the air. The fresh air feels cold on my wet skin, and I pull as much of it into my lungs before I nose-dived back into the water, landing in between my uncle and mother who grins at me proudly.
It’s almost meal time, and the leaders are clicking, trying to locate the nearest available food. It didn’t take very long before we found our prey, and lunch today was one of the most satisfying we’ve had since the beginning of the trip.
My mother brush her body against mine, giving me permission to go off exploring if I wanted to, now that meal time is over. I rub my nose against her cheek, giving her a quick cuddle, and then I was off on an adventure once more.
The corals are beautiful in this region; some are tall like a ship, some sway with the gentle currents of the sea, some coated with patterns of all sorts on their surfaces, some look like gigantic discs. Red, blue, yellow, purple, orange. Even its residents are of rainbow colours and strange shapes. It is like a scene right out of a fantasy.
I was swimming underneath an arch of algae-coated rocks with over-hanging seaweeds, when I sensed the presence of looming danger. The fishes that were weaving playfully in and out of the anemone and corals are disappearing into little nooks and crevices between little hills.
I turn around, and see a silhouette of a certain large fish with a hundred sharp teeth, roaming around, seemingly looking for an unsuspecting prey. Immediately I slipped behind a boulder, hoping and praying that it doesn’t see me.
Stay calm, stay quiet. It will be alright.
I try to stay as quiet as I can, holding my breath and trying not to waddle too much.
The ocean suddenly feels so big and eerily deserted save one predator, scanning the sea bed for his victim. I turn my head up towards the bright surface, seeing my pod disappearing gradually into the blue.
