Sea Gazer and Deep Diver

Sunlight sparkled off the rolling, blue waves, seagulls squawking and soaring overhead in the salty, sea breeze. Karissa clutched her oversized sunhat, preventing it from being swept away, and adjusted her sunglasses. Sunshine warming her skin, she breathed a blissful sigh and stretched out on her beach towel. She wiggled her toes in the warm, white sand. This was paradise. They had found a quiet stretch of beach, and it was absolutely serene—they were practically in their own little world.

Serena’s head popped up, breaking the water’s surface. Swimming back to shore, she broke into a huge grin when she reached her friend. Karissa peered up at Serena as she blocked the sun, glistening waterdrops rolling down her body as her drenched hair swayed, dripping specks of ocean water onto Karissa.

Serena leaned in close and cooed, “Look what I found—isn’t it beautiful?”

Bringing her hands closer, Serena revealed a small, glittering seashell. The ridges were lined with pink and blue, it’s underside a deep purple. Smooth and bumpy, it fit snuggly into Serena’s palm. Her eyes aglow with delight, Serena drank the sight in, captivated by the gorgeous shell.

Smiling at her friend, Karissa conceded, “You found a dazzling seashell. How many are you planning to bring back with us, though? You already have quite the collection amassing on the counter back at the beach house. At this rate your suitcase will only contain seashells when we return home.”

“This one is special!” Serena insisted. “It’s probably the most beautiful shell in the whole world! Besides, these are souvenirs from our trip together—that alone makes them extra special!”

Karissa shook her head at Serena’s declaration, having heard similar sentiments already. Serena had proclaimed all of the shells “special,” although, usually they had been dubbed “most beautiful on the beach.” Apparently, this latest shell had upped its game. At this rate, if Serena continued growing her collection, they’d be buried in shells in a matter of days. Karissa had already proposed narrowing her souvenir collection down for the sake of practicality—there was only so much physical space to feasibly hold seashells in the car while still fitting themselves and their other belongings inside—but Serena asserted that each was a unique individual, that she couldn’t possibly choose between them. It was like choosing a favorite child, she insisted—it just couldn’t be done. Karissa sincerely hoped Serena wouldn’t become a hoarder. She placed high sentimental value on objects with alarming ease.

Deciding to table the shell matter for now, Karissa inquired, “How was your swim?”

Serena perked up, enthusing, “It was amazing! There were so many little fishies—they were absolutely adorable! I can’t wait to see more sea creatures; they’re all just so cute!”

Karissa smiled. Serena had trouble falling asleep two nights ago because she was too excited for the dolphin cruise they had taken yesterday. They were truly majestic, leaping gracefully out of the crystalline waves. The staff had timed the cruise perfectly—towards the finale of the cruise the brilliantly-colored sunset painted the water a blazing crimson. The sight was awe-inspiring, stealing their breath away. They had returned to the beach house that night still cloaked in the ambiance of Earth’s natural beauty and serenity.

Lost in the memory of the cruise, Karissa sighed, “The dolphins were magical. I wouldn’t mind staying with them for an eternity.”

Serena beamed, “I know, right? The ocean—the whole world, really—is full of magnificent creatures! We’re so lucky to share the planet we call home with them!” Karissa hummed her agreement.

A certain light crept into Serena’s eyes. “Which reminds me, I signed us up for another excursion today!”

That was news to Karissa. She raised a brow, searching for a clue in her memory. Karissa couldn’t recall Serena mentioning anything. Finding no clues, she concluded that Serena concocted some sort of ploy. Then she remembered how Serena had jumped at the chance to go parasailing, while Karissa opted to remain on the beach, relaxing. She recalled how Serena had gushed upon returning about how much fun it was viewing so many sea creatures swimming in the clear waters below. Slightly narrowing her eyes, feeling the nudge that she was onto something, “Is that what she was up to? Dragging her off to go parasailing with her this time?” she mused.

“Just know it’ll be fun—let’s go!” Serena urged.

Karissa raised a skeptical eyebrow to a comically higher level, noting the lack of details to what “it” was. Karissa cast a stoic glance at Serena before retorting, “Being fun remains to be seen. What exactly did you sign us up for?”

“It’s a surprise!” Serena beamed.

Eyes narrowing, Karissa returned, “Try again. Fun or not, you’re hiding something. The fact that you aren’t letting anything slip is quite telling. When excited, you gush details, often unintentionally, with your ‘surprises.’ Unless, of course, you have some scheme cooking.” She demanded with emphasis, “What. Are. You. Plotting?”

Bashfully rubbing her arm before tucking wet locks behind her ear, Serena promised, “It’s nothing bad. It’s another excursion to see sea creatures.”

Staring, Karissa continued, “Hmm, and which sea creatures would that be?” Niggling intuition told her that Serena was purposefully being secretive and avoiding specifying which one.

“Well, the dolphins were lots of fun. It’s another one similar to them.” She paused before adding quietly, “Sharks.”

“Come again?” Karissa inquired, not believing her ears.

“Sharks… They look kind of like dolphins and are similar in size,” Serena began, “and we get to swim with them.”

“No,” Karissa deliberately emphasized. Her reply was immediate and left no room for debate.

“What? Why not? You liked the dolphins!” Serena countered.

“Dolphins are gentle, friendly sea mammals, and we were on a boat. What you’re proposing is swimming in the vast sea with top ocean predators. Those are two completely different things! Sharks have rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth! They’re deadly, wild animals—not tame pets!” Karissa refuted, waving her hands feverishly.

“Their teeth are their tools,” Serena whined. “They need to eat just like any other living creature. They don’t want to eat people. Besides, sea experts and professional divers will be with us! There’s no need to worry! We’ll be safe—they have a diving cage we can use and everything,” Serena assured. “Besides, I already paid for it, so we have to go.” Serena turned on her sad, puppy-dog eyes.

Karissa grimaced. Serena knew that Karissa’s practical nature wouldn’t allow her to waste money. Then to top it all off, Serena had the audacity to employ her puppy-dog eyes. That tactic made the strongest individuals’ convictions crumble—Serena had backed Karissa into a corner, and she knew it. “I will accompany you, but I make no promises of joining you in the water. I reserve the right to remain on the boat.”

Blinking large eyes, Serena pleaded, “But what about going in the diver’s cage? It’s sturdy! It’ll keep us safe!”

“I will consider it,” Karissa gritted out curtly.

Convinced Karissa was now onboard with her plan, Serena grabbed her arm, pulling her along as she skipped to the car. Unease settled in Karissa’s stomach the duration of the car ride as she contemplated the excursion she just conceded to. “That cage had better be impenetrable… At this rate there was no way Serena would let her remain aboard the boat, safe and sound,” she lamented in her mind. Serena happily hummed the entire drive, brimming with excitement.

They arrived at the site, checking in at the front desk before heading to the docks to board the boat. Climbing aboard the boat, they geared up with the provided wetsuits, snorkels, and masks—Serena eagerly and Karissa reluctantly. The guides provided the rundown as they cruised out of the cove to the sea. Setting down anchor, the crew submerged the diver’s cage. Karissa warily eyed the contraption while Serena hopped from foot to foot, practically bursting out of her skin in anticipation. The crew readied the water, enticing sharks to draw near, giving the two friends the go-ahead.

They climbed into the cage, transported to a mystical, underwater world. The ocean caressed them with cool water, sunlight filtering into its depths. Schools of fish leisurely navigated the vast, blue ocean. Sharks began to venture into view, slowly cruising on the peripherals. Slightly cautious but ever curious, they approached. One after another, they weaved closer in investigation, occasionally bumping the cage to discern what it was. Caribbean reef sharks and lemon sharks were the first to make an appearance. They investigated before disappearing, likely sensing other predators in the area because larger sharks soon made an appearance. A tiger shark, a bull shark, even a hammerhead made an appearance, gliding into view. The crew had some impressive shark bait; it had drawn in a wide variety of sharks. Karissa speculated that it was comprised of a variety of fish, but she couldn’t even begin to fathom a guess to which specific fish and what quantities they used.

Their underwater realm was mesmerizing. They spent several hours submerged with the sea life, captivated by the breath-taking scenery. Most of the sharks seemed to lose interest within several minutes, but one with a gash in its dorsal fin—later dubbed the ever-so-original nickname of “Sharkie” by Serena—kept close. It disappeared every so often, but it always returned, looking at the two with an inquisitive eye. Serena would later insist that “Sharkie” wanted to be their best friend; Karissa, while skeptical about that notion, recognized it held no ill will or aggression. The crew member that dived with them in the cage snapped a variety of photos with their underwater camera, much to Serena’s delight; she insisted on buying a commemorative photo of “Sharkie” before they left—they couldn’t possibly not leave without a photo of their new “best friend.” The experience seemed to last an eternity yet simultaneously was over within a blink of an eye. Once their dive time concluded, they re-emerged to the water’s surface, climbing onto the boat.

After a moment of awed silence, Serena prodded, “See!? Wasn’t that incredible? Aren’t you glad you listened to me and swam with the sharks?”

Karissa conceded, “Hmm. It was a sufficient experience.” Karissa didn’t want to voice it, but she was indeed happy for following through and facing her fears.

Serena playfully punched Karissa’s arm, recognizing that Karissa had enjoyed the experience more than she let on. A small, wistful smile graced Karissa’s face; actions always spoke louder than words for her. Serena recognized that she might be able to convince her to dive again with sharks in the future. This was definitely an unforgettable vacation. So many fun memories shared between best friends.