The limit approached like a distracted driver coming to a stop sign too fast to avoid breaching the crosswalk. Thirty-five people waited; that’s the number of individual body masses. By volume the number was closer to fifty. I stood in the midst of waiting humanity hoping my patience would hold; threadbare, it threatened to snap.
Anticipation ran deep for the attraction; an introduction to scuba diving. Surprisingly there was little preparation. Even so I approached the opportunity with trepidation. Submerging to depths I only reaching accidentally when I was stupid enough to try the three meter diving board I felt panic’s warning. Something bad is going to happen; you know it is. It’s not natural for people to stay under water for so long. What if something goes wrong? The scuba instructor’s direction to breathe normally rattled around in my mind; it served to highlight the growing concern.
Two more people cleared the signup counter. I wondered how I could breathe naturally when I had a breathing apparatus positioned in my mouth; my teeth holding it in place. My nose would be ensconced in the mask preventing me from taking air naturally through my nose. What was so natural about all of this? I wanted to ask the instructor as he droned on about the merits of the undersea world.
One person ahead of me, she stood confidently in her two piece bathing suit – more than a bikini but less than a one piece suit it looked like it was designed for her curves. She turned and smiled as if to say I know what you are thinking. Don’t think you’re any different from all the other men whose tongue flaps on the floor and their eyes threaten to explode from their sockets.
“Hi.” I introduced myself. Her smile broadened; she’s played this game before.
“Hello.” She winked punctuation.
“You’ve done this before, yes?” I felt like a foreigner, my response spoken like someone with only a tentative hold on the English language.
“I have not, but I’m intrigued by the opportunity. I’ve always wanted to try scuba but I was afraid I might freak out and hurt myself.” She said.
“I know the feeling; I’m hoping this exercise will drive the fears from my mind.” I said. I saw her eyes soften; we connected. It was her turn next. I watched as she moved to the counter; there was a hitch in her gait; it looked painful.
Thirty minutes later we were climbing into a tender. There were ten of us in each and the tender towed an inflatable that held oxygen tanks. We were already connected to most of our gear. I watched as the conversation was light; excitement high. All were first timers.
When we reached the dive spot I watched as the boat’s occupants jockeyed to get first connection. The scuba instructor looked like a cross between fish and man decked out in fins, mask and regulator. He gave last minute instructions before we dove. As we entered the water we tested gear. I wanted to make sure things were in order before I ducked under the waves. I didn’t want some fool to panic and threaten the safety of others (meaning me specifically).
The lady with the painted on swimwear dove first; her fins emerged from the water like the tail of a whale – a tiny whale. Ducking my face into the water I saw her loving quickly to the reef below. Casting caution to the four winds I descended, breathing shallow to counteract the buoyancy that would accompany full lungs.
The scuba instructor caught the exuberant divers, hand signals slowing their descent. Thirty feet was our limit. As I reached the submerge limit the group was moving towards the start of the reef. The lady slowed, allowing the others to pass. She turned and stared at me; I thought I saw her wink. An eerie uneasiness settled over me; the water suddenly cold. Kicking my legs I moved to remain with the group. I moved up on the outside; wanting to stay within sight of the leader. He dropped back as we explored the life that inhabited the underwater garden.
Inhaling deeper my body rose to the top of the reef when I spied a flurry of bubbles. The lead diver was surfacing in an awful hurry. Feeling of abandonment caused me to stop breathing. When I felt lightheadedness settling over me I let out the carbon dioxide rich air replacing it with fresh air. The feeling subsided as I tried to focus on the cause of the commotion. Minutes later the dive leader signaled urgent thumbs up. We surfaced quickly. As the pressure lessened my lungs expanded. When I breached the surface the problem was stark against the backdrop of the cloudless sky.
The dive leader was administering respiratory first aid to one of the swimmers. The others bobbed lazily in the water holding onto the boat’s rail. Concern clouded our collective mind. The swimmer wasn’t responding. The dive leader’s efforts would have scored him a CPR award except that the patient wasn’t coming around.
As we hurried back to shore a pall hung like storm clouds. We had thrown off our gear on the ride back. We helped pull the boat onto the beach as paramedics met us; thank God for cell phones and signal reflection over water.
I looked around; the faces were pale, all except for painted bathing suit. She looked disappointed that the dive was cut short by this little nuisance. She said as much; receiving a look of disdain from the others. I couldn’t believe that someone could be heartless. As we walked back to the scuba shack to return the rented gear I asked her.
“What’s up with your lack of concern?” My voice was flat.
“I hate paying for things that I don’t get. I’m going to get at least a partial refund.” She replied. My expression asked the question I did not verbalize. “Darn right I’m serious. Why should I suffer because of somebody else’s thoughtlessness?” Her voice was indignant.
“Is that what you call someone dying unexpectedly; thoughtlessness? Damn that’s cold.” I said. There was animation in my voice. It seemed to energize her.
“What gives you the right to question me? Do I know you?” She stared steel gray daggers. As I walked away she laughed. I wanted to turn and express my feelings but for the first time in my life discretion took center stage.
Later that day another first time diver succumbed to a mysterious illness. Introductory scuba excursions were suspended indefinitely. The Bermuda police puzzled over the two deaths; the health of their tourist trade at stake.
My painted lady sat by the pool reading. I watched her, the desire for answers itched in the back of my mind.
