Deep Dark Blues

Chapter 1- Hiding in the tides

The salty water gently lapped at her body, pushing her up with every buddying wave before ultimately lowering her back into the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The water was surprisingly warm, only the winds of early spring biting her face while she'd laid on her back. She could hear the muffled sounds of the waves crashing into the shore somewhere in the distance, the sharp rocks cutting through the foamy tides.

The sea was the love at first sight, having spent her entire life by the shores of Connacht*. It didn't matter whether she was two, twenty or thirty, it always felt the same. The dark waters of the Atlantic had witnessed her grow and mature, leave and return, cry tears of joy and sob on the pier. She couldn't help familiarity and connection, letting her heartbeat slow down and think of... well, nothing. The most euphoric feeling a person like her can experience is true silence for a typically racing mind. Floating on those cold waters felt like being removed from the world altogether, drifting in peace into oblivion.

"Doctor Reed?" a young man called from the right. The woman lifted her head, wincing as her body submerged deeper, into the much colder waters. Milo leaned over the railing of their motorboat, the wind playing with his sandy hair as he observed Reed in the water.

"Are you okay?" he asked, pulling the zipper of his jacket higher with yet another blow of the breeze.

"Aren't you cold?" the younger man rubbed his palms together, watching Reed with a mixture of worry and amusement.

"Are you cold?" she retaliated, earning herself an eye-roll from her research partner. He only shook his head, already used to her antics through multiple years of partnership.

"Anyway, you should gear up. They will be here any minute now." Milo said, motioning to her to come closer before turning away. Reed allowed her body to sink lower, working her fins to stay afloat as she readjusted and pulled down her snorkelling mask. She cut through water with practised ease, having done that for years, maybe even before Milo was born. She had reached the motorboat in no time, squinting at the white hull of the boat glowing in the morning sun.

"All right, they are here," Milo yelled over his shoulder, bouncing his leg while he stared at the laptop screen. He didn't have to tell Reed twice, her slender fingers already flicking on all of her body cameras, as well as checking if her harpoon was securely attached to the belt, just in case. She'd had a couple of close calls while working and she wasn't exactly keen on the idea of yet another hospital visit.

"Turning the radio on, let me know if you can hear me." Milo's shout was the last thing Reed had heard before she chomped on the snorkel, fully submerging into the deep blue waters. The top of her head burned with sudden cold, having dried up while she lounged around waiting. Soon, Milo's voice came through the earplug in her ear.

"Hello, Hello? Can you hear me?" Reed confirmed, flashing her thumbs up in front of the camera attached to her right shoulder.

"Sweet, all right..." Milo settled down, his tone more serious as he began the recording.

"Research Code SBI-0305. This is Milo Arthur Kelly speaking, along with Doctor Rowan Reed in the water. Today's date is the 1st of April, 2023 and we are located on the Western coast of Ireland by Salthill*. The objective of today's diving is a control count on the tagged Basking Shark* pod, tracking ID: 567223134."

Just as Milo finished recording the introduction, Reed's already been long gone, swimming through the surrounding salt water with the grace of a dolphin as she approached the long-awaited guests. She could already see the enormous shadows peaking out of the blue not far from her, the massive dark tails making the water slosh with every powerful move. The basking sharks entered the cove, swimming in what felt like a royal parade. The sharks threaded the waters of Connacht with ease, carried by the changing tides, making Reed's moves seem awkward and forced. The closer the woman got to the pod, the more shadows emerged from the teal emptiness, black shapes swimming in unison with their jaws wide open in search of plankton. There was something so mesmerising and incredibly humbling about diving with the gentle giants of the Atlantic. Reed was not a small woman, standing at the imposing 5'9, but compared to any of the creatures she seemed small... Fragile. Insignificant... Just a temporary visitor in a kingdom of giants, so big her existence wasn't even acknowledged. There couldn't be more than a few meters of distance between her and the closest shark and yet, the size of the closest shark to her was nothing short of intimidating and beautiful.