Treading water, she inhaled deeply, filling her lungs. She held her breath a moment, then exhaled long and slow. "Relax," she instructed herself. She made her movements light and soft. Don't waste energy, she reminded herself.
The buoy bobbed in the water, held to the bottom by a thick, algae covered chain. Kyra, finicky as ever, did not want to touch the thick slimy chain, but she knew she would have to hold it for the 50 feet descent.
Concentrating on her breathing, she hardly felt her wet suit, snorkel, and fins.
Peering into the depths, she saw Muriel emerging, hand first, earnest face turned up, finning strongly.
Muriel's face emerged from the water, mouth open. She expelled the air she had been holding, then gulped in air, expelling them briefly, then gulped some more. Kyra knew from experience how good it would feel to breath again, after holding your breath for even just three minutes.
"You made it?" Kyra asked.
"No, I only made 30 feet," Muriel made a face. She was a bit disappointed, but still exhilarated from her attempt. She knew there were many other tries. There was always next time, and she would try again.
It was Kyra's turn. Her partner, David, looked at her. "Ready?" he asked.
Kyra put her forefinger and thumb together, forming a circle, the sign for "OK." she floated face down, mask on, breathing through the snorkel. One last deep breath and her torso bent down. She extended her hand, reaching for the depths, careful to keep the chain of the buoy in sight. Her legs lifted straight up in the air for a moment, before she disappeared into the sea, head leading down in a smooth, practiced movement.
Keeping the air in her lungs, mouth shut now, Kyra scissored her legs slowly, conserving energy and air, as she had been taught. Her fins bent with the force of the water, accelerating her descent.
It was peaceful underwater. The sea wasn't silent - you could hear bubbles sparkling, but sound was muted, and so was sight. What you felt was the coldness of the water against the skin, the rushing push against your face and body as you pushed down.
"Be one with the sea," an experienced free diver had said. So Kyra extended her senses, feeling the cold water around her body. To her surprise, she sensed an exuberance, as if the water itself was happy and exulting in itself. She reached even more downward, reaching for the depths, reaching for more. More of this water, more of this joy. Small fish swam by, but now her focus was reaching a certain depth, and not in observing her surroundings.
Soon she began to get the urge to breathe. The desire to exhale the air in her lungs, and to inhale was strong. But she was prepared for this. Fleetingly she wondered if she would fail the test. Looking down she could see that the bottom of the chain was near; she would make it! She allowed her diaphragm to spasm, exchanging the air from diaphragm to lungs, trying to fool her body that she was breathing, even when she wasn't. Kyra knew she could strain her body safely, up to a certain extent. She sucked the remaining air in her mask. It wasn't much, but it must still be something, she reasoned. She knew that her partner-diver was somewhere above her, watching to make sure she would be fine.
Almost there. She could almost touch the thick concrete base of the chain. One last push. She stretched her hand. But before she could touch the base, another hand slapped hers away. In shock, she saw a pale face, a strong back, a long tail. She recoiled, jerking back, or rather, upwards. Under the sea, it is always a shock to see something large and moving. She quickly turned up, grabbed the chain - never mind the slime now - and pulled herself upwards. Reaching up, looking up to the light, her legs moved strongly. Her lungs were near to bursting, but she was reassured that air even now was expanding in her lungs as she ascended, and that in a few seconds she would make surface.
Splash! Her face broke the water in a loud cloud of bubbles as she finally released the air in her lungs, and in exchange, gulped in new air through her mouth. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale, exhale. She pulled down her mask to her neck as she continued to tread water.
"David! Did you see it?"
"Yes, I saw you reach 50 feet. You made it!"
"No, not me! The other...thing! The one that stopped me from touching the base! It slapped my hand away!"
David looked confused. "Was there a big fish?"
"No! It had a face, a hand, but it looked like it had a large tail! It was so fast I only caught a glimpse! But it was large!"
"I didn't see anything! I just saw you reach the bottom and turn up."
Kyra couldn't believe David had not seen the large creature. But she couldn't really blame him. At that depth, visibility was low. You could only see up close. And the creature had darted quickly, then swum out into the blue, into the deeper waters beyond.
