20,000 Leagues

Jewel could only think of one other time when she had felt so helpless, and terrified. It was when her sister had convinced her to ride the Slingshot in Orlando during a Spring Break visit. She remembered being strapped in and counting down the seconds before they were launched into the hazy evening sky. Jewel knew that the best way to alleviate some of her fear was to take a deep breath and scream as loudly as possible. That would release her endorphins and adrenaline so she wouldn't pass out. Her sister had remarked later that Jewel screamed so loud, it sounded as though she was being murdered. They both laughed, but Jewel swore she would never ride again. Why had she allowed her sister to embark on yet another death defying adventure? This time, though she couldn't scream, because she would lose the regulator in her mouth and drown.

When her sister, Alana, had first mentioned scuba diving, it was easy for Jewel to refuse. After all, she wasn't a strong swimmer, and often when she went to the beach, she stayed under the umbrella reading. Alana persisted though saying that she wanted to learn and she needed a buddy. She also argued that it was virtually impossible to drown since there was a huge tank of air right there and all one had to do was pay attention to the pressure gage.

Finally, Jewel agreed. Alana and Jewel went to the first class which consisted of getting some classroom instruction about all the equipment that was used, general safety rules, and donning the equipment. The first class lasted about three hours and afterward Alana and Jewel went for a quick drink. They talked about the class, but mostly about the hot instructor whom both couldn't wait to see in swim trunks. Jewel wasn't so nervous and she even looked forward to the pool session the next week.

When she got to the next session at the YMCA swimming pool, Jewel's confidence ran away. She was so nervous that Alana had to check and double check her equipment to make sure it was connected correctly and that the air was opened fully. Of course, this was standard procedure, but nothing could shake Jewel's nerves. After everyone had donned their equipment, and done their final checks, it was time to enter the pool. Each classmate made their way to the steps and got in. Jewel followed her sister's lead and made her way into the pool.

The hot instructor gave some last minute instruction about clearing a mask, and then he asked everyone to simply lower their face into the water, but not go all the way under. This seemed like a fairly simple task for most, but Jewel couldn't do it. Try as she might, she could only get her mouth with her regulator submerged before she popped back up. The hot instructor made his way over to help. Time after time, Jewel popped up each time more embarrassed than the last. She kept apologizing, but the instructor was patient. Alana was less so. Alana finally got so impatient that when Jewel submerged again, Alana pushed her head down so that her mask was in the water. Jewel popped up sputtering.

The instructor kicked Alana out of the pool for safety violation and proceeded to instruct the other class members to submerge fully and sit on the bottom of the pool. This was to test their buoyancy control. While the others waited, the instructor held on to Jewel's buoyancy vest and slowly sank with her. Jewel was terrified. She couldn't scream, but her arms kept flailing about. The instructor took hold of her hands and pressed his mask to hers. She locked eyes with him and he began to breathe with her.

Jewel felt calmer. She tried to match the instructor's breathing pattern until he slowly backed away from her face. She looked around and the other class members were giving her a thumbs up and some were silently clapping under the water. Jewel felt so proud. The rest of the class was easy, swimming around the pool and learning how to rest at the bottom. Alana was allowed to join at last and the class ended.

A few weeks passed and it was time for the final test of the scuba class. It was going to be a shallow thirty-five foot dive in the ocean where the class had to demonstrate several skills. After that, they would be certified scuba divers. Alana and Jewel were excited, but nervous. They made plans to meet everyone early at the dive shop and afterwards to go to Duffy's for beer and lunch.

The day arrived and everyone met at the shop. They were given their equipment, and boarded the dive boat. It was a short twenty minute ride out to the reef where they would do their dive. The water was smooth as glass and the sun shimmered off the surface. Dolphins joined them for a few minutes which made everyone really excited. Jewel and Alana watched until the instructor told everyone to don their equipment. Now it was getting real. Jewel felt the familiar panic rising up.

It was time. Jewel' s air was open, her mask in place, her weights placed, and she was next to jump off the boat into the crystal clear water. She could see the bottom where a few of her classmates had already descended. The coral was beautiful even from the boat. The instructor had his assistant waiting at the bottom so he could assist Jewel. He had sensed her nervousness and decided to buddy with her. The instructor jumped first and waited for Jewel.

It took every fiber of her being to jump off the boat. The water was only slightly chilly, and the instructor was with her almost immediately. He took her by her vest and they descended together much like they had that first time in the pool. Jewel was astounded by the beauty of the coral and the colors of all the fish around her. She was so focused on her surroundings she forgot to be scared. Alana joined and the rest of the dive was so beautiful and fun that when they reminisced at Duffy's later, they could only marvel at the colors they were sure Crayola hadn't made yet.

That was thirty-five years ago. Jewel had married, had children and a career, but she had also kept diving. She had logged well over 300 dives of varying depths and had even become a dive master. Now her only fears were that her own children wouldn't become the fearless lady she had become.