Underwater Adventure by Lynn Zuk-Lloyd

Some people puff out their cheeks like puffer fish when they hold their breath underwater and that's the image that came to my mind when I first saw him.

How I got into the water I don't remember, but there I was, completely submerged with arms flailing like crazy. Worst of all, holding my breath with all my might made my cheeks puff out like a big bull frog getting ready to bellow out a loud croaking noise.

That's when I saw him swimming towards me, his face looking like a puffer fish. I almost burst out laughing. He reached for my hand and started swimming forward, motioning me to kick my legs and make a big stroke with my free hand. I didn't want to go forward, I wanted to go up. Up to the surface. But which way was up?

Again, he showed me what to do. My mind raced… How do I get out of here? Will I drown? Should I follow him?

Fearfully, I looked into his face. Behind those puffed out cheeks was a gentleness… a peacefulness. Somehow I knew I could trust him.

I gave in and imitated his strokes. Surprisingly, my body glided forward. We did this a few more times and then he brought me to the surface. It felt so good to breathe air again.

"Take in a big mouthful of air and then exhale it," he instructed.

I did.

"Good. Take a few more breaths."

After a moment he continued, "Water is full of life. It's living water."

I sure couldn't argue with that. Many a summer I'd pull fish out of the water… even caught creatures that weren't fish, like turtles, crayfish, crabs, frogs and seaweed. Yep, that lake was full of life! Even the dragonflies, damselflies and water walkers thrived on the water's surface.

"Let me teach you how to swim underwater."

"Me? Swim like a fish?" I looked at him in disbelief. I was definitely not an underwater person.

"My water is a place where you can thrive."

His water? What makes him think he owns the water.

Next thing I knew, we were down under the water again and I was actually swimming. It felt awkward at first but then I got the hang of it and we started to pick up speed.

Up ahead, I saw a tortoise, a big one. It maneuvered through the water with ease. How such a cumbersome creature carrying a heavy shell can take to the water is beyond me. But there he was, enjoying a mid-day swim.

Seaweed and other plants seemed to wave to us as we passed by. Schools of tiny fish darted between the plants, constantly changing direction. I guess they couldn't make up their minds. I get that way sometimes. But right then I thought my lungs were going to burst.

He noticed I was running out of air and pulled me to the surface. After breathing in and out several times, we went back under. This time, kicking my legs and moving my arms and body to propel through water felt more natural. Maybe underwater swimming wasn't such a bad thing.

Further along, the sun's rays shone through the water. Ordinary rocks and pebbles sparkled on the sandy bottom. You'd think they were precious stones or something special. Seaweed and scurrying fish also glittered as they passed through the sunlight. The rays seemed to dance on them. It was a mighty pretty sight. Must be what some folks call "treasures of the sea."

Right in the middle of enjoying the sights, I ran out of air and started taking in water. Rushing upward, I burst through the water surface gasping for my life. Maybe this swimming thing wasn't meant for me after all. Sure, there was beauty under the sea, but a person just can't keep on holding his breath all day.

He seemed to sense my feelings and let me float on the water for quite some time. The summer sun warmed my body as I relaxed on the gentle waves. It was a pleasant sensation to experience both the hot sun and the cooler water at the same time.

"There is something you need to see," he suggested, interrupting my thoughts.

I took a deep breath and down we went again. We hadn't swum very far when we came across an old chest half buried in the sand. Maybe this was real treasure. Maybe it was full of silver and gold. Or priceless gems and kingly crowns.

I decided we would need something to force the lock open. Excitedly, I searched the sand and pushed seaweed aside. Ah! There! A piece of rusted metal about four inches long. Maybe that would work.

Picking up the tool, I turned around and almost gasped in horror. An octopus was sitting on the chest. Its snake-like legs were wrapped around the box as though it were guarding precious treasure.

I froze in my tracks. From the corner of my eye I could see him, the one who had brought me this far. He slowly approached the monster showing no sign of fear. When he was only five feet away, one of the creature's legs stirred. Then a second leg began to wiggle. Slowly, the octopus lifted all of its legs and took off! Just like that!

How could that man have no fear? As I watched him, he reached down and opened the latch on the chest with no difficulty. How did he do that?

I threw away my rusty tool and swam over to have a closer look. What happened next surprised me even more. He pulled two air masks and two oxygen tanks out of the chest and handed one set to me. The oxygen tank read "full." No one needed to tell me what to do next. In a few moments I was breathing in pure air - beautiful air as I held the tank in my arms.

After strapping on his underwater equipment, he helped me fasten mine securely. Then he smiled a big, broad smile and looked straight into my eyes. All of a sudden I understood. All the silver or gold the chest might have held would have done us no good. The treasure we needed was exactly the treasure we found. We were now ready to continue exploring.

Many sea creatures swam by us and around us as we continued onward - just like you see in the movies. The sea floor had hills and valleys interspersed with plant life and seashells and things I didn't even have a name for.

A dark area appeared off to our right and he motioned us in that direction. The biggest bass I'd ever seen came swimming out of that darkness. Must be some sort of cave. I wondered how far it went back.

There was no time to wonder, because he swam straight into the dark spot. Since I had no sense of direction in this vast body of water and didn't know my way home, I had no choice but to follow him.

Catching up, I grabbed onto his foot until my eyes adjusted to the darkness. What wonders we found in that cave! A glowing eel swam right past us. Iridescent stones lit up parts of the cave walls. We followed those colorful, bright stones just as the early explorers must have followed the stars. We passed schools of tiny glowing fish. You could almost see right through some of them.

Then the cave walls changed. There were no more iridescent stones. Just darkness. That didn't seem to bother him one bit. He kept right on swimming with me close behind.

Something streaked off to my left and I turned to get a glimpse of it. It was gone. When I turned back, he was gone. Where was he? I couldn't see. I couldn't see anything in this darkness.

Panic set in as I frantically turned from side to side. Where was he? Where was I?

In the pitch darkness something grabbed onto my arm. I tried to fight it off. The more I fought, the tighter its grip. What was it? Where was he? I wanted to scream for help but now was not the moment to let the oxygen tube fall out of my mouth.

Maybe I could pry the monster off with my free hand. As I clutched onto the creature that was clutching onto me, I felt fingers move. It was him! The one who was teaching me! He was the life form that had a hold on me. Feelings of great relief poured throughout my body. If anyone had been able to see my face, they would have noticed tears in my eyes. I had been found!

He gave me an embrace of assurance and led me onward with his hand firmly grasped onto my arm. Darkness was still all around us, but he seemed to know where he was going. There were so many questions I wanted to ask him but couldn't. I would just have to trust him in silence.

Parts of the cave wall could be seen up ahead. We swam towards that spot and stopped. He motioned upward. There, directly above us was faint light. Up we went until our heads broke through the water. We were in a room with a high stone ceiling and rippling ledges.

He pointed towards one ledge that was big enough to hold a car. That's where we pulled ourselves out of the water and flopped on the ground. Taking off our masks and tanks, we laid down our weary bodies. It felt good to be on land again. That is, if you call what we were on, land.

"There is more I want to show you." he cajoled.

Was he joking? I already had enough adventure to last a lifetime. I had ventured or rather was led into places I would have never gone to on my own.

"Come this way," he pointed, rising to his feet. In a moment he disappeared behind a boulder.

"Wait for me!" I yelled, jumping to my feet. "I'm right behind you."

I looked down at the narrow ledge at the base of the boulder and told myself, "He scooted around the boulder on this ledge. If he can do it, so can I."

Easing my body around that narrow ledge was very scary. But not as frightening as being lost underwater in pitch darkness. Even so, my heart was thumping a mile a minute. I pushed my back against the boulder and inched forward.

"Just a few more steps," came his voice. His hand reached out from around the boulder. Again, I welcomed the opportunity to grasp his reassuring hand as he pulled me to safety.

"Take a look at this room," his voice echoed with excitement. Stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere. They displayed an awesome exhibit of the Creator's creation made from water dripping over rocks throughout the centuries. In the dim light, I could make out various colors and patterns. One stalagmite looked like sheep's wool captured in stone. Another took on the appearance of wavy hair. Still another looked like a waterfall frozen in motion.

I tried to take in every detail so my mind could capture this once-in-a-lifetime picture and remember everything it saw. But mostly, I just stood there and stared in wonder.

He let me enjoy the sights for a long time. I oohed and aahed at each new discovery.

"The exit from this cave is behind the wavy hair stalagmite," he offered.

Guess it was time to leave. With one last glimpse at the magnificent room, I followed him down the narrow passageway. It was a long walk, but with each step the passage became brighter and brighter. Soon we were squinting at bright sunlight that shone into the hole in front of us.

"What is that noise?" I asked.

He smiled. It was a "wait and see smile."

As we climbed out of the opening, a loud roar boldly welcomed us. It was the ocean!

"The ocean!" I shouted with astonishment. "We've come far!"

"Yes," he answered. "We have come far."

I ran onto the rocky beach and let the waves splash over me. I danced around like a child, throwing water up into the air.

He joined me and we both laughed and played in the dancing ocean. He showed me how to dive right into the big waves without getting hurt. How to duck under the medium-sized waves. How to run out with the waves and race them back to shore. How to float on bouncing waves as they imitated a roller coaster ride. Then he showed me the best places to look for shells that the ocean washed onto the beach.

I often think about that day. About the joy, the excitement, the discoveries. I think about him and the gift he freely gave me. And in my heart, I know one thing for sure… the water does belong to Him.

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