Cole Kinsey 11F
Descriptive Essay
My Secret Realm
I dived head -first and broke the frothing barrier as the burbling of water
covered my ears and I sank into another world – my secret realm.
The water was cold and I could feel it around my face but my wetsuit
clung like an extra skin to my body to keep me snug. I kicked my
flippers and was propelled towards the spectacular coral reef
embedded at the bottom of the ocean floor. I took a couple of deep
breaths and was slightly annoyed with the air bubbles obscuring my
view. I slowly regulated my breathing and began to really examine the
underwater paradise.
The reef was a colossal, living, breathing structure resembling piles of
rocks. There was an abundance of sea life riveted onto it but the
crimson-red anemones caught my attention as they were swaying from
side to side as the current washed through the ocean floor. Some shy
goldfish were hiding from predators and an inquisitive sea turtle came
up close to examine me as if to determine whether I wa s friend or foe.
The sheer amount of sea -life was mind boggling which made it difficult
to concentrate in any one particular direction. I drifted a couple of
meters to my right and saw a sting -ray that had camouflaged itself
under the fine grains of sand patiently waiting to ambush a salmon who
might drift too close.
I lay on my back and looked up through the kelp forest at the sunlight
reflecting into the water from above. I was in a world of silence,
completely out of my comfort zone, yet I had never fel t so at peace.
The goosebumps on my arms were not from fear but from excitement. I
could not believe that I was allowed into this majestic world – a world
so different from our own. A calm, peaceful world filled with colourful
fish from all shades of the rainbow. Life underwater is more beautiful
than I had ever imagined and the tranquility is unparalleled.
The dive erased all negative thoughts from my mind and offered me a
wonderful feeling of freedom. For once I was not think ing that my life
was not perfect or that I could have done more. Diving accepts me as I
am. I felt powerful and weightless but at the same time, insignificant. I
was super happy to be alive and experience those few minutes of
peace and natural beauty. W hen you are studying life beneath the
water, it does not matter if you are there watching it, or whether the
world ends, as this life will continue regardless of humans.
I heard the beep from my oxygen tank and disappointingly realised it
was time to start th e gradual climb to the surface. I zig -zagged my way
along the rocky edge until my head broke free and I could breathe
again on my own. I was left wondering if what I had just experienced
was actually real or just a mirage.
Back on the beach I sat on the go lden sand and reflected on the
theatre of the ocean that had played out in front of me. I did not want to
go home – back to the hustle and bustle of city life but it was getting
dark. Mom would get worried and imagine the worst – a shark attack!
On my trip home I thought about nothing else except about my next
adventure into my newly discovered secret realm. Hopefully, I will get
to swim with some sleek, noble sharks next time. I know now, without a
doubt, that this underwater kingdom is my new place of saf ety and I will
be back – again and again.