Go under The Seas with Nemo & Friends — literally !
SCUBA DIVING UNDER THE SEA WITH NEMO & FRIENDS
Post-dive and ready for a burger at the Regal Eagle Smokehouse .
TEXT BY CATHY SALUSTRI | PHOTOS BY CJ AYD
A shark swims within an arm ’ s length of my hand , and it makes my day . That ’ s perfect , because a shark launched the watery journey that brought me here .
SPLASHBACK TO 1991 At a college snorkeling trip to the Florida Keys , our professor pointed to two sharks on the reef . Of the 12 people on the trip , seven swam back to the boat immediately . The remaining five of us swam toward the sharks , following them until they tired of us and darted off into the great teal abyss . I contented myself snorkeling past periwinkle fan coral , Technicolor parrotfish , and electric blue sea stars , a kaleidoscope of color exploding everywhere I looked .
It was — and remains — one of the most magnificent moments of my life .
I earned my scuba certification because I wanted to spend more time watching majestic creatures like sharks ( and goliath grouper , and barracuda , and rays , and — well , you get the idea ) on coral-studded reefs . Another motivation propelled me toward scuba diving , too : Under the sea , all the noise in my head just stops . The anxiety and fear that creep in when I don ’ t expect it don ’ t exist down there .
SPLASHFORWARD TO 2023 I ’ ve spent far too many years on top of the water , and I need to jump back in — literally — but I ’ m nervous . Too much time out of the sea lets in too much noise , and I keep thinking of reasons not to dive .