‘Yep.’ I take a deep breath and plunge my face into the water. It’s mild, only a little cold, and crystal clear. I can see all the way to the sandy bottom. I can’t contain my excitement. I pop my head back up, grinning. Being in the water is ten times better than being confined to the boat. I take a minute to let my eyes skim over the top of the ocean, really letting it sink in that there is no one in sight, it is just our small group floating in the largest reef ecosystem in the world.

Hugh is beaming too. For the first time since I met him, he seems fully consumed by a true emotion. He’s not pivoting from sarcastic to sincere or from helpful to asinine, instead he’s full of pure joy.

It takes a minute for everyone else to jump in. Derek is last because he had to make sure his camera was set up correctly, and by the time he’s in, we’re all antsy to descend. We grab a mooring line, which stretches from a nearby buoy all the way down to the bottom of the ocean and deflate our BCDs. Slowly, we sink from the surface to the ocean floor, popping our ears along the way. We move hand over hand down the mooring line, and with each foot we descend, the ocean seems to get quieter. The only sound I can hear is my own breathing in my regulator. I’m in heaven.

Everyone takes their time adjusting their buoyancy. I have to inflate my BCD a little to counteract the weight belt, and soon I’m hovering about two feet off the ground. I kick my fins back and forth to keep myself steady. Andrew has a hard time figuring out his buoyancy and keeps floating up too fast, which prompts Vanessa to point at him and jerk her thumb downwards in a ‘get down here now’ manner. Andrew proceeds to sink and float like a yo-yo. I fight off laughter at Andrew’s blissful ignorance that Vanessa is extremely frustrated.

Thankfully, he seems to find the humour in his own difficulty, at one point throwing his hands over his head in a surrender gesture. Once Andrew is closer to the bottom, we start kicking towards the reef. Vanessa leads the way, and I stay near the back of the pack with Miguel. I’m grateful our swim towards the reef is gradual because I’m already so overwhelmed, I feel like I could cry.