I pull out my camera and look for the butterfly wrasse, which frequent staghorn coral. I try to stay as motionless as possible, and I watch as fish dart around me. There are tiny butterfly fish that have yellow stripes down their backs and flit around so gracefully it seems like they are dancing. There are angelfish, swishing their broad dark blue bodies, cardinal fish and cod. I see my personal favourite – the humbug damselfish – which is black and white striped, half-heart shaped, and ridiculously cute. Plus, who doesn’t love a fish named humbug?

I don’t spot any butterfly wrasse. They’re distinguishable from other types of wrasse because of an extra fin they have on their underbelly, which helps levitate them just off the coral, so that they can feed off the coral’s mucus. They are purple, with a yellow stripe down their back. And Millie said they are small and fast. I try not to get in my head about not seeing one. After all, it’s only the first dive. And they might not even exist.

I manoeuvre myself in a circle to check out what the other divers are looking at, and as I turn around, I bump into Hugh. He has been hovering right behind me. He recovers his balance faster than I do. I make a mental note to tell him that he needs to stop getting in my way.

I move my hands in front of me frantically like I’m a bad synchronised swimmer until I regain my balance. If he was trailing me to spy on my diving quality, I’m not doing a good job of proving that I’m the marine biologist I say I am. I’m glad he can’t see me blush. Despite the chill in the water, I feel heat radiate through my body.

I swim by Miguel’s side as we slowly turn around, heading back towards the boat. On our way, we interrupt a school of blue tang surgeonfish (better known as Dory in Finding Nemo). They flash their fins in a vivid cloud of bright blue and yellow. I notice that Hugh’s regulator isn’t spouting bubbles anymore and I wonder if he’s holding his breath too. There is an incredible magic to the ocean. I’m not ready for this dive to be over. It seems like everyone feels the same way because we’re swimming back slowly, drinking in every coral we pass and every flutter of fin that passes us.