Now, we’re listening to Aaron tell us about the time he captained a boat for a famous reality TV star to go diving on the Great Barrier Reef. I catch him hinting that the reality TV show in question was The Bachelor, but despite how interested I usually would be in the story, I can’t focus. If Vanessa is serious, and she restricts my dive time, that means less opportunity to spot the butterfly wrasse. Despite my effort not to pay him any more attention, I can’t help but glare at Hugh.

As my eyes narrow in on the slope of his nose, I see Miguel looking my way out of my peripherals. He looks down at his plate and I do the same, busying myself with my few remaining bites of food. I wonder if he is like this with everyone – I’ve already seen him laughing plenty with Andrew.

Derek interrupts Aaron to tell a story about how his boss and the famous guy Aaron mentioned have some sort of rivalry over a factory in Vegas. I watch Vanessa’s spine stiffen ever so slightly. She gets up to clear our plates, graciously manoeuvring around us as she takes things back to the kitchen. I don’t think anyone else notices the slight side-eye she gives Derek. She may dislike me, but after what happened earlier, she dislikes him more.

Miguel, Natalie and Derek shot up their flares right after we got back on the boat. They seemed to surface just in time, right before Vanessa really blew her lid. She pulled Derek aside immediately, wagging her finger at him like an angry schoolteacher, mentioning his camera repeatedly. Her voice returned to normal at the end of their conversation. Derek looked close to tears until she switched to a gentler tone and said, ‘I’m glad you’re OK.’ I had forgotten until that moment that everyone on board pays Vanessa, so there’s probably a protocol where she can’t yell at Derek. I almost wished he had gotten yelled at. What he did was worse than me! Hugh and I technically never even got lost. Plus, if you can’t keep up with the group when you’re taking photos, then you shouldn’t be taking photos.

Surprisingly, given his acerbic personality, Hugh was making quick friends with Andrew, who seemed to think he was hilarious, and it appeared he had even won over Miguel. He had an easy conversational way about him, and a sincere way of listening to people – his head would gently lean to the right, his eyebrows would furrow a centimetre closer together and the blue of his eyes would deepen.