We’re on a different part of the reef this morning, and both Miguel and Vanessa had seemed excited about the conditions and the location when we were on the boat. We find out as soon as we’re underwater that they were right to be excited.

We aren’t descending on a mooring line. Instead, we all bring our BCD hoses over our heads and press the deflate button, slowly sinking down towards the sandy bottom. We’re only about thirty feet underwater, and the sun filters down, dappling the ocean floor.

Derek doesn’t have his camera, and Natalie is making the most of his attention by pointing out a school of sweetlips fish that darts by us. I’ve been keeping an eye on Natalie, but she hasn’t made any effort to talk to me since last night. I bring my attention back to the sweetlips fish. Their bodies are patterned in a black-and-white zigzag that makes them look like an optical illusion, and they have bright yellow lips, yellow fins and yellow tails. One by one, our group stills, watching as they flick their fins to pass us.

The sound of water in my ears is calming, a whooshing noise that eventually fades to the background, but never goes away. My regulator is a loud and comforting reminder that I’m breathing. Scuba-diving is my favourite form of meditation, I think. I want to keep doing it. A thought breaks through my trance – my current lifestyle isn’t exactly conducive to frequent dive trips – but I push it away.

Andrew gets his buoyancy quicker than usual, although I see Hugh snicker when Pippa grabs Andrew’s hand and yanks him back down. Sometimes I think scuba-diving is like being on the moon – with a jacket full of air on, you can’t really control any of your movements. And everyone looks hilarious when they try, like stumbling toddlers just learning to swim.

I’ve got the hang of it after yesterday and can scuba like Hugh does, with my arms crossed in front of me, each hand grabbing my opposite elbow. Yesterday, Hugh was the only non-instructor to dive in this position, and when I try it today, I pick it up quicker than I thought I would. Keeping my arms crossed in front of me helps direct my body, so if I tilt my arms up, I go up, and if I tilt them down, I go down. The only thing I can’t get the hang of is stopping in front of something and remaining still. My breath lifts my body up and down, and I’m always afraid I’ll sink low enough that I’ll hit the coral, which is a big no-no – divers should not disturb coral at any cost.