Shallow Waters

As I stare down into the water, I wonder just how deep it really is. The beach is just the tip of the iceberg, and there was a whole other world down there. Maybe from up here we could see fish, dolphins, crabs, whales, but who knew what could be down there? After all, only five percent of the known ocean has been explored.
I ignore everything else as I sit there on the warm sand, feeling the waves bring me the wonderful sensation of the water on my skin. I hear the seagulls cry, the joy of others, but all I really notice is the calming sound of waves rising with strength and then dissipating as they are slowly absorbed by the sand.
The sand fills me with warmth as the sun's rays allow thermal energy to flow through the ground and into my body. The warmth is then washed away as the waves crash over me and drag the energy deep into the ocean, which soaks into the sand and warms me up once again. Nothing can distract me.
“Sophie!” I hear someone call my name, but ignore it. My parents were probably just trying to make me eat something.
I don’t know why I love water so much, I just do. The ocean is my happy place. Nothing makes me feel more happy than being underwater by a reef with the fish swimming around me.
I decide to wade into the waves. I stand up and slowly walk farther into the waves, only to get knocked down by a powerful 4 - foot wave.
I stagger up and continue walking. You can’t let anything stop you. You should never get up. That is my motto.
As I wade deeper, I feel a crab brush over my toe and giggle. It is so ticklish. Even when I get pinched occasionally, I can’t help but laugh from the ticklishness of a crab.
The water is about shoulder deep when a powerful growing wave forces me to dunk my head quickly. I hold my breath and go down. In that brief moment, I see a huge majestic school of fish swimming next to me. When I poke my head back up, I see a dolphin fin in the distance. This is a lucky trip.
I’m treading water now, it is about seven feet deep. I decided to dive. I put my head underwater and opened my eyes. The ocean never got old. Every time it is a beautiful rainbow of colorful life.
I see colorful trought, vibrate seaweed, and bright red crabs. It is amazing. Then I see something not as amazing.
A large shark, swimming right toward me. I panik. I don’t know what to do except swim, so I do.
I angle myself and start swimming, as fast as I can. I’ve never actually swam farther than three hundred meters breaststroke, but my adrenaline is more than enough to fuel me.
It could have been a blue shark, but I didn’t get a good enough look. It could have been a great white, or worse. I don’t have time to think. I just swim as fast as I can, breathing every seven strokes. I don’t dare to stop and look around.
I swim and swim and swim. I feel like I have been swimming for ages. The water is much smoother, and I still haven't made landfall. I am just using all my energy to swim. Stroke after stroke.
I keep swimming, and I’m sure I’ve been swimming for at least 10 minutes. Somehow, I still haven’t hit land. I must be going sideways, and would hit a jetty pretty soon. I’m starting to get tired. I’ve swam at least two hundred meters, maybe three hundred. I decide to take a break and go back to shore, something I should have done ages ago.
I get ready to stop, and - ow! I hit my head and stand up. Wait, how could I stand? Did I drift inland?
I allow my eyes to adjust to the light, and then realize what happened. I am on a sandbar, at least three hundred meters from the beach! I couldn't even see it!
I look at the island. It is a small circle of sand, maybe seven or eight meters. There is just a single dead crab sitting upside down.
I don’t know what direction to go, and I’m stranded far out at sea. No one will see me, either. I’m in a sky blue bikini, and I’m white. I’ll blend right in with the sand and water.
I do the only thing I can do: follow the current. If I didn’t trust the waves to point me toward landfall now, then I would drown in high tide.
I trust the ocean, but enough to determine if I’ll die a slow and painful death without anyone to comfort me, or If I’ll survive to live another day? Well, I better take my chances.
Without thinking, I dive into the water and aim myself in the direction of the waves. It’s a lot easier to swim with the current in my favor, but this water is cold. It will take all my strength to make it back to the beach.
I swim and swim and swim and swim, but I poke my head out and still can’t see the beach. Or the island, for that matter. To make things worse, the waves were too choppy to tell which direction they were going. I just had to stay on track and hope I don’t get thrown off.
I look down, only to see endless blue as far as I can see. There are no fish. As far as I knew, I might never stop swimming until I got to Japan.
I'm getting extremely tired, with hardly any adrenaline left to keep me going. I force each pointless stroke as I slowly get pushed around by the waves. Arms together, arms split. Arms together, arms split. Arms split - no, I arms together. Arms together, arms - wait, no, arms apart.
I swim and swim to no prevail. Stroke, stroke, stroke, until eventually, I’m too tired. I have no energy, and lose consciousness.


The last thing I remember was fainting in the water. I wake up in a bright room with lots of beeping. There is white everywhere, and I realize I’m in a hospital bed.
There is no one in the room at first glance. Wait, my mom is sitting in a chair next to me. She gasps.
“Sophie! You're Awake!” She exclaims. I’m very confused. Am I dead? What is happening? “You drifted, so we sent a search party for you, and they saw you just as you fainted.”
It made more sense now. The only thing I don’t understand is why they didn’t yell for me so I could float while they came and got me. I ask my mom the question.
“Because - well, they wanted to see how strong of a swimmer you are so that -” She is cut off when a tall man in a jumpsuit walked into the room.
“How would you like to start diving lessons with PADI?” He asks.