The scuba instructor who was also a part of the crew gave us some lessons as to how to use our gear. After a few practices, we were sent into a lifeboat and after a few meters, they stopped the boat and encouraged us to dive in.

"Okay, who wants to dive in first?"

"We'll go," I said. Karla hesitated. I could tell that she was scared, but I insisted it would be a fun. She agreed. We dove in and checked our gear, our compressor and regulator. It seemed to be working alright. When we reached AT 5, we stopped for three minutes as our instructor had told us. This would allow our bodies to adapt to the pressure of the water. After our three minute break, we dived lower until we saw the reef. We were instructed to stop at 25 meters. Soon we were looking at a breathtaking reef. The colors of the reef were mesmerizing and its tones variated from pink, to purple, to blue, to bright yellows. Fish of all sorts of colors, some with stripes, others with spots and some in simple solid colors swam above and through the reef.

I felt a sting on my left leg and shivered

I felt a sting on my left leg and shivered. I looked below, but fog blurred my sight and I couldn't see. I thought I had seen a huge tail of something, some abnormally large creature, but what I didn't know. Panicking and thinking that maybe it was a shark fin I held my breath for a fraction of a second and felt a sharp sting on my chest. Karla and our instructor rushed towards me. I couldn't hear him but I could tell that he was trying to calm me down with each of his gestures.

Slowly, we began to ascend. Then, I was pulled into the lifeboat, my mask and snorkel were instantly removed and someone was on top of me doing CPR. Soon, I was coughing salty water from my dry mouth and my ability to breathe returned to my lungs.

"Okay, I think we've had enough for today. New lesson. Never, ever, hold your breath," our instructor said. I was going to sickbay for a check up.

So, the lifeboat was ascended because of my accident. Everyone around the boat glared at me, but it wasn't my fault. The instructor had insisted on taking us up. I was sent to sick bay and checked. I was Xrayed and told that I was a lucky man.

"Everything is alright. You're lucky. You could have ruptured a lung, but you didn't. Next time, don't hold your breath," the doctor said. I was a doctor and I knew he was right. I decided to return to my cabin. My wife accompanied me although I complained. I didn't want her to miss out on the fun because of me.