Personal Narrative: Tropical Reefs

At first it was nice and calm till I looked down, and I was there shocked. There were so many sharks and sting rays. I looked up and kept swimming forward and telling myself nothing bad will happen to you Mhari, nothing. After calming down some I looked down and nothing that bad. I brought my head up and took a big

It’s six o’clock in the morning and I’m standing in a wetsuit, holding a fiberglass board, on the soft sand at Jaws in Maui. I’m at one of the most famous beaches in Hawaii and I am here about to surf twelve foot waves. These waves are so powerful that they can crush the body if one falls off a surf board or one can be taken far out into the ocean by the extremely strong rip currents that follow these waves. The loud roar of the waves crashing on the shore with the power of a great white shark filled my ears and all that I could think of was, ‘How am I going to face this mysterious creature?”

A gray fog poured from the monster’s mouth as he flailed and thrashed whipping the waves into foam. Finally, he dove deep into the sea. The force of his mighty plunge exploded our boat into a million itty-bitty shards of shrapnel. We screamed and . . . Darkness. Were we dead? No, I could feel the biting purplish-blue sea between my toes. I tore at the water, sputtering, and choking in the heaving surf. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing that the entire falling through the hole nightmare was nothing but a rotten dream.

The sun came up; another day has begun. The deepest shades of night were replaced with bright magnificent colours, the reef became a busy neighbourhood. the turtles swam out of nest, the woken hatchlings laughed with joy. The fish scuttled out of the anemone womb meanwhile

The constant wind brushing my face was a clear indication of how fast we were going. The boat sliced through wave after wave like a giant surfboard. Gold tendrils of hair whipped around my head, refusing to be tamed. As we neared the dive site, we all started suiting up and strapping on our gear. The sun was so oppressive that I knew the cool water was going to be a relief. While we prepared, the dive master took out a dry erase board and mapped out the

The span between the surface of the water and the top of the cliff was three hundred feet high. The profile of sharks could just barely be seen circling in the murky brown water. My toes hung off of the side of the cliff loosening pebbles from their resting place and sending them plummeting to the shark infested cauldron. My swimsuit seeped frigid droplets of water down my legs. When my friends shouted up to me their voices became whispers barely audible as the wind screamed across my ears. I felt as if I was about to collapse from anxiety.

Thoughts rushed through my head about how I was going to survive and whether I will ever see my parents again. It began too much for me to handle it felt as though my skull was caving in, I allowed myself to lie down. My thoughts evaporated as I focused on the nature around me, the water trickling down the mossy rocks making their way down to the river below, the birds chirping and the trees blowing through the wind.

The earth shook as the iceberg smashed into the starboard of the ship. Frederick Fleet told me to warn everyone, and then he rang a warning bell three times and yelled,

The sand scorches our feet like steaks on a fiery grill. I had brought the Rock along to join me for a surfing lesson. We snatch our wetsuits and our boards and hit the waves. The second the ocean water hits my feet, it sends a chilling sensation through my entire body. The polar water on this hot day feels like a steamy shower after a long chilly day, calming and relaxing. The waves are monstrous and intimidating, however, I seem to ride them effortlessly like I had done it a million times before. I dash past the Rock and ride under a curling wave. Hidden in the waves are vibrantly colored fish swimming in schools. The water is translucent, so much that one can simply look at the ocean floor, and see the coral and seaweed that is

As the sun beats down on my back, I struggle to escape the water before it captures me. Sharks and jellyfish surround me while more dangers lay ahead. Sharp, ragged, pointed pieces of glass dig into my feet. Wet sand latches on to me, halting me in my path.

I sit here, alone, in a cold sweat on a summer night in the black pacific night. My body cringing from the struggle of rowing out to sea. I don’t know why I came, maybe it was depression, maybe it was out of frustration, maybe to escape the world. I hear the boat crying out for me, the squeaking, the screaming pain, the wood dressed in chipped light blue paint. The moon’s light can’t reach me because of the thick, smoggy clouds. I hear the thunder roaring and what seems to be like it’s yelling at me. I hear the waves clapping and leaping up the side of the boat as it rocks side to side. The sights I see when I look around me is just darkness and the black, almost gross, black water. I tremble in fear, my hands shake, but I just

Regaining consciousness, I try looking around, but my vision is still foggy. My head aching, I can feel blood run down the side of my face. I had been struck by a blunt object, and restrained! My hands are tied behind my back, with a material so strong, not even my monstrous strength could break loose of it’s hold. Regaining my vision, I look out to the ocean. I can see enormous ships, with sailing technology far more advanced than my brain could ever comprehend. I could see tiny figures, hundreds of them racing down the ship like a ants colonizing to fetch dinner. “Invaders!”, I growled with the remaining energy I had. “Who are they? What do they want with me?”, i asked myself. I could hear loud, painful screams coming from behind. It was

Overwhelming: the force of the water pulling me down is overwhelming. I no longer know where I am, it has me in its grip. The bottom is gone. The surface is gone. The pressure on my chest is merciless. I can feel darkness sliding down me. Yes, this was the end. How did I let my friend convince me to try swimming?

Creeping to the edge of the rock ledge, I am overwhelmed by the frightening height. Although the path leading up to my refuge is obscured from view, the land in front of the bench is barren rock, opening out onto a large expanse of sky. Squinting in the sunlight, my eyes follow an osprey soaring free over the water. I inhale deeply, letting the refreshing salt air rush through my lungs and clear my head. I peer over the edge, and watch the receding tide far below. From my perch, I witness the emergence of a whole new world from the depths of the ocean. Rocks, seaweed, barnacles, and tide pools appear from nowhere, bringing sea life with it. The soft waves lap against the rocks, singing in harmony with the cool breeze that drifts through the trees, gently rustling the leaves.

When I turned back in the direction of my group, they were gone! I started to panick and began swimming in that direction franticly. How could I lose my group? I thought. I started to slow down only to spot a colorful coral reef. I’ve never actually stopped by one so I don’t really know what it’s like. Me being my curious self, decided to go for it. As I was swimming toward the reef, I saw a tuna fish.