What could be more pleasant than learning to scuba dive in the
tropical waters off the coast of Broome in Western Australia, where the
water is warm, visibility is clear and the sea life is abundant, and
mostly harmless, I was assured.
I had imagined embracing the explosion of life and colour in this new
environment; swimming effortlessly alongside shoals of coral fish and
marvelling at the giant manta rays as they glided effortlessly above my
head. But I was brutally wrenched from these notions before I even
reached the bottom.