The Last Dive Mishap

Hao Wu
Prof. Michelle Lawrence
ENG 226 H A
Apr 5, 2023
The Last Dive Mishap
It had been a busy week for me at school. With multiple assignments due, group projects to manage, and tests to study for, I needed help keeping up with the workload. Every day was a never-ending cycle of lectures, note-taking, and learning. On top of the academic demands, I also had extracurricular activities that required my time and attention. I was part of the school’s debate team, attending weekly meetings and preparing for upcoming tournaments. I also volunteered at a local animal shelter on the weekends, which was a cause close to my heart, but also added to my already hectic schedule. Despite my efforts to stay organized and on top of everything, I needed to catch up. I was sometimes stressed and overwhelmed, wondering how I would get everything done. But in the end, I managed to power through the week, using my time management skills and perseverance to tackle each task individually. Though it was not easy, I felt satisfied knowing that I had accomplished everything I set out to do. After I have completed everything, there will be a fulfilling reward for me.
Finally, the day I had been waiting for weeks had arrived. It was the end of summer, and I was finally going to fulfill my dream of diving into the deep blue sea. Growing up, I had always loved swimming and being in the water. My parents often took us to the beach or the local pool; we were natural in the water. However, it was not until a family vacation to a tropical island that my interest in diving was sparked. During that vacation, our family decided to go on a snorkeling trip to explore the colorful coral reefs surrounding the island. As I swam amongst the reefs, I was captivated by the splendor and diversity of the underwater world. I saw schools of tropical fish swimming past, sea turtles lazily gliding through the water, and even a few harmless sharks in the distance. After that snorkeling trip, I could not stop thinking about the incredible sights they had seen underwater.
I begged my parents to let me try scuba diving, and eventually, I was old enough to take a beginner’s course. I had everything planned perfectly – my scuba gear was ready, my friends were coming along, and we had booked the perfect spot to dive in. I even did a little homework to understand what it is like. I never knew what SCUBA stood for until I googled it. Turns out it stands for Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. Or the fact that the earth is 71% water, and 85% of this water is yet to be explored. Can you imagine? We are venturing into space when we don’t know what is around and beneath us! Maybe it is easier to explore space. But the most interesting of them all was that the deepest dive is 332.35 meters by an Egyptian called Ahmed Gabra. It took him twelve minutes to reach this depth. Aside from the local swimming pool, the deepest I had been in the water was on a tropical island. Nevertheless, that is not the catch. The catch is that it took Gabra fifteen hours to return to the surface. There is some science about that, but I stopped browsing because fun facts were now turning scary.[Bloem, Andrew. (2021) Fun facts about scuba diving.]
Of course, I didn&rsq...