Take the plunge…immerse yourself in one of my vacation days in Florida (pre-hurricane):

It’s a gorgeous 90-degree Fahrenheit plus humidity day in the 120-mile Florida Keys 200-island chain. Five miles offshore from Key West (the southernmost point in the United States), the lime-green water over the coral reef is clear, calm and shallow—ideal for snorkeling and viewing the natural habitat and all the species of marine wildlife.

Facemask sealed (by breathing in through my nose and tightening the mask around my face and making sure no stray hairs are trapped) and snorkel perfectly aligned, I sit down on the edge of the charter boat and jump-drop into the water. I hear my fins make a slapping sound, and then I am submerged. My 11-year-old son follows. Both his sister and his father are patiently waiting for us, images of brightly colored fish flicking through their minds—an underwater world to discover. Oh what a playground—but do not touch the reef we are warned!

Below us is a living coral garden—in fact, 47 varieties of coral (like the purple and deep royal blue seafans, soft and hard corals…). Plus500 species of tropical fish and other marine creatures to discover—rainbow-colored, striped, spotted and bright neon-electric fish; grouper; tiger fish; clown fish; barracudas (some over 4-and-a-half feet long); jewelfish; parrotfish (orange and purple); butterfly fish (yellow); queen angels (turquoise); large schools of two-inch silver fish that move together like a wave (just like in the movie Finding Nemo); urchins; needle fish that swim just under the surface of the water…

Absolutely breathtaking! Purely amazing!

I float and look. I paddle and look. I just can’t get enough of this colorful wonderland.

And astonishingly…about a half hour later…I see a shark and realize there is nobody immediately nearby!

In another Blog post I’ll share what happened next.

Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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