SATURDAY, 15 NOVEMBER AD 2008

2108L MST

So there I was, 37 feet under water, saying to myself, "Self, why are we doing this again???" Sucking of the precious air that was all but forced into my lungs, they had turned of the lights topside in the crater at Homestead Resort in Utah. I thought I would be afraid, that I would panic. Panic is bad. Very bad and very deadly.

I hovered there with three of my classmates and my instructor from A-1 SCUBA in Englewood, Colorado. Breathing in and out, in and out, in and out. Never hold your breath. Keep the regulator within reach. Watch what your instructor does. Take care of your buddy. Never dive alone.

I am doing this because I turn 41 tomorrow. I am doing this because I love it. I love the new folks I meet. I love the skills that I learn. I love the sensation of being weightless and floating. I love the confidence it builds within me.

I will be an advanced open water SCUBA diver tomorrow. I love that, too.

SEMPER EXCUBITUM

MICHAEL B. SMITH