I had a wonderful day yesterday. It was my birthday. My dad said that he was taking us to the sea. Although I knew swimming and diving, I was still scared of the vastness of the sea. It made me dizzy.

My father had plans to make me overcome my fear. So when we were packing for the trip, Dad told me to take my swimsuit as well. I was dumbstruck, I wanted to tell him I didn’t want to go and run away from there. But the look in Dad’s eyes froze me and I felt as if I was hypnotised.

I walked to my room and, with trembling hands, I took my swimsuit and put it in my duffle bag. My shoulders hung, I slowly walked out and got seated in the car with my parents. All my thrill and happiness vanished, while Dad and Mum talked as if nothing had happened.

After driving for a while, we finally reached the seaside. Dad drove up to a point from where people would dive into the open sea. This area was a designated for divers as the water and sea bed was clean and safe.

I took a deep breath as Dad passed smile to me. Both of us changed into our swimsuits in the changing rooms nearby. As we walked towards the point, I turned and looked at my mum. She was smiling and gestured me good luck while capturing the whole scene on her mobile phone.

Dad told me, “You and I will jump at the same time, I’ll hold your hand, count till three and then we will jump.”

I nodded. What else I could do? Dad counted. I took a deep breath and we jumped.

I screamed all the way. I thought, “This is total madness. Why would anyone invent such stupid and extreme sports? This maybe the end of my life. This might be how my story ends, but it should not. I am too young. I must live.”

We plunged into the water with a big splash. The first few seconds were really scary, but Dad held me tight and soon our heads came up out of the water. He then told me to start swimming as he left my hand, while still remaining close.

I was stunned. I soon lost my fear as I started to swim well in the calm water of the sea. In the clear water, I saw some underwater creatures and was spellbound by all I saw. We saw many colourful fish, crabs and corals which were providing shelter and protection to marine life. The beauty of the underwater world cannot be explained in words, nor captured on camera.

I was enjoying the beauty around me when suddenly I saw a used plastic bottle on the bed of the sea, and what I thought was a jellyfish was actually a plastic shopper floating away. I forgot my fear and enjoyment, as it all made me sad to realise that there was pollution spoiling such a beautiful environment.

Though the trip was very enjoyable and, thanks to my father, I lost my fear of the sea and I actually started loving it. I learnt a lot from this trip and my experience, as I realised how important marine life is for the whole ecosystem. Oceans help maintain the atmosphere and regulate temperature. One million species of animals live in the oceans and seas. There are many types of plants underwater and without them, a number of marine species would suffer, millions of people would lose an important food source, and economies would take a huge hit. In simple words, life as we know today won’t exist without the oceans.

After the adventure, we came back home and I can’t wait for my next trip. However, I remembered what I saw in the water, so with the onset of summer vacation, I am planning to start a clean-up project. At least I’ll do my part and start from cleaning the beaches whenever I visit the seaside.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 18th, 2022