Aka felt very uncomfortable in the suit she was wearing, reasonably so. She was used to wearing clothes that were a bit more loose than this, a scuba suit on the other hand, it was much more... 'form fitting' as one may put it, than she was used to. This was nothing to say about how crammed her hair felt within the suit, it was altogether not pleasant, and very clear that suits like this were designed for men much more so than women.
It was very easy for Aka to zone out with the dull hum of a boat motor running in the back of her mind, however she did often feel anxious despite her mind wandering. Not that she was scared or anything, but rather that she hadn't taken a moment to use her 'prescription' at all today. She really wanted to, but she was very afraid of messing with her blood pressure before doing this.
Aka had heard about 'The Bends' and was noticeably worried about something like that happening to her, because if she stopped focusing down there and dislodged her breathing apparatus, that was it. Game over.
She sighed as the boat began to slow down and the motor quieted. It wasn't like she was just gonna sit back and let something like that happen to her. To die in such a silly way after living the kind of life that she had was just a laughable concept to her, one that she didn't really even want to entertain. Then again, if one were to die in any way, drowning is easily in her top ten least favorite.
The boat suddenly stopped, and so too did the sound of the motor. In its stead was the sound of the ocean, coupled with the background of seagulls chiming above.
"Welp, this is where we're stopping sweetheart. You got about an hours worth o' air in that tank, assuming you stay above the recommended depth. Mask has a camera there, and we'll page you if we're recommending you start heading back. Now, just cause you have an hours worth, doesn't mean you should stay out for an hour. Remember that."
Aka nodded before fixing her mask against her face and affixed the nozzle to the mouthpiece. She sat herself against the side of the boat, tilting it ever so slightly as she prepared to dive. It was harrowing, and she did hesitate for a brief moment, just before she centered herself and tilted her way back into the deep blue depths.
The envelopment of the water was sudden, and yet, it was comforting to her. Aka looked around for a moment, gathering her bearings as she took in the first view. It was nothing too special, mostly a deep void, however, it is the ocean and she could clearly make out the sides of what appeared to be some fish. If she expected to see any more creatures clearly, she was gonna have to get closer to the bottom.
Aka started to dive a bit, clicking on the flashlight on her wrist as she made her way downward, also making sure that she was going slightly in the direction of the beach in the process. She didn't want to be caught out here without any way back either, nor did she want to ditch any of the equipment because she had no air left. She really wanted her deposit back, and that was how she was getting it. She kept going down until her depth gauge said she was nearing 20 meters down, but she still couldn't see much. She knew that the beach was to the North of where she was, so she would have to consult the compass often, but it seemed she was too far out to reach the bottom of the ocean at her recommended depth.
As much as she wanted to go deeper, she was truly afraid of the concept, so there was no way that was happening. For now, Aka would be content with the simple sounds of her own breathing and the cool sounds of the water that she splashed.
It was quite peaceful down here, which was something that Aka had to appreciate. This was her first time trying anything like this after all, so she was glad it was enjoyable, especially considering the repetitive safety and training courses that she had to endure just to get this opportunity in the first place. It also would be worth it afterward, considering that this was on the missions board at the academy, so she was certain that she'd gain at least a bit of bonus points for her dedication.
By now, she'd been swimming for a bit, so she anticipated to start to see something soon. And right she was, as her light started to reflect the seafloor back, slowly but surely picking up a greater image the more she swam. Coral and anemones were plentiful down here, and where you see those, you see fish. Lots and lots of fish, and suddenly the world she had once seen as peaceful was suddenly bustling and beautiful.
It was quite colorful, some were simply chromatic fish, but many had scales which brightly reflected sunlight, swimming away and blinding Aka a bit as the light hit her eyes. Of course, that was a bit of an exaggeration but that was the best way to describe what she was seeing. She was in a new world down here, and that world was wonderful.
Suddenly, something bumped her leg. It was quick, and Aka's blood froze in her veins as her mind ran wild with fear. Slowly, she turned around to see what had disturbed her, only to see that nothing was there. She was confused, and a bit worried. Eventually, she resolved to accept that it had probably just been a fish that passed by her too quickly,and continued her swim.
She found herself in a kelp field, swimming in and out of dense forests of greenery, often being hard to make out where she was even going. Then, something darted across her vision in front of her. Aka stopped, waiting for what came next. Her breathing was the only thing she had to focus on as a flash of gray came from her side and swam behind her, then another in front of her, and another, and another.
She couldn't keep up, and suddenly her leg was nudged again. She turned around, and found the culprit. It was a seal, no. There wasn't just one seal, there was two, no, three. It was a family of seals. They had to have been chasing fish around the area when they came across her, it was amazing that they approached her though. They were so cute, staring at her and swimming in circles, twirling around and around. It was the most adorable thing Aka had ever seen.
She reached her hand forward a bit as one of them swam close to investigate her, seeming to smell her to gauge her level of threat. She ran her hand down its side as it swam past and out into the kelp forests and the rest of its family seemed to follow close behind.
Aka smiled from beneath her mask as she waved goodbye to her friends and kicked back into a steady pace toward the beach, enjoying the relative peace that the memory allowed her. The rest of the swim back was uneventful by comparison, seeing many fish, crabs, and other ground based sea life on her trip. Just like that, she was surfacing and clambering up onto the beach. She took off her flippers and mask, taking her time on the much more drab trip back to the rental house.
There, she returned the equipment and got her deposit back, making small talk with the gentleman at the front desk. She turned and was about to leave for the day, but not before she came back and asked to buy the tape from the mask-camera,
It was very easy for Aka to zone out with the dull hum of a boat motor running in the back of her mind, however she did often feel anxious despite her mind wandering. Not that she was scared or anything, but rather that she hadn't taken a moment to use her 'prescription' at all today. She really wanted to, but she was very afraid of messing with her blood pressure before doing this.
Aka had heard about 'The Bends' and was noticeably worried about something like that happening to her, because if she stopped focusing down there and dislodged her breathing apparatus, that was it. Game over.
She sighed as the boat began to slow down and the motor quieted. It wasn't like she was just gonna sit back and let something like that happen to her. To die in such a silly way after living the kind of life that she had was just a laughable concept to her, one that she didn't really even want to entertain. Then again, if one were to die in any way, drowning is easily in her top ten least favorite.
The boat suddenly stopped, and so too did the sound of the motor. In its stead was the sound of the ocean, coupled with the background of seagulls chiming above.
"Welp, this is where we're stopping sweetheart. You got about an hours worth o' air in that tank, assuming you stay above the recommended depth. Mask has a camera there, and we'll page you if we're recommending you start heading back. Now, just cause you have an hours worth, doesn't mean you should stay out for an hour. Remember that."
Aka nodded before fixing her mask against her face and affixed the nozzle to the mouthpiece. She sat herself against the side of the boat, tilting it ever so slightly as she prepared to dive. It was harrowing, and she did hesitate for a brief moment, just before she centered herself and tilted her way back into the deep blue depths.
The envelopment of the water was sudden, and yet, it was comforting to her. Aka looked around for a moment, gathering her bearings as she took in the first view. It was nothing too special, mostly a deep void, however, it is the ocean and she could clearly make out the sides of what appeared to be some fish. If she expected to see any more creatures clearly, she was gonna have to get closer to the bottom.
Aka started to dive a bit, clicking on the flashlight on her wrist as she made her way downward, also making sure that she was going slightly in the direction of the beach in the process. She didn't want to be caught out here without any way back either, nor did she want to ditch any of the equipment because she had no air left. She really wanted her deposit back, and that was how she was getting it. She kept going down until her depth gauge said she was nearing 20 meters down, but she still couldn't see much. She knew that the beach was to the North of where she was, so she would have to consult the compass often, but it seemed she was too far out to reach the bottom of the ocean at her recommended depth.
As much as she wanted to go deeper, she was truly afraid of the concept, so there was no way that was happening. For now, Aka would be content with the simple sounds of her own breathing and the cool sounds of the water that she splashed.
It was quite peaceful down here, which was something that Aka had to appreciate. This was her first time trying anything like this after all, so she was glad it was enjoyable, especially considering the repetitive safety and training courses that she had to endure just to get this opportunity in the first place. It also would be worth it afterward, considering that this was on the missions board at the academy, so she was certain that she'd gain at least a bit of bonus points for her dedication.
By now, she'd been swimming for a bit, so she anticipated to start to see something soon. And right she was, as her light started to reflect the seafloor back, slowly but surely picking up a greater image the more she swam. Coral and anemones were plentiful down here, and where you see those, you see fish. Lots and lots of fish, and suddenly the world she had once seen as peaceful was suddenly bustling and beautiful.
It was quite colorful, some were simply chromatic fish, but many had scales which brightly reflected sunlight, swimming away and blinding Aka a bit as the light hit her eyes. Of course, that was a bit of an exaggeration but that was the best way to describe what she was seeing. She was in a new world down here, and that world was wonderful.
Suddenly, something bumped her leg. It was quick, and Aka's blood froze in her veins as her mind ran wild with fear. Slowly, she turned around to see what had disturbed her, only to see that nothing was there. She was confused, and a bit worried. Eventually, she resolved to accept that it had probably just been a fish that passed by her too quickly,and continued her swim.
She found herself in a kelp field, swimming in and out of dense forests of greenery, often being hard to make out where she was even going. Then, something darted across her vision in front of her. Aka stopped, waiting for what came next. Her breathing was the only thing she had to focus on as a flash of gray came from her side and swam behind her, then another in front of her, and another, and another.
She couldn't keep up, and suddenly her leg was nudged again. She turned around, and found the culprit. It was a seal, no. There wasn't just one seal, there was two, no, three. It was a family of seals. They had to have been chasing fish around the area when they came across her, it was amazing that they approached her though. They were so cute, staring at her and swimming in circles, twirling around and around. It was the most adorable thing Aka had ever seen.
She reached her hand forward a bit as one of them swam close to investigate her, seeming to smell her to gauge her level of threat. She ran her hand down its side as it swam past and out into the kelp forests and the rest of its family seemed to follow close behind.
Aka smiled from beneath her mask as she waved goodbye to her friends and kicked back into a steady pace toward the beach, enjoying the relative peace that the memory allowed her. The rest of the swim back was uneventful by comparison, seeing many fish, crabs, and other ground based sea life on her trip. Just like that, she was surfacing and clambering up onto the beach. She took off her flippers and mask, taking her time on the much more drab trip back to the rental house.
There, she returned the equipment and got her deposit back, making small talk with the gentleman at the front desk. She turned and was about to leave for the day, but not before she came back and asked to buy the tape from the mask-camera,
