Related to sea anemones, each polyp has a calcium-carbonate skeleton. Over time, they become cemented together. Arriving at our dive site, Wright fits me with a vest, tank and lead belt. The ocean resembles an expansive room with a white sand floor and a ceiling of shimmering aquamarine. Coral walls drip in a palette of colour.
Fish provide fleeting decorations, hovering then darting off.
Only breaths and bubbles break the wet silence. Suddenly, the threat of danger shatters the subsurface. I glimpse a dark, ominous shape looming in the water ahead. I've seen the TV specials. I've watched the Spielberg movie.