Neptune’s Playground by Susan Campbell
Chicken of the sea faces evils of the deep… Underwater sightseeing always looks so magical on television. But I’ve always wondered if they have off-camera people keeping dangerous sea creatures away from the actors. Now, as I’m about to embark on my first snorkeling adventure, I’m suddenly terrified by the potential evils of the deep. I quickly realize I’m the only first-time snorkeler aboard as everyone else starts casually spitting into their masks to prevent fogging. Yech! We can put a man on the moon, but we can’t invent masks that don’t fog up without saliva?
With help from the crew I don the prerequisite gear. Thanks to the flippers, I stumble around the deck like a demented penguin. The others are already submerged so I say a quick prayer and belly flop right in. After all, I didn’t come all the way from frozen Canada in February to wimp out on my first tropical adventure! Clenching the snorkel in my mouth, I attempt breathing underwater. The instant my face is immersed beneath the waves, a rainbow of fish swirls up to greet me in a whirling tornado of color. Not a scary looking one in the lot! nights 47