It takes a moment for the eyes to get used to the various shades of blue . The sky and sea merge, as little sails pop out of the waters adding a dash of colour to the horizon. I am all excited. It is my first scuba diving experience and we are right in the middle of the ocean in Bali. It is just the two of us and our instructor who is teaching us how to breathe under water. I tell him I don’t know to swim and he does not hear me. In a moment, I am in the water with him, bobbing in the waves , feeling the surge of excitement and anxiety – both at the same time. My husband is nowhere in sight. I pop my head one last time above water to look at the bright blue sky with the cotton candy clouds floating above me and then I lose myself in a world below .

The journey is amazing. Even better is the destination. The colours startle you as the creatures of the sea swim along with you. You feed the fish as they nibble at the pieces of bread . And then I reach the ocean floor to see the husband surrounded by a school of fish. Some swim with you, some lie quietly in their little corners. The riot of hues below is in complete contrast to the blues of the sea. There is a dash of purple, a montage of orange and red and crimson, tinges of green and yellow. It is like the palette of colours originated from life deep under. My lungs are unable to take the excitement for long. I leap up in a moment and come back to the surface, to a world which is familiar . I kick myself for not taking underwater photography, but then some experiences are best etched in our minds and memories.