Frightful Encounter

High surf is beginning to subside and our beach is littered with sea urchins tossed ashore by the massive waves. When I got to the beach this morning I was told that one person had died and several more had been rescued from the treacherous currents on Sunday. Disregarding the large waves and reports of death, I entered the ocean for my swim. Turbulent water had stirred up the sea floor and visibility was less than desirable; but as long as long as I could see sand and coral below me, I felt it clear enough to swim.

After about ten minutes I swam into a cloud of murky water. I decided to swim through it, hoping to finally discover safe, clear, swimable water on the other side. Visibility continued to decrease and I began to think about recent reports of predatory tiger sharks in the area. With bloody visions in my brain, suddenly, a large dark shape appeared only feet away heading directly at me. Before I could think to react, five more materialized from the gloom. By the time my camera was ready to fire, the six spinner dolphins had disappeared into the murk. "Okay," I told myself as I started swimming back to the beach, "I think I'll only do a short swim today."