The final rinse of your mask before you fit it to your face. The sound of your float making a distinct slap from hitting the water after the captain tossed it into the slow rolling wake to your side. Your fin tip gliding over the rail and piercing the top layer of the realm below you. One hand, firmly controlling your smooth momentary fall from the security of the vessel.

The other hand, guiding your powerful and accurate fish harvester of choice. The water rises from your knees to your waist, to fully engulfing you. In an instant everything your body and mind knew as gravity is stripped away in a white wash of miniscule bubbles.

You canʼt see anything, your mind races, your breath is held, your eyes scanning for clarity... even though it was only a few seconds, it felt like more. Without hesitation you reach forward to grip your bands, clear your line to air and begin pulling each band to its home just a few inches away from the trigger. A few more seconds pass as you go through your mental checklist... then your eyes and focus on the task at hand get ripped away at a nearby shimmer of movement.

Bait streaks by in frantic movement, triggering your focus and immediate relaxation. Your tuck and decent are quiet, only a few small bubbles identifying your last known position. Your acting natural, relaxed and “in different” to your surroundings. Your movements are undetectable, you are simply a dark and unknown object in a sea of blue.

Without warning, your dream prey is in front of you, curious and cautious, yet ready to bolt at the slightest sign of aggression. Everything you have done up until this moment is now on the line, your dreams, your training, every aspect of your equipment choices and the recipe you already are tasting. In the next few seconds, you will feel experience either pure ecstasy or complete deflation. In your mind, it is now... or never.