MONTEREY BAY


Standing on the beach
Fog just starting to burn away
Everything almost ready
The suit snug to my body

Mask on my forehead
I lift the heavy tank
To my back
And begin the walk

Backward steps into the water
My flippers awkward
The bay water is cold at first
My body warms it quickly

I lower my mask over my eyes
And place the regulator
In my mouth and breathe
The sound of forced air

I turn around
And gently enter beneath a wave
Darkness for a moment
Then I clear the mask

I begin to swim
Downward into the kelp
The life here is abundant
Schools of fish

Now at the bottom
About 80 ft the sand
Looks like waves in slow motion
I stand and look around

Not much light to see
The water is clear
I�m in a different world
I feel light even with the added weights

I go over to a kelp stalk
Attached to a rock
Pick it up to examine it
Then place it down

The kelp is like a forest
Then I feel a slight nudge
At my back
Suddenly concerned

Could this be a shark
They are in these waters
I reach down for my knife
Ready to attack

Turning around to see my adversary
I smile with relief
Let out some air
It is a seal

He swim back to me
Nudges me again
I fall back a little
Then regain my balance

He want to play
I stretch out and pet him
As he passes by
He seems to like this

After a few minutes
He must have gotten bored
With this invader
To his world

He didn�t come back again
Yet I have this time to remember
The day a seal came to play
My air running low I must return to my world


Michael V Hechtman