On my second 'fun' dive I ask the instructor if I can switch masks. 'They're all the same' he says. Unless I have a face that just isn't compatible with snorkel masks I know this isn't true so I grab a different one and hope this one is better. It's also my first dive without an instructor so I'm a little apprehensive.
There are four of us, with me and my buddy at the back of the group. The visibility is still poor so I stick close to my buddy. As we're moving up the narrow sand bank between two walls of coral my buddy turns around and signals what looks like a snake. A snake. Really? Actually I've no idea what she's trying to communicate but as she turns around and continues I follow on anyway. Suddenly I'm thrown against one of the walls of coral and pinned helplessly. I'm clinging on for dear life which makes me feel guilty as I know I'm not supposed to touch the coral. There's no option but to surface. I can't see anyone anymore so I can't signal that I'm going up. When I do reach the surface I realise I'm perilously close to the waves lashing the shallow areas of the jagged (?) reef. I signal to the boat to come and pick me up as we were told to do in our briefing. The lookout signals for me to swim back to the boat. What's the point of signalling for help if they're going to tell you to swim.
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