if I could choose an evolutionary digression

---

There’s something about a night dive that is incredibly energizing, maybe it’s the adrenaline of looking over your shoulder into a black abyss of water where only earlier that day it was crystal clear, unknowing the known. Maybe it’s just finishing the dive without suffering any mishap such as getting lost without a flashlight, which is pretty feasible. Maybe it’s the knowledge that the predators come out to feed at night, they zoom in and out of your pathetic flashlight beam, if you’re lucky you may catch the attack. It could be the excitement of searching for animals that are only active at night such as the octopus, almost like a treasure hunt, who will be the first to sight it? Hanging on the mooring line during my safety stop after diving Missing Link at night I was totally mesmerized by the zooplankton that twirled around my light, like bugs attracted to a zapper, it appeared as if I was carrying a sparkler underwater. I thought about not leaving the warm, comforting embrace of the water pressing on each side of me, just sleeping there for the night, maybe find a nice brain coral to rest my head, a sea fan for a sheet. Lungs are totally lame, I’d trade them in for gills any day.

---