Jasmine swam away and moved to check her mom’s air tank. As Mom’s diving buddy, that was Jasmine’s responsibility.
Jasmine made sure there were more than fifty bars of pressure. That was the safety number. If the air level got down to fifty bars, the tank was only a quarter full, and it would be time to start heading for the surface.
Mom turned and pointed toward the surface. Jasmine shook her head, then spun around so Mom could check her tank too. When she felt a tap on her shoulder, Jasmine turned back.
Mom flashed her a thumbs-up. Then she pivoted toward the reef and went back to work.
Jasmine glanced over to Arjun and Dad. They were investigating a shelf of coral to the left of the reef.
Dad checked Arjun’s tank and gave him the thumbs-up. Arjun did the same for their father.
Jasmine propelled herself through the water. While Mom and Dad collected data, she would do her part by removing any garbage.
Jasmine made her way around the coral. She made sure to pay close attention to the nooks and crannies.
Whitetip reef sharks loved to nap in the cozy crevices. They mostly stayed away from divers because they didn’t like the noise of the bubbles from the air tanks. But that didn’t mean they wouldn’t get grouchy if a diver disturbed them.
Just then a nearby movement caught Jasmine’s attention. She raised her head and looked to her left.
Arjun was picking up trash from the reef and putting it in his mesh bag. He stopped and watched a school of yellowfin goatfish swim past. Then he swam in between them, holding out his fingers.
Jasmine puffed out an irritated breath. Arjun knew the rule about leaving the fish alone: Watch, don’t touch.
She was tempted to swim after Arjun. Disturbing the fish wasn’t just disrespectful. It could attract sharks to their location.
But just then, Arjun swam away from the fish. He headed back to Dad.
Jasmine went back to work. She noticed a plastic six-pack ring snagged on a piece of rock and snatched it up before it could get caught on a turtle’s fin.
A glint of something shiny caught her eye next. Jasmine reached for the object. It was a silver ring.
Probably an inexperienced diver, she thought.
Most divers knew not to wear anything shiny when diving. It attracted fish, which would nibble and bite, thinking the object could be food.
Jasmine stashed it in her bag so it couldn’t be accidentally eaten by the marine life. When she looked up, she realized she’d moved too far from her mom.
Jasmine turned and started to swim closer. But something suddenly caught her heel and dragged her down.
CHAPTER 2
UNEXPECTED TERROR
Instinct took over. Jasmine kicked. Her heart raced, but she was ready to swim away as fast as she could or to defend herself. Maybe it was a grumpy fish. Or maybe she’d been caught in some rope or plastic.
Instead, she turned and saw Arjun.
Her brother waved at her. Then he spun and returned to their dad’s side.
Furious, Jasmine followed. She tried to get her mind back on the dive, but she couldn’t.
Instead of noticing the different types of fish swimming around her, Jasmine kept watching Arjun. She couldn’t shake the feeling he was going to do something silly and ruin the dive.
Jasmine checked her watch. They had been underwater for thirty-five minutes and still had five minutes left on the dive. Usually she would take all the time she could get. But worrying about Arjun took the fun out of it.
Mom and Dad were still busy collecting samples of coral. Jasmine tapped her dad on his shoulder. When he turned her way, she pointed up toward the surface.
Dad nodded. Mom saw their underwater conversation and nodded too. She motioned to Arjun, and the four of them swam to the surface.
Jasmine concentrated on moving slowly. Every few feet, she exhaled.
Emptying her breath allowed her lungs to adjust to the changing pressure of the water. It also prevented nitrogen from forming in her blood, which could make her dizzy or nauseated.
Jasmine broke the surface of the water first. She pulled off her mask and took out her regulator. Blinking, she turned and saw the dive boat. Captain Brody waved at them from on board.
Mom waved back. She pulled her regulator out of her mouth and looked at Jasmine. “Is everything OK?” she asked. “Why did you stop the dive early?”
“I was hungry,” Jasmine lied.
She was mad at her brother, but lately it seemed as if all she and Arjun did was fight. Jasmine was tired of it. She wanted to talk to Arjun first and give him the chance to apologize.
Besides, thought Jasmine, I always watch Arjun when our parents are gone. If he gets grounded from diving, I’ll have to babysit him. No way am I giving up the water for him!
Dad laughed. “You’re always hungry!” he said.
“Captain Brody is a great cook,” Mom said. “I wouldn’t mind another one of his crabmeat sandwiches.” She kicked out and started for the boat.
