Page 33 of The Sailor in Polynesia
Fish darted in and out of the maze below us and sharks patrolled.
Lila drifted back up to the surface and I felt myself slowing. Now that the pass was done, the ride was over and the current had eased.
Popping up at the surface, I heard the rest of our group laughing and shouting. Jonas climbed into the dinghy to start it, and the rest of us kicked over to pull ourselves aboard.
“Those sharks!” Elayna gasped. “There were so many!”
“It was amazing. I’ve never seen so much coral in my life.” I was giddy with excitement.
“Mia, you are an amazing free diver.” Lila grinned at me.
“We go again, ja?” asked Eivind.
Jonas climbed in first and bent over to help me. Getting back into the dinghy wasn’t easy by myself, but Jonas braced himself and offered me a hand, pulling me in. Space was tight, so Jonas sat next to me while we shook off the water and arranged our gear out of the way.
Despite the sun beating down, I was chilled from the swim and the droplets of seawater wicked away the heat. I shivered, my skin breaking out in goose bumps.
“Ah, Mia, here.” Jonas pulled a towel out of the dry bag and wrapped it around my shoulders. He wrapped an arm around me too and firmly rubbed my upper arm, pulling me into his warmth.
By the time everyone was situated, Jonas fired up the engine and we puttered out to sea again.
The tide was still rolling in, though it would slow as the day went on, so we only had an hour or so before the tide stalled and switched. We rode the current again and again and again.
“One last time,” Eivind pleaded.
“There was hardly any current this most recent time. I think we play it safe and go home. We do not want the tide to switch on us.” Jonas, the ever-practical safety officer.
“Nah, yeah. We can go again tomorrow?” Lila was hopeful.
Jonas revved the engine. “We can go tomorrow,” he agreed.
We motored home, Jonas dropping me off at my boat first. “See you soon,” he said, helping me climb aboardWelina. I bit my lip and waved from the deck as Jonas pushed off. We kept smiling at each other as he motored away until Eivind said something and Jonas was forced to turn ahead.
I washed myself and my gear, humming along the whole time. My mind kept getting stuck on the way Jonas had watched me, letting me be myself underwater, a place I always felt more elegant and graceful. I saw it in Jonas too: the lines of his body, contrasted against the deep blue waters, were strong and comfortable.
There had been so much worth looking at.
Thirteen
I was going to do something I hadn’t done in nearly a year: fly my drone. I’d been looking over the video footage I’d taken since I had relaunchedWelina, and nothing I had filmed so far did this place justice. I needed to get a view from the air.
So many things were easier to do when I had someone to help me, and flying the drone was one of them. And I knew Jonas would love to get a look “behind the scenes.”
After digging out the drone, I plugged the batteries in, emptied the SD card of some old footage, and while I waited for things to charge, I sat at the desk and grabbed the radio.
“Eik, Eik, Eik,this isWelina,” I called.
“Welina, Eik,”Jonas answered, and I could hear his smile coming through.
“Would you like to come over? I could use some help.”
“I am on my way.” No questions asked.
* * *
Jonas and I stood on deck, my drone sitting at our feet, ready for flight. I picked it up and handed it to him.
“Here, hold this.” I showed him how to grip the legs of the drone and raise it over his head. “It’s easier to launch this way because if the boat swings, the drone is already above most of the deck hardware. You ready?”
