I opened my eyes and the water was clear as crystal. It was like another world.

Forcing myself to stay under, I tried to take it all in.

The seaweed, dancing slowly with the movement of the water, harbored small lemon-colored fish that swam away as my hand neared them.

I touched my feet to the bottom but immediately pulled away as I felt the coral and shells graze them; they were beautiful but dangerously sharp.

Image My underwater paradise. Credit... Courtesy of Ella Sangster

Tilting my head up, I watched the rays of sun drift lazily down through the glassy surface and let myself float back to the world above.

I emerged just as a wave hit the side of the rock, and I caught the spray of it. I breathed in the smell of the ocean and pulled myself up to sit on the edge of the pool.

Staring back down into the hidden little world of magic, I saw an octopus curl a tentacle out from behind a pile of stones. I warily pulled my feet up a little before realizing it was brown, meaning it was harmless.