This is an experience in Australia. During the brief break between exams when my brain was half numbed already, I decided to take up PADI Open Water which lasted 3 days. Day 1 when I went down to the shop for lesson, I spotted something that look like a man sitting on the roof of one of the other shophouses near the diving shop. This was at 8am and I thought it was pretty early for anyone to be up on the roof at all. I walk down closer to that spot to investigate since I was early for theory anyway and this thing just disappeared. I had a bad feeling about it but ignored it.

On the 2nd day we went down to a sheltered area with good sea conditions to dive- just instructor and me. There were a few other people in the area as it was basically a park cum mini marina. Instructor and myself then snorkeled out to this sailing boat in deeper water to practice descending down anchor line. Instructor went down first. As i was about to deflate my BCD (that’s the jacket with the breathing gear), I saw sitting on the cliff this man whom I saw the previous day all by himself. Had a second look and he vanished! I felt weird but anyway went down the anchor line and proceeded on an underwater tour with instructor. Sea was pretty good visibility except he swam like a fish and i was puffing to keep up with him. Suddenly amidst the sand thrown up him, I found myself alone at 8.5 meters. I looked around and still couldn’t find him. While looking, I lost my sense of direction. Momentarily, I thought I saw this great mother of a shark over 6 meter long and swearing at the ‘chi bi’ who left me to face the shark alone unarmed and I distinctively remembered asking him about bringing along dive knifes which he no-kayed.

The waves breaking on top was making this shark thing look real scary as it twisted it’s body. Suddenly the breaking waves overhead revealed the anchor line and I realise the shark thingy was nothing more than the sail boat with it’s sail mast outstreched. Anyway i decided to inflate my BCD and surface. Moments later instructor rejoined me on the surface and we went down again. That’s another story anyway. I haven’t seen much of this sitting man. All I can say is he looked a bit like me without glasses on and he as covbered by this strange blue-gray glow which caught my attention.