Swimming witht he fishes, an underwater adventure

There is an opportunity to do anything you want in this world. You just have to set your mind on something, and eventually you will achieve whatever you wish. Throughout my life, I have found that if you live by this, there is a chance for anything.

The first time I saw the fish tank in the Batten Center was the weekend of April 26, 2002, during the closing weeks of my senior year of high school. I thought it was cool that the school had an enormous aquarium in the wall, and it was always fun just to watch the fish swim around. However, the moment I saw someone scuba diving in it to clean the glass as I walked by early in my freshman year, I said to myself, “One day I will swim in that tank.”

And I said it with certainty.

I talked to the owner of the tank over the phone, and then later that day I randomly met him in the locker room hallway in Batten.

He joked with me, saying, “It’s a pain in the ass to clean that thing. If you ever wanted to get in there and help us out, let me know.”

He then told me that I needed to be certified in scuba diving to be allowed in the tank. I was quick to respond that I had the certification. The excitement overwhelmed me, and I could barely ask when I could take him up on his offer.

I called for the next six weeks, unable to work anything out. However, I was persistent, and we finally were able to set a time up for Halloween weekend.

I was ready to put swimming in the tank before anything else I would do that weekend.

Finally, after two years of waiting, the time was set, and before I knew it, I was sitting at the top of the tank, wet suit on, mask over my eyes, and regulator in my mouth. A long hose connected it to the air tank sitting outside of the tank.

As I lowered myself into the tank and let the water seep over my head, a feeling of ecstasy rushed throughout my body. It then changed quickly to fear, as the 18-inch fish were swimming right at me, smelling the food from the bucket in my hand. I was to first feed the fish shrimp and vegetables.

I held the shrimp in my fingers, and they actually swam up and took it from my hand. I scattered the mixed veggies out in front of me, where they remained suspended in the water only inches from my body. Hearing chomps from large fish all around is not exactly a comfortable feeling.

After the food was gone, I had to wipe down the inside of the glass. It was interesting to look out at the grille from inside the tank. Everything was enlarged, and it was curved as if looking at the back side of a spoon. One interesting thing is that I could actually hear people talking outside of the tank. So, watch what you say about the fish; they can hear you.

The whole occasion lasted about 45 minutes. The fish were not afraid of me whatsoever; I was actually the one afraid. At one point I felt a nibble on one of my toes, which freaked me out and made me believe that at any moment the fish would all gang up and eat me.

The experience was definitely one I will remember for a long time. It is even more satisfying to know that I completed the goal I set out for myself over two years ago. It just goes to show that if you truly want something in your life, you can make it happen.