Gardens of the Queen, Cuba

Joanna Lentini · Issue 78, May/Jun 2014 · pp. 61–66

Products mentioned: Canon 60D, Nauticam Housing, Tokina 10-17mm, Inon Z240 strobe

It’s late in the evening and my eyelids have had all they can take for the day. I’m struggling to keep them open but they’re leadened down from a mix of jet lag and dive exhaustion. I finally give in to the pressure and shut my eyes. As I do so images of sharks flash through the darkness of my mind. And as I fade deeper the images linger longer, the lighting softens and their brown skin begins to glitter from the afternoon sun. The water is a brilliant shade of blue and as I start to float away in it I hear the wind howling outside and awaken. My eyes open widely and dart around the room before collapsing closed again. This whole process repeats itself several times until I eventually fade away into the ocean of my mind. The next morning I wake up to the regular 7am knock at the door with an offering of coffee and juice. Now that’s service! I take a quick stretch, and hop in the shower. …