It honestly wasn't something that Dongho was totally ready for, standing on the edge of the boat and looking down at the Great Blue Hole. "You ready?" his dive companion JR called from beside him, adjusting his own dive mask as he shot a smile at his new-found friend. 

Shaking off the nervousness that clung to him like a second skin, Dongho nodded his head and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I think so," he spoke, his voice steady. At least that was steady! He had been on many dives in his twenty-two years, but none so intimidating as this. Mainly just reef diving and once, wreck diving in Japan with his father. But this was one of the most famous dive sites in the world, and he was determined to complete this dive just to say he had. And of course to capture photos!

The dive leader called for the ready, and Dongho took one last deep breath of the salty air and placed his scuba regulator into his mouth. He watched the count-off carefully, and when his number came up, leapt off the side of the boat and into the water. It was cool even in the summer sun, making his wetsuit feel like it was three sizes too small. The bubbles around him made it impossible to see anything before his head broke the water's surface, but as soon as he cleared, he swam several feet away from the boat to get out of the diving zone.

There were eight divers on this tour, none of which Dongho knew personally: he had come to Belize alone just to make this once in a lifetime dive. He had been paired up with a smiley boy named JR, likely due to the fact that despite JR having an American accent, they were both Korean. Dongho might speak English easily, but he could admit it was nice to have someone speak his mother tongue.

The ninth diver of the tour was their Guide, a man who had thousands of dives under his belt and was intimately familiar with the area. Dongho felt his nerves settle a bit when he looked to the older man, knowing that he had the experience and knowledge to keep them all safe out there today. Or at least, he trusted that was the case.

When the last of the divers were off the boat, the guide motioned for them to follow and began the descent. Dongho had opted to be last in line, being a pretty experienced diver, and when JR dove underneath the softly rocking waves, he followed suit. The bright colors of coral on the sandy slope toward the rim filled his view, and he savored the sight. Small, colorful fish darted about here and there, making the people in line ahead of Dongho point excitedly. He could understand their excitement: even after so many dives in so many beautiful locals, he could admit the sea got him every time.

The descent itself was quick enough, swimming down to the edge of the shelf that overlooked the hole itself. It was a sinkhole, proof that this part of the world had once stood on dry land, and as Dongho drew even with the rim he felt a wave of awe run through him. It was so deep and dark, a sharp drop into darkness that made him feel small in the schemes of the world. They were already