Sunday family dive. Our horizons are expanding. We don’t even spend that much time bickering anymore before we get into the water. Ha! Jack still puts the dive gear together and washes most of it off afterwards in a bucket of fresh water. But… at least we don’t have to drag our children so deep out from the bowels of their cabins.

Partly this expectation of having two wonderfully enthusiastic diving teenagers has been part of Quest’s learning curve. The day our children turn around and thank us for all the work we put into expanding their horizons – I won’t want to hear it. I think my heart will stop. I’ll take the consistency. Cant speak for Jack though. Hopefully he’ll have the help.

Delphine has progressed so much with her diving skills and confidence, we are able to dive the Pamir wreck without drama. We went this morning. Our Sunday Family Dive.

Lulu is my dive buddy and Jack is Delph’s. When it’s time to go down, Lu sinks like a stone. I follow more slowly, and Jack and Delph come down last. Delphine is still clearing her ears, checking her mask, organising her buoyancy. Jack holds on to her. I watch his concentration keeping her comfortable and safe.

During the dive, Lulu and I spend time hanging together – literally. Jack has been telling me about Lu’s dive skills for as long as she’s been diving. Now that I’m diving more myself, I’m seeing it. The hanging is key – and Lu can hover in the water like she has a swim bladder herself.

She arranges herself in a column of water, crosses her feet and becomes magical. Serene and queenly. My diving is a bit different. I like to spend a lot of time getting close to stuff.

Corals and sponges are endlessly fascinating. The patterns are sometimes pure geometry. I like to get real close to have a look. Sometimes a poke to check on texture, though don’t touch the fire coral. I also like to have a good roly-poly. This flying sensation is handy for childhood-style gymnastics. It’s the only place left I can do them!

Then I look around and see Lulu. She’s not looking at the corals. If she is watching the fishes, she’s not showing it. A lot of the time, she is staring at me. She makes the sign for me to take some air out of my jacket. Checks over my equipment. Tells Jack about my slightly leaking high-pressure hose. That I shouldn’t kick hard down on the wreck as not to silt it up.

After Jack had washed all the dive gear today, I mentioned this thing about Lu I’d noticed. He chuckled into his Sunday dinner pork and rice.

He said, ‘I’ll remind her she doesn’t just have to get it right. She can have fun too.’

I nodded. ‘Tell her as part of her safety brief, she should do roly-polys.’

He gave me a look. ‘Lulu is a really excellent diver.’

‘I know!’