There is a place on the planet where time slows down so much that it almost stops. Where the air is filled with the sweet, intoxicating scent of tropical flowers, and the only sound that breaks the silence is the…

Silence. That’s the first thing I remember. The absolute, deep, blue silence of the oceanic infinity below me. I held my breath, not from effort, but from anticipation. And then, out of the blue, a shadow slowly formed. Enormous, surreal,…