Excerpt
CHAPTER 3

Anders reappeared near the port stern. Wildly my heart beat as I watched this giant of a man. Screaming with unbridled excitement, the Norseman had somehow gotten onto the creatures back and was now holding onto the raised meaty edges of the six foot blow hole. It was the most magnificent site I had ever witnessed; like the legendary Captain Ahab riding on the back of Moby Dick. Valiantly I struggled with the flood of emotions pumping through me.

“John, ask Olaf about the scuba gear,” Anders cried out in wild excitement.

John waved back and nodded. Breathing deeply several times he tapped the whale with his right foot; again they slid down beneath the surface. Profoundly influenced by what was transpiring, John and Garrett implored the Captain for the gear and, after getting another reluctant nod; they both raced below decks and came back up with three air tanks, regulators, face masks, and fins. After suiting up, Garrett and John jumped in and swam out to where they assumed Anders would be resurfacing; moments later he reappeared twenty yards off the port stern and motioned for them to join him.

“Oh man this is so incredible;” Anders gushed excitedly as he put on the gear, “Something’s making the water glow down there; you can see almost as good as you can up here. These whales are sages, and so loving, and so willing to bond; it’s just amazing dudes.”

“How deep is it Norse?” Garrett asked.

“Don’t know little brother; we didn’t go down all the way. John, are the regulators adjusted?”

“Yah, they’re set.” John answered.

“How much air do we have?”

“Forty-five minutes in these tanks,” John assured him.

“Excellent!” Anders let out a whoop. “Alright, let’s do this.”

After Anders had slapped on the water several times, half a dozen whales rose to the surface near where they were treading.

“Gabriel,” John motioned when he was next to one, “You can do it brother; you’ll be safe. You’ve done this before. Don’t be afraid! Olaf, can Gabriel have a tank?”

“If he wants one,” the Captain waved back with a hearty laugh.