My first post - A sailing adventure into shark infested waters!

Greetings, Steemites! Steemiters! Steemitians! Steemers! My name is Abishai.

This is my first post and I want to introduce myself to the community. I've been lurking for a while now, intrigued with what this site is developing into. I'm encouraged by what I see and I'm excited for what's to come. And so I decided to join up and experience things first hand!

So, a story about me... (and an opportunity to try my hand at markdown).

Read on for a foolhardy exploration of dangerous sea caves, a capsized boat in shark infested waters, and the most incredible moment of absolute peace in my life! And I guarantee that this is all completely true. Enjoy!

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Spring Break of my freshman year in Santa Barbara, California: Five college friends and I took an overnight sailing trip to the Channel Islands, about 30 miles off the coast. This was my first time ever in a sailboat and it was like nothing I had ever experienced! Once we left the harbor and headed into open water, the captain cut the motor and unfurled the sails. So unbelievably quiet! The wind in my face, the smell of salt in the air, the gentle snap of the sails - all giving no indication of the terror soon to come!

The trip out to Santa Cruz Island was picture-perfect, but uneventful. When we reached the island our boat hugged the rocky coastline, and we marveled at its rugged beauty. After a bit of cruising, Captain Jim dropped anchor at one of the largest natural sea caves in the world: Painted Cave. While the Chumash Indians are indigenous to this area of Southern California, this cave did not get its name from literal cave paintings, but from the colorful blooms of moss and algae that grow along its walls and crevasses. The cave was so large that we were able to sail our boat partially inside, but we could see the opening narrow as it continued further into the darkness of the island's interior.

Captain Jim unstrapped his Zodiac inflatable raft, dropped it in the water, and asked "Who's first?" with a slight smirk. The raft being small and us being gentlemen, we boys (Dave, Ryan, and I) offered the girls (Allison, Andrea, and Jess) the first exploratory trip in. Captain Jim wouldn't say much other than "It's dark" and "Watch for sharks." With the same smug smirk on his face he handed the girls a set of oars and a long Mag Lite. Surely he wouldn't send them in so unprepared if it was that dangerous!

We watched the girls slowly paddle into the cave until they were shrouded by its depths. Ryan pulled out a deck of cards, and we settled in to play some hands of Texas Hold'em while we waited.

Not much more than a couple minutes passed before the girls came into view paddling frantically back towards the boat, eyes wide with horror as they pulled up alongside. "There is no way we are going in there! It's so scary - pitch black and all sorts of freaky noises!"

Feigning sympathy, we comforted the girls and assured them that we would go in ourselves to make sure everything was safe. There's nothing that makes you braver than ignorance...

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Hopefully, you are hooked! I'll post Part 2 tomorrow.

In the meantime, check out this video of Painted Cave. (The video is not mine, but it gives you a sense of what we were about to get ourselves into. Listen to the audio at 2:30-3:00!)