Whether you have been diving for years or just thinking about sticking your fins in the water for the first time, The First 130 Feet: True Stories from the Dive Deck will take you on underwater adventures you won’t ever forget. Journey with author Ken Barrick as he explores hidden underwater worlds, from the Inner Harbor of Baltimore to Australia’s Coral Sea. This collection of short stories entertains, educates, and inspires. Experience the terror of being face-to-face with a fourteen-foot hammerhead shark in “Getting Hammered” or the exhilaration of swimming with a pack of wild dolphins in “The Company of Dolphins.” In “Lost at Sea,” you’ll discover the helpless feeling of watching your boat drift away toward the horizon—without you aboard, and in “Did You Know?” you’ll be amazed by “walking” sharks. Each story in The First 130 Feet is a unique and delightful journey into a fascinating underwater world. Prepare to dive in!
Everything happened so fast. I saw a massive shape making a u-turn and Allison using her arms to propel herself backward. It was a 14 foot Great Hammerhead, turning and using its massive head to bump Allison backward… nudging her in her chest, one bump, then two, then three. From the corner of my eye I saw Ryan flashing pictures with his camera and then my hearing senses kicked in and I heard “clang, clang, clang.” I looked around then up and saw the dive master Ray frantically motioning for everyone to ascend. I looked at my depth gauge and it read 135 feet. I looked back at Allison and observed one last nudge from the shark before it turned and continued on its way, leaving Allison stunned but intact and Ryan with some amazing photographs.
Ken Barrick is a certified SCUBA instructor and the founder of KB Diver Services, an underwater-services provider catering to Maryland’s recreational and commercial boating industry. In 2008, he developed and authored a course manual for Professional Scuba Association International titled In-Water Boat Maintenance. He lives in Maryland, with his wife, Michelle, who he credits for his start in SCUBA.