In mid August, as summer was drawing to a close, three friends were about to embark on an adventure that they had been looking forward to for quite some time. That is, all but one of them. Peter was not particularly excited about this outing because he was not typically fond of unfamiliar situations. Allen and Zach, on the other hand, could not be more excited.
The outing they were about to go on was an exclusive opportunity to spend a week at sea, sailing between coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico. The boys would be able to explore each reef snorkeling. It would not be a very rigorous adventure, but an adventure nonetheless.

On the first day, the friends arrived at the dock where they received their snorkeling gear and were directed to the ship they would be sailing on. The ship was a forty foot yacht with the word “Opportunity” written in faded swirly letters across the stern. It had a white fiberglass hull that had yellowed from years of exposure to saltwater and a lone mast protruding from the center. Zach argued that that the vessel should be referred to as a boat, not a ship because it had only one mast, but Allen contended that it was a ship because there was a place to keep a small rescue boat, although there was none attached. Zach turned to Peter, expecting him to agree with his contention that they were obviously on a boat, but he sided with Allen simply because he liked to think of the vessel as a ship.

That evening, the boys set sail under the direction of Opportunity’s captain, who they referred to simply as “Captain Bob.” Although confident that he would enjoy the week, Peter was still very nervous about seafaring. After seeing his quick and decisive resolution of the ship versus boat debate, Captain Bob had appointed Peter to the position of first mate. Peter accepted the responsibility but it did not help his nerves. After an evening of settling into his new environment, Peter felt comfortable enough to take the first watch shift and he finally felt at ease at sea and with his responsibility. Unfortunately, his fear renewed when he saw what he thought was a water spout on the horizon. However, he did not wake Captain Bob because he was nervous about being wrong and angering him.

The next morning, Peter was relieved to find that no severe weather had come their way, only a short lived rain storm that passed through during Allen’s watch shift. Since the rain had come while Allen was awake, he was able to sleep on the deck after his shift, even though Peter and Zach retreated to the stuffy bunks below deck. Allen raved about the fantastic view of the stars he had once the clouds had blown over. He encouraged his friends to join him above deck the following night, but they stuck to the area below deck that they had grown accustomed to.

The next few days of their adventure passed smoothly. They all had a magnificent time exploring the mysterious tropical world of each reef they visited. Peter no longer worried about his position of responsibility once he realized that it only required him to delegate tasks to his friends. He allowed himself to relax and began to enjoy the trip more and more. Allen continued to press his friends to sleep above deck with increasing urgency. Zach took up the hobby of singing loud off key renditions of sailing songs and began to use his newfound mode of artistic expression to mock Allen’s frequent requests for his friends to join him sleeping on the deck.

About halfway through the week, the boys were fully accustomed to life at sea. They went through an unspoken daily schedule with great efficiency and were able to visit two or three reefs every day. The only thing still making Peter nervous was the threat of jellyfish stings while snorkeling. The first reef they visited that day was not far from shore and near a populated area. That meant many day trippers with boats would anchor within swimming distance of the reef and spend the day. The noise and commotion from all of the people scared off most of the aquatic life, so there were more people than fish at the reef.

Peter and Zach had given up on the reef fairly quickly, but Allen stayed in the water hoping to salvage something memorable. The event that followed was memorable, but not quite what he was expecting. After Peter and Zach had returned to Opportunity, Captain Bob told them that they could set sail for the next reef as soon as Allen returned. Allen was a good distance away from the boat, but Peter and Zach tried yelling to him to hurry up whenever his head came out of the water. After hearing no response, they assumed he was out of earshot and could not hear them over the loud masses of reef-goers. However, they were proven wrong when they clearly heard Allen yell out in pain, “THERE’S SOMETHING BITING MY ASS!”

Allen got back to the ship as quickly as he could with his apparent injury, but when he arrived, he discovered that the source of his pain was not from the attack of some vicious creature. Instead, a jellyfish had somehow found itself trapped inside Allen’s bathing suit. Zach immediately began making fun of Allen and Peter followed suit shortly after, but only after making sure his friend was ok.

As promised, they were on their way to the next reef. Captain Bob had decided to set course for the best reef he knew of because of their lousy luck at their previous stop. The reef was located along what used to be a highly trafficked smuggling route. The treacherous shallow water in which the reef grew was left unmarked because anyone willing to navigate the route knew it well enough to avoid the reef. However, this roundabout passage grew in popularity whenever the more direct route was made inaccessible. When a hurricane toppled a bridge between two islands, the direct route was cut off entirely and everyone was forced to go around the island on what became known as “the smuggler’s pass.” The sudden influx of sailors who had no experience with the route was bound to result in disaster, and it did. A ship called the “Alligator” had veered off course one foggy evening and met its end on the jagged coral reef. The Alligator was not the only ship to sink on that reef, but it was the only one that was ever spoken of, and it was the reason that the reef became known as “Shipwreck Reef” and why a lighthouse was constructed there. After the bridge was repaired, not even the smugglers used the pass because it was now so well known. The lighthouse now functions only as a landmark to those seeking to explore Shipwreck Reef.

After Captain Bob finished telling the story of Shipwreck Reef to the boys, Zach immediately asked if the lighthouse was really a landmark, given the fact that it was at sea. Captain Bob gave Zach an unamused glare for a moment before ordering him to drop the anchor. Peter and Allen helped Zach with the anchor. After throwing the anchor into the water, Allen looked in and saw several jellyfish. He decided he’d had enough jellyfish for one day and told his friends that he was going to sit this one out.

Peter and Zach explored the reef while Allen waited aboard the Opportunity with Captain Bob. Hours had passed before Peter and Zach returned. They would have stayed out longer if not for the rain that had begun. The rain kept Allen from stargazing that evening and he was forced to listen to everything Peter and Zach had to say about Shipwreck Reef. They described the elusive beauty of a thriving ecosystem against the backdrop of aged ruins and the humbling majesty of vivid nature prevailing over the failure of man.

The reefs they visited in the following days were insignificant in comparison to Shipwreck Reef. Allen grew more and more frustrated every time somebody pointed this out. He no longer tried to convince his friends to stargaze with him because he knew that as soon as he mentioned the beauty of the stars, the conversation would immediately redirect to the beauty of Shipwreck Reef. On their final day at sea, Allen asked Captain Bob if they could return to Shipwreck Reef. He agreed, and Allen was determined not to miss his chance again.

When they arrived again at Shipwreck Reef, the water was filled with jellyfish as far as the eye could see. Zach and Peter decided not to risk the stings, but Allen was convinced that it would be worth it if the reef was truly as amazing as his friends had described.
Allen set off determined to make it at least to the lighthouse. However, it seemed the closer he got to the reef, the denser the swarm became. He pushed through with tight focus on the lighthouse, and was nearly there when he looked back to see how far he was from the ship. To his astonishment, the ship was nowhere to be seen. Allen panicked because he feared he had lost the Opportunity and began swimming hastily in the direction he was sure he came from. His panic subsided as the swarm of jellyfish thinned out and again attempted to locate the Opportunity. Allen was relieved when he saw that the ship was not far from him, but in the short remainder of his swim his relief turned into deep disappointment that he did not get to see the reef. He returned to the Opportunity looking defeated and covered in jellyfish stings.
When they returned home from their adventure, Zach and Peter told anyone who would listen about the amazing Shipwreck Reef. Allen spoke only of the stars.