The wind off of the ocean blasted Garnet's feathers, almost as if trying to push xem away from the water's edge. Eyeing the surf, Garnet couldn't argue with it.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" xe called to Sky over the hungry rumbling rush of the water as it clawed at the shore.

Sky, who seemed completely unperturbed by the weather, just grinned back. "Yep! I've been out here on worse days, and I'm still here, aren't I?"

"That's not comforting," Garnet muttered, words lost under the wind.

The grey water before them crashed and roared, throwing up foam and splashes of water that the wind drove up the beach. Xe watched the motion of the waves for a moment, mesmerized, then picked out a blue form navigating them with ease.

"Who's the teacher again?"

"Sapient! They're from one of the deepwater tribes."

Well, at least Sky had gotten a tutor who knew their business. Garnet watched as the aquatic - Sapient - slipped out of the water like it was no big deal and walked up the sand towards them. They tilted their head, then signed a greeting.

They introduced themselves as Sapient, and Sky introduced themself easily. Garnet hesitantly signed xir own name - though xe could understand the language, signing it was still another matter. Xir fingers sometimes seemed to have a mind of their own…

Sapient nodded in greeting, not mentioning xir awkward signing, and for that Garnet was grateful.

"You have breathing masks, yes? Good. First: some safety. You will listen when I tell you something. While the ocean may look calm on the surface, the dangers that lurk beneath the surface are far from minor. I know these waters better than you, and I know what to look out for. First: no matter how confident you are, do not ascend too quickly. The pressure difference will cause air bubbles in your blood and will kill you. Questions? No? Good. Meet me out past the breakers."

Garnet opened xir mouth to ask Sky a question about how - but as Sapient slipped back into the waves, Sky leapt into the air. Not sure what else to do, Garnet followed them, and watched as they soared out past the breaking waves to where the surface was calm, and set down in the water, floating on the surface.

The landing looked a tricky thing, and Garnet circled a few times before skating to a stop less gracefully than xe would have liked. Xe covered xir embarrassment by slipping on the breathing mask and slipping beneath the water. Sky didn't comment and slipped below the surface as well, where Sapient floated serenely.

Past the rush of the waves against the seafloor, the water was surprisingly clear. Seaweed floated lazily, waving almost like grass in the currents of the water. Silvery fish flashed in the rays of sun that peeked through the surface above, and the view faded into blue-green nothing in all directions.

Sapient waved, then beckoned the two aerobics to follow them as they swam deeper. The continental shelf slanted sharply downwards here, and as they floated above the dropoff into the depths where the water darkened.

Sapient explained some safety, reiterated to listen to them, and then began to teach the two aerobics the basics of deepwater diving. Or, as they commented, not really deep water diving, more like kiddie deep water diving.

Sky laughed, but Garnet flushed a little under xir feathers. Wasn't xir fault xe was from a land colony… still, Sapient was giving good advice, and they both listened intently. They practiced diving for weights Sapient would drop while the aquatic coached them on their form and descent/ascent speed.

Garnet found xe was having trouble going too fast on the ascent - xe didn't like the darkness of the depths much - while Sky was too fast to swim downward, and then was too tired to carry the weight all the way back up. But they worked on it, and soon Sapient was at least content that they wouldn't injure themselves, and bid them until next time.

While Sky chose to let the waves carry them to shore, Garnet clambered out on an outcrop and fanned xir wings dry enough to fly. No offense to it, but - xe was still wary of the ocean. It was something to respect, to fear, not to be buddy buddy with, in xir opinion.