I've been a search and rescue diver for 12 years. I've seen some bad things in the depths.

I’ve been a search and rescue diver for 12 years now, and I can confidently say that most of the stories they tell you about are either exaggerated or made up. <br><br>That being said, there are some things I won’t ever forget.<br><br>From my training I knew what to expect out of most dead bodies pulled from the water. After a few days a corpse will begin to bloat. It will float to the surface and will eventually be spotted by a passing boat or plane. Sometimes the carcass will be scavenged before it has time to float, this lengthens the process and requires a more thorough search. The majority of bodies we find are scattered across the ocean floor in different states of decomposition. <br><br>It was on one such case where our captain nearly lost his life. <br><br>We had received reports of a private plane crashing in the ocean overnight. It was a small craft, only holding five people including the pilot. We knew that the pilot was experienced and that the weather he had been flying in was fair. We were hopeful that we may have been able to find survivors. <br><br>We arrived at the scene just before noon, and began searching the area with an underwater sonar scanner. The ocean was calm, and the visibility was nearly unlimited. After about an hour of searching, a large blip appeared on our scanner nearly a mile from our position. We marked the coordinates and set off in the direction of the wreckage. <br><br>When we arrived we could see the twisted remains of a small plane lying on the ocean floor. The impact must have been immense, breaking the fuselage in two and tearing the wings from their hinges. We could see that the front of the plane was upside down at the bottom of a small cliff. We could tell that the pilot had been trying to make an emergency landing when he lost control. The plane skipped across the water leaving debris scattered across the ocean floor, before finally coming to a stop. <br><br>As we swam through the wreckage we began to notice that something wasn’t right. The debris scattered across the ocean floor was not the result of a crash, it was more like the result of an explosion. We began searching the rubble more frantically, realizing that any hope of finding survivors was diminishing. <br><br>Then we found the first body. <br><br>I’ve seen bloated and decomposed corpses before. I’ve even experienced the sensation of bumping into a dead body in the water. But none of that could have prepared me for what I saw. The body was bloated, but in a strange way. Especially considering it had only been in the water for 24 hours. I remember seeing the skin split on this poor woman's arms and legs, fluid seeping out of her limbs and into the surrounding water. When we moved her, I could feel the gas rattling inside her torso. <br><br>We continued to search the wreckage and surrounding area for the other passengers. We found the pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit. They were wearing their oxygen masks, but it hadn’t mattered. I assume the blast had killed them instantly. We found the remaining two passengers a distance away from the wreckage. They had been blown from the plane during the explosion. They were in similar states of decomposition as the first body we had found. <br><br>We continued to sweep the surrounding area, searching for any large pieces of debris. <br><br>Then I found it. <br><br>Something shiny. I reached down to pick it up, it was a golden locket. I turned it over in my hand. It was a little dirty, but otherwise in pristine condition. I tucked it in my dive bag, planning on turning it in to the families when the bodies were identified.<br><br>That’s when it happened. <br><br>A hand grasped my wrist.<br><br>I recoiled violently, my heart racing. I looked down, expecting to see a zombie like figure, but there was nothing. Confused, I looked towards my captain. He just looked at me weirdly. I motioned down towards my hand. He shot me a strange look.<br><br>I continued my search, thinking I was spooked by the explosion. But then, it happened again. A hand grasped my ankle, pulling me violently down towards the ocean floor. I kicked and kicked, my heart racing, but it wouldn’t let go. I was tugged down towards the wreckage, my air hose being ripped from my mouth as I fell. I was forced under a piece of debris. It was a piece of the plane's cargo hold. <br><br>I could feel the weight of it crushing me. I was seeing spots. The hand grasped tighter around my ankle, holding me in place as I struggled. I tried to pry my leg loose, but to no avail. I was starting to feel myself pass out. I could feel the air leaving my lungs. I was trying to hold on to consciousness, but I was fading. <br><br>Then, it let go. <br><br>As I kicked my way out from under the debris, I could see the hand let go of my ankle. I didn’t stop kicking until I reached the surface. I didn’t stop gasping for air until we got back to the dock. I didn’t tell the captain what had happened, I just told him I got claustrophobic under the debris. <br><br>I never went back into the ocean. <br><br>As I cleaned my gear, I reached into the pocket of my dive bag and turned the locket over in my hand. I rubbed the dirt off of it. <br><br>It was a locket containing two pictures. A young girl and her mom. <br><br>I looked at the locket as I tossed it into the garbage. <br><br>I never told the families about it.