Hey friends, let me tell you about my silly adventure yesterday! I finally got around to trying that beginner underwater treasure hunt idea I scribbled down ages ago. Figured it was time to actually do it.
First things first, I had to dig through my garage. Found an old plastic storage bin that looked perfect. Was covered in dust, probably hasn’t seen daylight since last summer. Dumped it out on the lawn – spiders and all, not fun. Gave it a good scrub in the kiddie pool instead of the bathtub, didn’t want mud clogging the drain.
Next up, “treasure.” Let’s be real, I grabbed whatever junk wouldn’t sink immediately or stain the water. Keys? Sure. Some old poker chips? Why not. A couple of those cheap plastic gold coins from a kid’s party ages ago? Perfect. Threw in a few different shaped sinkers from my fishing tackle box too. Seriously, nothing fancy here, just whatever I could find in 5 minutes flat.
The Water Situation
Now the hard part: where to do this without going broke? Tried filling the bin with the garden hose. Sat there watching it fill for what felt like years. Water bill anxiety started kicking in, so I bailed. Took the stupid bin down to the local lake instead. Found a quiet spot away from the picnickers, felt kinda dumb walking down there with a plastic tub full of fake coins.
Got the bin partly submerged near the shore, shoved some rocks under it to keep it stable. Water was chilly, really woke me up sticking my arms in! Visibility? Forget about it. Lake water looks like weak tea. Could barely see my own hand six inches down.
Diving In (Well, Reaching In)
Tried finding the stuff blind. Hands flapping around under the murky water, feeling like some sort of clumsy monster. Dropped things constantly. Poker chips kept trying to escape. Those plastic coins were slippery little devils underwater!
Then I tried grabbing multiple things at once. Huge mistake. Fumbled like I’d never used my hands before. Tried pinching the keys and a sinker? Dropped both. Went for a chip and a coin? Lost ’em faster than you can say “treasure.” Totally underestimated how slick everything gets when wet.
Was it Fun? Kinda?
Honestly? It was ridiculous and awkward. But… it was also weirdly satisfying finally pulling stuff out of the muck. Felt like a little kid playing pirate again, just without the costume. Finding that first coin by touch? Genuine little “aha!” moment.
Key things I realized:
- Lake water sucks for visibility. My muddy pond might be worse though.
- Everything underwater feels alien. Sizes, textures, weight – all weird.
- Simple tasks get hard fast. Picking up one thing? Easy-ish. Two? Forget it.
- Cold water = numb fingers. Couldn’t feel anything properly after a few minutes.
Why am I doing this? Mostly to prove I can follow through on a dumb idea once in a while. And hey, maybe next time I’ll use the paddling pool with tap water and actual toys. Maybe. Lessons learned the awkward way!