Tanner is a friend of ours, who J has known for most of his life. He has always been a bit of a macho guy who likes to really dare himself to push the envelope -- the kind of guy who’ll scale the side of your apartment building and surprise you with a knock at your balcony door, just for kicks. I guess you could say that he likes to take the bull by the horns in life. Knowing Tanner as we do, initially none of us were too surprised when he said that he wanted to finally confront his greatest fear -- the fear of deep, dark water.

Now when I say that Tanner wanted to face his fear of water, most of us assumed that meant he was going to sign up for a swimming class or something… we didn't think he was referring to a major career change. Tanner is well educated and has worked hard climbing the ranks in the social work field. So when he announced that he was leaving his cozy office job behind to become a deep sea scuba diver, we were all taken aback. You have to give the guy credit! You certainly wouldn't catch me pursuing a career as a wild grizzly bear handler or a tightrope walker.

Last summer Tanner quit his job and went back to school to learn this lucrative new trade. He shared with us the many dangers that await scuba divers fathoms below the sea. For instance, I had no idea that at certain depths, scuba divers suffer from a condition called nitrogen narcosis which gives the sensation of being very drunk and disoriented. So essentially, divers have to learn how to work while intoxicated. Of course, that’s just one of the many obstacles one in this profession faces… there could always be problems with your scuba equipment, sharks, and whatever other occupational hazards you encounter when you’re working at the bottom of the ocean… of which there are many! It is said to be one of the most dangerous careers in the world –- which is why it also pays obscenely well. Tanner has a five year plan -- make as much money as humanly possible now, and then eventually return to “normal” life.

By fall, he had finished his course, and admitted that he felt his body take the toll. This is a young man’s game and most of the people in his class were in their early 20’s… not their mid 30’s like him. Now, mid 30’s might not sound old (because it isn’t!), but working under water for extended periods of time actually has an major impact on your life expectancy, not to mention, it can seriously tucker a guy out.

Since graduating from his class, Tanner has taken the odd week-long job out at the coast. But last month the phone rang with an offer he could not refuse. It was a Wednesday afternoon, and they wanted him in India by Sunday. This contract would last for two months. Two months away from his new wife. Two months away from his two year old daughter. Two months away from his friends. Two months on a ship in the middle of the ocean on the other side of the globe... But big bucks were calling, and this is why Tanner entered the trade. This two month job would pay what many people make in a whole year. He planned to use it to pay off the remaining cost of his scuba diving course. After this job, any other future contracts would be pure gravy – a down payment on a house, investments towards his daughter’s future, money for retirement. Tanner packed his bags and was on his way, leaving his wife in tears. She knew it would happen someday, but neither of them expected their emotions to be so intense. Of course the first time is always the hardest.

Tanner has been gone about three weeks now, with regular updates sent to us about once a week. While his adventure started off with a bumpy beginning -- losing his luggage at a stopover in Germany, missing his ride from the airport in India, con artists trying to swindle him for all his money, and travelling through areas of poverty unlike anything he had ever seen -- he eventually made his way out to sea. The next email that followed shared tales of flying fish, his interesting coworkers, authentic Indian food and how quickly it digests, and “cute” poisonous snakes that if they bite you, you have to grab them and bring them up to surface so the doctors will know what kind of antidote to give you. Tanner mentioned that while he only has to work a couple hours a day, during those few hours, time is money. The moment you pause to gaze at a colourful fish swimming by, the supervisor will either shut off your air tank, or you’ll get an earful once you resurface.

I wasn’t sure quite what kind of work Tanner was doing (although it should’ve seemed completely obvious!), until his most recent email with the subject line "Oil Tycoon" - its contents which included what he referred to as his "Easter rant".

Now, first of all, I should say that when it comes to the environment, Tanner has always enjoyed playing the devil’s advocate, proudly proclaiming that global warming is a myth, and the earth and all its animals are ours to rape and pillage as need be. (Not that he has ever used those exact words "rape and pillage", but his message has always been pretty clear.) He has p*ssed me off on more than one occasion with his blatant ignorance, but I’ve learned to bite my tongue… for the most part anyway. I’m not the girl I was only a few years ago where I would’ve ripped his friggin’ head off for daring to have an opinion that differed from mine. “To each his own”, is now my mantra. Plus, despite our differences in opinion, I do respect the fact that Tanner actually makes some valid points from time to time.

But this Easter rant came from a far more pessimistic Tanner than the one I have always known… a Tanner who finds the hours and days dragging at a turtle’s pace as he stands at a crossroads, wondering if he is "sacrificing normality in pursuit of another dollar." Ethically, while Tanner understands the need for oil, this venture has been a harsh slap in the face as he finds himself irate and ashamed for the absolute disrespect for the environment that he claims goes way beyond the production and processing of oil. He mentions that he has never been more worried about the world his young daughter will grow up in.

By all accounts, it sounds like this trip has been an incredible eye opener for my once blind friend, as he adds that while most people in the world have been more activist in their approach than he, that most of us are still oblivious to the actual corruption and disregard that exists in the petroleum fields, which he refers to as, “a playground for the morally spent”.

Reading his powerful, telling letters, I’m expecting a very different Tanner to come home a month from now. In many ways, he is already a new Tanner, for the Tanner I knew never would have fantasized of becoming an anonymous whistle blower, (if only it weren’t for the fear of losing his life in the process.) And yet, he has been invited to head off to Saudi Arabia in a few short months to do it all over again. I'm very interested to see if he accepts this contract... because as angry and disgusted as he is, it sounds like his conscience still has a price.