Twenty-five feet underwater in the Atlantic, Joseph Deslauriers felt at peace.
The pain in his back faded away and his mind cleared out.
His wheelchair remained back on the surface, aboard the American Dream Two, bobbing in the waves off the coast of Fort Lauderdale.
The Air Force master sergeant, who lost both legs and an arm in Afghanistan nearly four years ago, is one of three disabled military veterans who went scuba diving Wednesday with the help of trained partners.
"The only thing that you have to worry about," Deslauriers later said, "is breathing.