There’s something frightening, and magical, about being on the ocean, moving between the heavens and the earth, knowing that you can encounter anything on your journey.
-- Narrator (chapter 1 paragraph 1)

Importance: This quote opens the book. It foreshadows that Cox will encounter something unusual during her early morning workout.

I had to roll on my side and catch my breath. It was raining tuna. What a weird, wild, and wonderful thing.
-- Narrator (chapter 1 paragraph 45)

Importance: Although some swimmers might have abandoned their workout routine with the interruption first by the anchovy, then the grunion and finally the falling tuna, Cox did not. She considered the experience to be a thing of wonder.

The water shifted, and I was riding on the top of a massive bubble. It was moving directly up from below, putting out a high-energy vibration. I felt like there was a spaceship moving right below me. I had never felt anything this big in the...
-- Narrator (chapter 1 paragraph 53)