An amateur experience of snorkeling
The old Guide raised his arm and shouted at me "You OK?"
I nodded. But in reality, I wasn't exactly O.K. That's for sure. My ears and nose were still fighting the water. I didn't know how to swim and I was floating on the mildly oscillating blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. It was windy since the day before, which had postponed the snorkeling activity by a day in our vacation at Ludao.
I looked at my partner. She was comfortably floating around, with her head below the sea level. Then I looked at the horizon. It was blue. I looked at the other side. The guide had pulled us quite far from the shore.
"You OK?"
I made the hand gesture to him. I don't think I had a choice to respond anything else in that situation. I couldn't even nod at him this time. Shouting was out of the equation, as the snorkeling gear filled my mouth. I kept on sucking as much air as I could from the pipe. I took another plunge in.
It was a blue World. A pair of brown colored baby swordfishes were just beneath me.
I tried to calm down from the restlessness but it wasn't an easy process. I tightened my grip on the floating tube and I started taking puffs of air in steadily. The discomfort gradually started disappearing.
I nodded. But in reality, I wasn't exactly O.K. That's for sure. My ears and nose were still fighting the water. I didn't know how to swim and I was floating on the mildly oscillating blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. It was windy since the day before, which had postponed the snorkeling activity by a day in our vacation at Ludao.
I looked at my partner. She was comfortably floating around, with her head below the sea level. Then I looked at the horizon. It was blue. I looked at the other side. The guide had pulled us quite far from the shore.
"You OK?"
I made the hand gesture to him. I don't think I had a choice to respond anything else in that situation. I couldn't even nod at him this time. Shouting was out of the equation, as the snorkeling gear filled my mouth. I kept on sucking as much air as I could from the pipe. I took another plunge in.
It was a blue World. A pair of brown colored baby swordfishes were just beneath me.
I tried to calm down from the restlessness but it wasn't an easy process. I tightened my grip on the floating tube and I started taking puffs of air in steadily. The discomfort gradually started disappearing.
A shoal of fishes with varied patterns of stripes seemed to be inspecting the surrounding. The brown sword fishes reappeared. Amazing creatures! Aren't they supposed to sting us?
A red fish rose from below. A bright yellow fish was to my right. A luminous blue and green fish made a quick dash beneath me. Schools of fishes with all possible bright colors on this planet passed by. I tried to touch, but they seemed far and undeterred. Mother Nature had now started flexing her colors. My head got cleared of all thoughts and I surrendered myself to the mighty ocean. The immediate world around me became so beautiful that it felt like a dream.
I stopped my breath; and then it became so silent. So many delightfully bright creatures around me, but there was no sound. At that point, maybe for the first time in life, I felt breathing was not necessary.
A couple of plump fishes approached towards me. They looked at me, uninterrupted. How I wished I could reciprocate that. A blink was a moment lost.
"You OK?"
The familiar voice rang as soon as I pulled my head above the water.
No I wasn't O.K. I was swimming in Euphoria and I was ecstatic. Still I made the customary gesture back to the Guide.
He indicated that we need to float towards the shore. So I took a last plunge in. This was an amazing experience for me. As we floated towards the shore, some fleeting questions clouded my thoughts.
Was that an Urchin crawling on the coral bed?
Why are the corals so pale colored?
How am I contributing to this beautiful under water eco-system?
Am I not an intruder here, disturbing the natural balance and peace?
No I wasn't O.K. I was swimming in Euphoria and I was ecstatic. Still I made the customary gesture back to the Guide.
He indicated that we need to float towards the shore. So I took a last plunge in. This was an amazing experience for me. As we floated towards the shore, some fleeting questions clouded my thoughts.
Was that an Urchin crawling on the coral bed?
Why are the corals so pale colored?
How am I contributing to this beautiful under water eco-system?
Am I not an intruder here, disturbing the natural balance and peace?
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