Updates: Snorkelling

Yesterday (26-05-07)was a significant day for me – I went snorkelling! Yeah, so what? Well, I have always been very uncomfortable underwater. I love swimming; in fact I do so almost every day in Bangkok as a form of exercise. However, underwater I feel claustrophobic and have difficulty relaxing. The only other time I tried anything remotely like snorkelling was in East Timor in 2002. Seeing a huge sea snake almost as soon as I entered the water only added to my palpitations and I quickly decided I had had enough. One of my biggest issues with snorkelling is having to breathe through my mouth. When I get nervous I usually inhale and exhale through my nose to relax.

Now, all of this presented a few problems for me. One of which was the fact that I am staying an entire month in the most sought after diving destination in the world. It would be almost unforgivable if I didn't at least try. Secondly, I am a passionate lover of beauty. Having the magic and exquisite colours of the reef world at my finger tips was enough motivation for me to work through my fear.
So yesterday morning, I woke up with a mission. It was Amandio's day off and it was time to put my weeks of promises to myself and planning into action. After a hearty breakfast we cycled to the dive centre at the other end of the island to select our gear. As if by some scheming conspiracy to weaken my new found determination, there was no one there to attend us. No, I wasn't giving up lightly, so we lay on some hammocks hung between coconut trees nearby, keeping a vigilant eye on the door. Immediately after someone arrived, I tried on flippers and a mask for size. Even just breathing in through my nose while trying on the mask to see if it fit (sucking it to my face) had my alarm bells ringing…

We decided that it would be best for me to start off in the pool to get used to breathing through the mouth piece. Again, putting on the mask made me break out into a sweat. Amandio was great, really patient (not usually his best virtue), coaching and supporting me step by step. I found that I relied on him for even small decisions like 'what do I do next?' even though it was quite obvious to me what to do. Funny how sometimes to overcome a fear you need someone you trust to take you through the smallest steps to help you confront it, as if reaffirmation diminishes the obstacle at hand. After several laps of our pool I felt like I had mastered the art of breathing though the tube, diving under and holding my breath and resurfacing blowing out the water. I was ready to face the sea!
Again, lots of silly questions and semi hysterical nervous laughter ensued. I was quite humoured by the whole situation, picturing in my mind's eye how I must look. By the way, IS there an elegant way to walk in flippers!?? LOL!

When I felt confident enough we took our gear to a jetty protruding out beyond the coral reef surrounding the island. Right, it was now or never! Without any hesitation I took the plunge (literally)… I knew that thinking about it would be dangerous.
Amandio held my hand the whole time as we swam – it felt so safe, anchoring me.
It was like we had entered a whole other world; where else in nature can you see creatures with horizontal rainbow coloured stripes? Such vibrant colours, I loved the silky midnight black fish contrasted with a splash of indigo. I relaxed enough to observe different habits, some fish were youthfully playing in the bright coral, feeding on plankton, basking in the warm sunlight filtering through, showing respect to the bigger fish, others hunting. It was like watching a street-scene underwater. I was mesmerized, transfixed by the vivacious life hidden under the waves and the multitude of colours surpassed my most vivid dreams.
However, as time progressed, the shelf got deeper, the fish bigger and the rift stronger, I felt a certain uneasiness in the pit of my stomach. I signalled to Amandio to return back to the jetty. After what seemed like hours of regulating my breathing, ignoring the water that had seeped into my mask, being jostled about in the waves and a slight cramp in my left foot, we finally made it back. I have to admit, I was quite relieved at that point.
When I got back to the villa I felt hungry, nauseous, almost sea-sick! I had to lie down for 20 minutes before I felt normal again. :-) However, all these heavenly images are firmly glued to my retina, making it all worthwhile.
Looking back on my day, I feel powerful. I did it!