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“I’m not sure about this.”
“I’m right here, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I’ve never done this before.”
“I know, but you’ll be fine. I’ve done it before and I know you’ll love it. You trust me, right?”
“Yes. But you’re not bad at anything, ever. And you like risk lots more than I do.”
“There’s no risk involved. And everyone can be good at this. Trust me.”
“You’re just saying that so I’ll join you. I don’t believe it.”
“Quit stalling and do this already.”
Who would have thought that snorkeling would make me so incredibly nervous? It’s not merely about being in the water with everything else that lives there, it’s this whole process of jumping off the side of a boat… into fish infested water. I mean, that’s just asking for trouble.
“Remy! Come on, woman!” Looking down at him floating in the water impatience pouring from him, I want to laugh. He’s got large goggles over his face and his mouthpiece hangs next to his chin. He’s failing miserably at looking aggravated. He looks like Adam Sandler’s Scuba Steve.
Oliver woke me early this morning to tell me he made arrangements for us to go on a private snorkeling adventure. I’ve never been snorkeling in my life, of course, and while it sounded like a lot of fun theoretically, once we got out here the reality set in and the apprehension quickly joined.
“What if a fish, a shark or a whale, tries to eat me?”
I hear a chuckle from our snorkeling instructor in the water to the right of Oliver, I ignore him, but Oliver shoots him a look that I find quite satisfying. “Then I’ll rescue you.”
“I’m holding you to that. And if you let me down I’ll never talk to you again.”
“Uh huh. Now come on. Jump into the water. My neck is starting to get a permanent crook in it from staring up at you.”
“Wait, one more thing.” He continues to tread water effortlessly while waiting for me. He raises a brow in silent question, “If I’m stung by a jellyfish you have to promise you’ll pee on me.”
He chokes on a laugh and then grins, “Pee on you?”
“Yeah, you know. To alleviate the sting.”
“This isn’t a Friends episode, Monica,” he laughs. “Get your ass in the water.” We used to binge that show like crazy and I love that he got the reference. With a short laugh and then a very deep breath, I finally jump in.
The water is cold and it takes me several inhales and exhales for my body to get used to it and to calm. Once I’ve managed to catch my breath I look at Oliver to find him grinning ear to ear. “See? I told you it wasn’t a big deal.”
As soon as he says that I imagine all of the fish big and small that are likely swimming under my feet and I have a moment of panic. “Why did I let you talk me into this?”
“You’ll change your tune. Come on, let’s go.”
“Ready?” the instructor asks and I try to force a smile while trying out my mouthpiece but I’m pretty sure I fail miserably so I just nod instead.
“All right. I’m going to lead us to a cove through there,” he points at two large rocks that create an entrance of sorts. “The water gets a little more shallow and you’ll see all kinds of sea life. Follow me.”
We all place our masks over our eyes and adjust our mouthpieces and tubes on our snorkeling gear. It feels weird to leave the boat there alone, but with one backward glance I follow Matt, our instructor, while Oliver swims next to me. We make our way to the stones that aren’t too far from us. I’m amazed at how easily the kicking movements come to me and of how well my fins snuggle my feet. I half expected them to float away as soon as I moved. Matt and Oliver already have their faces in the water as they swim. Still feeling anxious, I finally brave it when Oliver takes my hand and squeezes. I know he’s communicating silently with me telling me to join in.
Tentatively, I place my face in the water like I was taught at shore during our brief lesson. It takes me a moment to get used to breathing in and out through the snorkel. It’s strange hearing each and every breath I take through the snorkel tube, but eventually I’m able to stop concentrating so much on the breathing and the sound and begin noticing what’s below us.
Immediately I see a school of fish swimming beneath us. Some hurry along like they’re late to an appointment and others swim lazily. It isn’t until we are finally through the entrance to the cove that I see what Matt was talking about – and it’s magical.
Fish big and small, alone and in groups all swim below us. I didn’t expect to see them so soon, but as soon as we cross into the cove it’s like we’ve immediately entered their home. There are fish everywhere. At first I feel nervous, but once I see that they could care less about our presence I calm down. The cove is large which is good considering how huge some of the fish are. I had no idea fish could be this huge. And wow, their colors are incredible - vibrant blues, greens, oranges and yellows. Matt occasionally stops, turns to face us and will point at something. Oliver squeezes my hand a couple times to get my attention in order to do the same. The coral reef is out of this world; so many vibrant colors and hidden treasures can be found weaving in and out. It isn’t long before I realize I’m completely relaxed and actually enjoying myself.
Oliver points out a green sea turtle swimming toward us. Excitement makes my breaths come faster and as it swims close I reach out my arm as it passes, my fingers grazing its shell. It continues on its path not giving me or my touch a second look. When I look over at Oliver I find his eyes already on me. I see my excitement reflected there and he nods excitedly before pointing to a huge fish swimming in our direction.
I’m not sure how long we end up snorkeling, but I’m exhausted when we finally make our way back to the boat. The sun has moved significantly in the sky, so I know we’ve been out here for a few hours or so.
