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| Part of the CNMI National Team with Captain Blanco Speeding through the Rock Islands |
August 6th, 2010. I woke up that day with several thoughts flashing through my minds: a boat ride through the rock islands to go on a dive, a trip to Jellyfish Lake, a free dive to a sunken fishing boat, and a swim through one of Palau’s most pristine marine lakes. I was there with the CNMI National Swim team, competing in the Micronesian Games of 2010. Trying to pack in Palau’s wonders into one day is nearly impossible, but we seemed to pull it off. Unfortunately, it rained almost all day, but it did not take away the beauty and awe. The boat captain’s name is Blanco, and he led us on a 40 minute boat ride through the German Channel, interweaving through Palau’s thousands of islands. Captain Blanco knew the islands as if there were a map on the back of his hands. I know if I were driving the boat, I probably would not be here writing this blog.
As we neared the dive spot, zipped up our wetsuits and put on our scuba gear, the rain started pouring and the wind started howling. The water had this tranquil attraction to it that intensified my yearning to be underwater rather than above. Many of my friends call me a fish. My name actually means “ocean” in Hawaiian, AND I was born in a hot tub. Okay, back to the story… where were we? Ah yes, the dive.
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| Crossing through the German Channel |
I sat on the edge of the boat facing away from the ocean, preparing to enter the classic boat dive way. Above the wind and rain I could hear the dive leader. He shouted, “One, two, three, GO!” and I let myself be carried away by gravity, backwards down to the water. I plunged through the surface creating a white aura of bubbles around me. As the bubbles cleared and my vision grew more acute, I was in awe of the life under the surface. It grew quiet and I could hear the rain pounding the surface above me. Underwater was an entirely different story. Going from one setting, the feel of the rain hitting your skin, wind blustering against your face, to complete quiet and stillness is a bit unnerving. However, once I was underwater, I felt safe, secure, and above all, happy. This can relate to life in a way. Surfaces can always have tricks, mirrors, or may seem uninviting, but once you can get through that surface, you unlock an entirely new world. Be it love, books, or even new people, but especially love. Never let yourself be scared away just because of the outside view, for you will never know what you might experience. Live life to its fullest and experience everything.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky
I sat on the edge of the boat facing away from the ocean, preparing to enter the classic boat dive way. Above the wind and rain I could hear the dive leader. He shouted, “One, two, three, GO!” and I let myself be carried away by gravity, backwards down to the water. I plunged through the surface creating a white aura of bubbles around me. As the bubbles cleared and my vision grew more acute, I was in awe of the life under the surface. It grew quiet and I could hear the rain pounding the surface above me. Underwater was an entirely different story. Going from one setting, the feel of the rain hitting your skin, wind blustering against your face, to complete quiet and stillness is a bit unnerving. However, once I was underwater, I felt safe, secure, and above all, happy. This can relate to life in a way. Surfaces can always have tricks, mirrors, or may seem uninviting, but once you can get through that surface, you unlock an entirely new world. Be it love, books, or even new people, but especially love. Never let yourself be scared away just because of the outside view, for you will never know what you might experience. Live life to its fullest and experience everything.
your description of experiencing what lies beneath the ocean's surface and experiencing life the same way....nice insight!
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