Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer. — Randy Pausch
Friday, April 27, 2012 (DAYS 54 - 57)
Basking in the cool morning air, I long for more sleep but I find that I am dragging myself out of bed at the sound of my alarm. It is 6am and the newest graduating class of open water divers from Parrots is heading to the northside of the island in search of catching a glimpse of the migrating whale sharks. As the sleepiness begins to wear off, we grab our gear from the small wooden equipment shack and begin our pre-departure check and assembly. My tank, hoses, BCD, mask, and, of course, my flippy floppies are all in order and soon, I’m on a boat. Cruising slowly, the harbor begins to come alive in the early morning hours, and before I know it we are past the no wake zone and the throttle is released jolting me back against Krista. Eeeew, I am officially disgusted for the morning and think I threw up just a little in my mouth. The smell of sex panther and shame now cover me thanks to the laws of transference. Bahaha, it’s ok I heart you too top hat.
Basking in the cool morning air, I long for more sleep but I find that I am dragging myself out of bed at the sound of my alarm. It is 6am and the newest graduating class of open water divers from Parrots is heading to the northside of the island in search of catching a glimpse of the migrating whale sharks. As the sleepiness begins to wear off, we grab our gear from the small wooden equipment shack and begin our pre-departure check and assembly. My tank, hoses, BCD, mask, and, of course, my flippy floppies are all in order and soon, I’m on a boat. Cruising slowly, the harbor begins to come alive in the early morning hours, and before I know it we are past the no wake zone and the throttle is released jolting me back against Krista. Eeeew, I am officially disgusted for the morning and think I threw up just a little in my mouth. The smell of sex panther and shame now cover me thanks to the laws of transference. Bahaha, it’s ok I heart you too top hat.
After forty-five minutes the boat begins to slow and we have arrived at our first of two stops for the morning, Blackish Point. Time to go hunting for Lionfish. The two dive masters announce that the group will be split in to two smaller groups, one is lead by a female, boring, and the second is lead by a guy that declares he will be spearing fish through the face, yes please. Quickly the guys gather in to formation, once again as if there is a junior high school dance separating us from the girls, and we are giddy with excitement. Giddy. Since these nuisances have been devastating the Caribbean eco system after a hurricane in Florida caused several of these fish to escape from their pet store tanks, they have been wreaking havoc. Not even five minutes under the sea and our guide has his first victim on the end of his spear. Now it’s time to find a Barracuda or another predator to feed our poisonous friend to, vamos. Our attempts to entice an Eel are met without luck, but later we spot a Puffer fish with an appetite. Just after the carnage Patrick swims up next to me and is running low on air, thankfully with due to knowledgeable instructor I am well aware of how to handle the situation. Holding my regulator close to my mouth, I turn to let him grab my spare and after he has secured his new air source we head for the surface in a Roman handshake. Saving lives under the sea is now part of my resume of skills that I’m awesome at, so look out ladies. Hold on, let me brush my shoulder off, it ain’t no thang. I’m still working on my slow-motion running down the beach to complete the entire Baywatch motif, but soon.
The last of our two free fun dives is Joshua’s Swash, and I have now completed a total of eight dives in five days. Get me to the bow of a boat because I’m king of the world! Through my underwater adventures I’ve held a cleaner shrimp, batted around the top side of a jelly fish, chased Parrot fish, poured sand from the bottom of the ocean floor through my hands, and have seen more than I can name. The experiences of this incredible journey continue to amaze me and I cannot help but be thankful for what else life has in store for me.
The last of our two free fun dives is Joshua’s Swash, and I have now completed a total of eight dives in five days. Get me to the bow of a boat because I’m king of the world! Through my underwater adventures I’ve held a cleaner shrimp, batted around the top side of a jelly fish, chased Parrot fish, poured sand from the bottom of the ocean floor through my hands, and have seen more than I can name. The experiences of this incredible journey continue to amaze me and I cannot help but be thankful for what else life has in store for me.
So there are two Swedish guys, an Israeli, a black British bloke, and an Asian standing on a relatively deserted island sipping on some Flora de Cana. There is no joke because this is how I spent my Friday afternoon on one of the small island Cayes of Honduras. This is our reward for successfully completing the course, an afternoon on an island that is the quintessence of paradise in the Caribbean. Crystal blue waters, white sandy beaches, blue skies free of clouds, and some great new friends. The afternoon is spent swapping stories, and by far the two most animated characters of the fellas club is Petter, one of the Swedes that spent ten months living in Texas and recounts story after story of the stereotypical attitude of the Lone Star State, and Yomi Salami, the Nigerian-British bloke that refuses to believe some of the things that are coming out of Petter’s mouth. Sharing with us that when his newly adopted Texas father received a raise, it was celebrated with a trip directly to the gun store. The jaw-dropping expression on Yami’s face is priceless and the quiet stillness of the island is interrupted with laughter from the five of us standing in the shallow waters of the shoreline.
Under one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever witnessed, our day on the Cayes of Utila has come to an end. Wading through waist deep waters to our anchored boat, one by one we climb aboard and cameras are quickly pointed towards the majestic scenery and bright rich colors as the sun begins to disappear. The passionate renewing of my soul continues to be a daily reward as I am fortunate to experience life-enriching travels. The ability to see beyond that which is just in front of me, but to appreciate the changes that continue to develop within my character, creating a new person with each new experience is a euphoric feeling that I wish everyone would attempt to pursue for themselves, because life truly is amazing when you can be liberated from the excessive limitations that are all too often forced upon our lives.
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