Posts Tagged ‘snorkeling’

Getting the chance to swim with sea turtles was a highlight in my life. My first opportunity came while staying with Aloha Condos at the Moana Kai Beach house on Kauai. I had my morning coffee on the lanai while watching the ocean only 30 meters away and thinking, “it can’t get any better than this.”  Then I gathered my snorkel gear and headed across the lawn to the beach. I parked my towel and chair in the warm sand, got my gear on, and plodded backwards into the ocean…a trick I discovered (after my husband mentioned it) that works much better than fighting the flippers to walk forwards. Now, this wasn’t listed as a popular snorkeling beach, although I would see a handful of locals out there almost daily. The first few times I snorkeled, I paid attention to every visible sea plant and fish; there were some great ones. On my later adventures, I realized I could swim with a snorkel better than without for my exercise. So, there I was swimming along in peaceful gratitude at my opportunity to exercise in such beauty, when I saw a big rock ahead…and then a gentle dusting of sand took me aback and the rock moved! In a moment of awe it dawned on me that it was a sea turtle! I gurgled surprise and then paddled in reverse to stay my position while . The magnificent turtle slowly swam up, looked back at me gently, and then surfaced for air. I thought, “oh yeah,  it isn’t fleeing because turtles are slow” (…until my second turtle sighting. That guy swam off like a torpedo). The turtle came back down, turned slowly, looked at me again, and then proceeded to swim mellowly along. I swam for over an hour with it (behind it and to the side of it), keeping a respectful distance. It never appeared frightened, intimidated, or aggressive, although at first I was a little hesitant. Shortly, I began to swim like my companion in that suspended moment of time…slow, graceful arm movements in the rocking of the ocean: gliding back,  then surging forward with the swell from the waves above. It was somewhat like life can be, taking steps forward, and a few backward, but still progressing ahead. I became so calm by being with this turtle. I saw him or her again a few days later…same experience. In times of stress, I often think of my turtle friend and that moment of  ” no worries” while we swam together. I feel very grateful and thank this glorious creature for its lesson that things “can always get better.”

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