Day 11

Day 11: Snorkeling 

 

Today is the origin story of how I almost died. Okay, I didn’t almost die but I did participate in one of the most exciting adventures of my life so far. We woke up early this morning at met for breakfast at the Coconut Row restaurant by 7:30. It was a very delightful plate of eggs, pancakes, bacon and mixed fruit until it began to rain sideways. Quickly we all rushed into the canopy of the restaurant with our plates in tow to escape the path of the rain. After getting out of the rain our spirits were further dampened by some finding out complications of financial aid for another semester. So needless to say, when we were leaving for the gulf many of us were in desperate need of a getaway, and a getaway it was. 

             We arrived at the gulf to have three motorboats waiting for us. This was scary for me because I’ve never been on a boat in my life, and I also can’t swim. Yes, I went snorkeling, and I can’t swim. Returning to the boats though, we all gathered into the boats and off we went. Traveling at what felt to be 45 miles per hour we raced through the ocean. Being on the boat you could feel every wave crash against the boat, and it was wild. Soon we reached an area in the middle of the gulf where we could stand. This is where we received our snorkeling gear and our training. For me this was the worst part. The moment my body hit the water I started to freeze up. I was shivering from both the cold water and fear. Eventually, I was fitted with flippers and a mask and put into ‘infant one” training as they called it. I couldn’t manage to hold my head under the water and not freak out. After many trials I finally was able to overcome my fear and remained calm. Once I did that, I was able to take in my surroundings. It was absolutely beautiful. The water was clear blue. When you stuck your head under the water vibrant colors met your gaze in every direction. When we snorkeled we saw all types of wildlife. The coral reef was home to many creatures ranging from gray angelfish to even a sleeping shark. We spent a good hour swimming finding lifeform after lifeform and being in awe of it all. After swimming, we then had lunch on our own private island where our guides barbequed some succulent chicken for us to munch on. Fun fact the island was made almost entirely by a man nicknamed King who shoveled sand and corral to make the foundation of it. We spent what had to be another hour and a half on the island swinging in hammocks, eating, and socking in the sun. Most people went off and snorkeled one last time, but I and a couple others decided to stay and enjoy the sun on the island some more. After a couple more hours we took our boat back which brought us right to the doorstep of our hotel. There we had our typical dinner of chicken and rice before we each all went our separate ways for the day. 

Joshua Osho