Finding Nemo and Neverland! (Part 2 of 2)

Read Part 1: Ocean Freedom HERE

I was sitting and watching the sea after lunch, we had anchored at another spot which had a wider coverage for snorkelling. A Dutch girl, who was the quietest or rather the softest member of the crew walked over and sat next to me. She was asking me about what I was doing – and I was telling her where I worked and what I worked as. She asked me how I decided that this was what I wanted to work as, and other career-related questions. She said she understood the initial confusions I had and hoped she could figure out her way as well. Now I was really curious, I asked her what were her plans and what she was doing. Then she told me she was eighteen! EIGHTEEN! She’d just finished school and was spending her gap year travelling, trying to figure out what she’d like to do with life. Literally trying to figure out what she’d like to do with life. I thought she was twenty-five minimum. Anyway, God bless her. She was sweet. I wonder if she figured things out!

*

Through the morning, different members of the crew kept coming around to convince me to Snorkel. I was the only one who wasn’t snorkelling without a proper reason. (Damn British women with weak stomachs!) The Ocean Freedom apparently prided themselves with some of the best snorkelling kits, guides and experiences.

“You’ve already paid for it! You can’t miss it. You shouldn’t miss it!”

“You’ll regret it for the rest of your life!” she said. “How can I regret what I never had” I retorted. My resolve was breaking away a teensy little bit, but the fish!

“You’ll never want to come out once you go in” Scott tried. I smiled sweetly and stayed firmly at my place.

It was Amy (Aims they called her) who finally did it. She let me think there was no rush in the world – till she was done with lunch that is.

She was this tall strong girl, with a stunning smile and glittering eyes. She had long beach bleached blond hair which she’d dyed blue at the tips – to stand for the sand and the sea. I almost had a girl crush on her.

She took me over to the life vests and said try this on. I gave it and tried it on. I knew she wouldn’t let me take it off. She then lead me to the tub which had the unused snorkelling gear “Go ahead, pick the colours you like”

I picked the tube which looked the longest of the lot. I’m sure they were all the same length, but well.

“Only for a few minutes, for a few feet near the ship okay?”

“Of course darling! This is just so you can tell your friends you snorkelled too. Nothing more”

“I don’t know swimming”

“I’m strong enough to pull the both of us along”

“What if a fish comes”

“I’ll steer you away. If I miss it, and only you see it, you tug at me and I’ll steer you to safety, alright sweetheart?”

The disintegration of my resolve was complete and I was going to get into the water and face my fears.

She had a life float ring, which I assumed she was going to make me wear before we went in the water, but she didn’t give it to me. She got off the boat first and held it like a carrot I had to get.  Scott helped me get in the water, with a proud-father-beam on his face. I smiled nervously, as I slowly climbed down the ladder into the water.

The water was at a very pleasant temperature, which was awesome. With the snorkelling mask in place, Amy taught me to breathe through the mouthpiece.

“If water gets in the tube, just blow it out. Try not to use your nose at all. Gently flap your feet, and you’ll stay afloat”

Three more people joined us, she Amy was going to take us around and show us different Fish. How different can they be?

-

You know there are rare exceptional moments in life when things bad and good, comfortable and uncomfortable, worries from the past and future all fade away, and everything that is left is the wondrous marvel that is the present?

The moment I dipped my head into the water was one such.

It’s like entering into a magical land, untouched by humans.

The water … you could see the reflection of the sun inside. But it was oh so different. The light inside had a soft shimmery quality to it.

There were schools of fish swimming around, and it was the calmest, serene and fascinated I’ve been in my life!

Even better was the reef itself. The colours seen through the glass boat do it no justice at all.

Corals of orange, and blue and purple and pink and colours in shades that were so pleasing and attractive at the same time. They didn’t look too gaudy, but they were proud. They were proud to be just sitting there looking pretty, but they deserved to.

When any fish got too close for comfort, I’d tug slightly at Amy, and she’d move me away.

“You don’t make a fuss or start shaking violently. This is easy. You’re going to love this” and I did.

“Look there’s Nemo!” Amy said as I found Nemo and excitedly waved at Nemo – well I was tugging at her, and waving in my head, as I also had to make sure I don’t sink or float away ;)

I found Nemo! We didn’t see Dory there, but I did see her at an Aquarium in Sydney, which fit the tale after all J

The others in the group brought their heads up occasionally to deal with a water in the tube situation – but I was good. I found that humming softly to yourself regulates breathing, and also makes sure I breathed through my mouth – if you ever go snorkelling, try this trick! I think I brought my head up only a couple of times, and suddenly I noticed that the ship was so far away and we were approaching shallow land. I could have sworn that there was no visible land when the ship lowered the anchor.

Turns out that I was in for another amazing surprise.

We had waded our way to an island!

This is the only picture from this post that is not mine (took it off the internet) - but I had to show you how that place looked. And that's the glassboat standing there. 

An Island that was only a few square meters wide – one that is special, and emerges at low tide. Fascinatingly, we saw it emerge right before our eyes. We sat there till the water ebbed and flowed away and there was land – made of finely silted shells and dead corals that we stood on. The fine white sparkled under the afternoon soon, and it felt we were standing and walking on water for a while, till the water fully retreated to show that small piece of land. We ran around playing and just being wild and free – splashing crystal clear water and what now.

The land was visible for barely half an hour before it started filling up again. Scott came by in the glass boat with another crew member saying all those who were tired of the sea could go with him. Then he looked at me and declared that those scare of snorkelling were also most welcome.

I grinned and shook my head happily. There was no way I was going to give up an opportunity to look into the magic world again! The peace down there. Wow.

We Swam back, we found our own shadows on the ocean bed, saw Nemo again, some small turtle, and many other gorgeous fish.

Before we knew it, we were back in the ship and it was over.

Amy joked that I should have been a good girl and listened to her in the morning itself, I wish I had! 

I’m so glad she made me go in the evening though.

Just after we’d all been brought aboard, someone screamed that they saw a shark. A hammerhead shark if I remember right. The normal thing to do when you see a shark is to be relieved that you’re not there with it , and maybe look from a distance. Not for some of the crew though. With most crew members guarding us passengers, a couple of the crew members whizzed past and jumped into the water.

“HA !!! Now I can say I swam with a hammerhead shark” they announced after getting back. To each his own I guess. *Stunned Silence*

After changing back into dry clothes, and drying in the top deck for a while, I came back down to sit and watch the sea fade away as we approached land.

I guess the crew knew that this was a sad phase, so they made it better with cheese and biscuit and juice J

I saw green island on the way, and was so glad that I wasn’t there, and got to be in the water and with that crew instead!

*

I loved that day. It’s by far my favourite travel memory thus far. But there are plenty more stories, and watch this space for more J

Bye bye Ocean Freedom :*