I became a captain of my own ship the day my family launched me in a Zodiac into my grandparents pool. I was now ocean bound. And I’m pretty sure that my birthstone is a sea shell.
Over time I learned to have respect for the sea and all its bounties. This was brought on by unharmed memorable experiences:
- While in grade school I received my Jr. Lifeguard card in the middle of a squid invasion off the Atlantic Coast
- I kissed a seal in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico while being stung by jelly fish
- Came face to face with a Giant Grouper while learning to scuba dive in Mexico
- I dove with Dolphins
- Swam with black tip reef sharks in Bora Bora, Tahiti
- Saw a pink sea anemone the size of a tire in Bora Bora as well
- I did the sting ray shuffle amongst dozens of sting rays swimming around me, bodies slapping against my legs
- Swam above Giant Oceanic Manta Rays after a storm, once again in Tahiti
But the most spiritual experience I had was off the coast of Maui, Hawaii. We were in a Zodiac in the Deep Blue when I glanced around us. Giant dorsal fins reached from side to side. A Humpback Whale was hovering beneath us. If he had breached we would have completely flipped over. However, he only stayed long enough to make sure that his baby, that was playing nearby, was safe from us.