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Snorkeling - the beautiful and scary world of truth !!!

I was lucky to visit Florida last X'mas with my friends. Everyone were interested in some or other adventurous activity - para sailing, para gliding, snorkeling, scuba diving....Scuba diving was out of the list in first few seconds as we need to know swimming for this and in our group of four , only one knew swimming. Next in the list was snorkeling. We inquired at one place and came to know that we should know swimming for that too. All were a bit disappointed, but the ray of hope came when the lady in charge at the second place told that swimming is not necessary!!! I was also very happy (i really don't have any idea what i was thinking then!!!). To tell the truth, I had not given much thought into what is snorkeling/scuba diving or rather i did not care!! I was just getting excited about doing something adventurous with friends (silly me!!!).


I do not know anything about swimming and tends to panic in water. When we reached the place for snorkeling and started putting on the outfits, tension started to sink in. I started becoming nervous at the thought of going into the water all on my own! Even though my friends did not know swimming much, they were very excited (or at least they wanted us to believe so ;) ) . So I tried to take it with a smile, but Sree could make out my tension and tried to comfort me. Finally our turn came to jump into the water and my heart started beating fast (yes......butterflies in stomach). I climbed down the steps of the boat and sat on the side bar and put on my snorkeling fins and slowly tried to slide into the water(scary!). I was in water by then, but still was holding the bar and was hanging there with my head fully above water. I didn’t get the courage to leave it and go. Sree tried to make me leave my hand from the bar and balance my body in water, but all i did was go under water and come up in panic with salt water in my mouth, nose and ears!!!!


After all these panic episodes, the people in charge (realizing my pathetic condition!!) decided to give me some additional support by providing me a body surfboard. Even after so many trials, I was not able to balance on that board and stay in the same position and float on top of water!!!Then they came up with something called a swimming noodle, which I can use to float along with some one else….however i still managed to take in a very good amount of salt water(even with all that safety mask and gear !). Finally they gave me a boogie board (more like toddler stuff!) on which I can lie down properly and it also has a rope that can be pulled by another person(yes yes…he was pulling me in water like a man jogging with a dog!!)..I was feeling so embarrassed that i decided to give up and go back, but somehow got on top of the boogie board and Sree guided me through the water with the rope attached to it(that's how i finally did snorkeling ;))…He had a very tough time with me , out there….. I was concentrating more on different ways to panic rather than balancing!!!


The view under sea was amazing after all that hard work. It was worth every second of the effort we did to keep myself afloat!!…I recommend it to every one who does not panic in water(oh it really doesn't matter ;), go ahead and give it a try!).…its beautiful!! Amidst all these confusions, we still managed to take our snaps of snorkeling ..check out the two snaps here… one the 'picture perfect' snorkeling snap of us.

And another, truth behind the first snap!!!

~Luv

Resh
13 Responses
  1. Learner Says:

    Hi dear Reshma,
    The experience looked very hilarious to me .. the way you presented it. It was fun.I felt I was there and watching among the others who were trying to see your balancing act. Must have been real fun with Sree around to hang on.. Hahahha !!! Have fun!


  2. Anonymous Says:

    Hoo..hoo.. i dint know that 'Operation Snorkeling' can be 'accomplished' in so many different ways :)
    Hmm.. think i shud also give it a genuine try.. nokkaattee.
    Nyways, good write up resh.. keep it coming!!


  3. Hi reshmaechi... Great write up.. It was very nice .After reading ur write up, i really wanted to do Snorkeling though i do not know swimming.. :). enjoy !!!!!!!!!! Cheers !!!!!!!!!!


  4. Sum Raj Says:

    hey reshma..nice reading ur post and indeed it must have been a lovly experience..i am already a se sickness person and could not even think abt snorkeling hehee..but would love to give trial..will c


  5. Ninku Says:

    Hehe wish someone had taken a video of this adventure.
    FInally u did it , cheers for that :) Boogie Board um work cheythilarunel u could have given them some $5 and asked for baaki..apo balance kittiyene.


  6. Mishmash ! Says:

    Kudos to you ! Glad to know you re safe after all ur adventure :P

    Even though u recommend snorkeling now, I wouldn't dare to do that....veruthe pathrakkarkku enthina njan aayitu oru news ondakki kodukkunne, they will write " yuvathi amerikkayil mungi marichu....." :D

    As for my new post, that was just a test post....and i deleted it immdlty, thats why u re not able to view the page, not 'coz I blocked you...:))


  7. Hi reshma..I came here accidentally n was amazed to see my blog -link here..:)..Thanks for the add..
    Btwn the 1st pic is so awesome!!..Bet u had a great time..We too did an under-sea walk few months back in Mauritius..superb..u can see the pic n post in my blog..mebe u can try that next time..:)


  8. Unknown Says:

    Hey Reshma,
    I liked your blog...sound like me trying to learn swimming..maybe you should too learn swimming in the pool first :)
    Cheers,
    Bharathi


  9. Unknown Says:

    dolby...it was quite a fun scene for others ..while i was working hard :)

    danz...athe angana pala vazhikalum indeeeeeee...if u need ne tips ask me ;)

    thnks a lott soumya..give it a try !

    thnku suma...yh it was a mixed exp for me and go ahead n give a trial ;d

    nithyaaa...ini oru videode kurave illu.....enittu venam ellarkkum enne kaliyakkan!!!


    hey shn..ayyo dont give up bcoz of my post...i tend to panic way too much in water ;d..angane yuvathi mungi marikilla...life jacket indu...even though it dint lift my confidence :D!!


    thnks a lot varsha....under sea walk n me...u must be kidding :d


    yeah ..bharati i shud learn swimmin in a pool first!!!


  10. Jyothy Says:

    Hi .. nice post and i could re-live tht moment of mine ... though i didnt get into the waters for snorkelling. we were a bit scared and sri didnt want to go but i gathered some guts but my legs wldnt jus step down the bars... ehehe.. so v tried snorkelling at the beach waters... tht was also grt experience.... nice to see the pics...


  11. Neha Says:

    Truely a hilarious post, i'm sorry , but can't stop laughing. after this i too wanna go n try snokerling..
    U know, now i know, there r lots n lots of ways to get help...(which i'm sure i'll need)


  12. Sonal Says:

    lovely write up reshma. While reading… i felt as I am reading my experience while learning swimming in pool. You know..on third day of training my trainer told me that ‘you are my one and only student I am confident about, if left by oneself ..will get drowned in a baby pool’ :(. Now I know bit of floating..but still scared of water.


  13. Haru Says:

    Your post was very nice and I could understand every feeling Sree was going through, because I had the same experince, however not as much. Last month I went to Phuket,Thailand with my wife and one of the water sports we enjoyed most was snorkelling. Same like you, wife didnt know swimming. However I managed to teach the first lessons on swimming on a shallow shore (Maya Bay), before heading for the real game. To my amazment, she learned quickly and was more intrested than me to get into the water and start snorkelling. We were snorkelling on Phi Phi islands (The film 'The Beach' of Learnardo was shot at this place). Anyhow putting up the snorkelling gears and life jacket, she done well. With one hand she balanced herself and the other hand was around my neck. Like that we snorkelled for an hour and at the end it was a marvellous experience. All the colorful fishes and corals looked took us to a different world. Just the two of us and all this jewels around.