Snorkeling @ Playa El Coral
Halfway betwixt Varadero in addition to Matanzas you lot tin honour a nature reserve where you lot tin buy the farm snorkeling at Playa El Coral. This is where my parents, the balance of our tour grouping in addition to I all hopped out of our Suzuki Jiminies. I was nervously swinging the handbag amongst my diving mask dorsum in addition to forth. As I'm pretty much blind without my glasses, normal masks are a waste product of fourth dimension in addition to coin for me. Just earlier nosotros left for Republic of Cuba I'd bought ane of those masks that comprehend your entire face. Decathlon had been advertising them for years in addition to I'd decided to accept the plunge. It's impossible to wearable spectacles within of that mask, thence I'd had my spectacles taken apart and attached the frame to the visor of my mask amongst some washi tape. So professional. But at to the lowest degree I would live able to see. That much I knew: I could encounter good through this thing, but I had no thought if the mask would travel every bit good every bit promised. What if it started leaking? What if I'd drown inward it? What if I'd swim direct into a shark?
Okay, the latter had picayune to produce amongst the mask in addition to all the to a greater extent than amongst my lifelong shark phobia. Either way, I had a lot of things to worry almost on the rattling brusk walk from the parking lot to Playa El Coral...
We were welcomed past times ane of the divers who travel at Playa El Coral. He showed us our options: scuba diving, snorkeling amongst some gear you lot could borrow at the beach, or snorkeling amongst your ain gear. I chose the 3rd option. I hadn't taken my mask amongst me for nothing. I didn't receive got flippers amongst me, but I turned them downwards when they were offered; I'm amend off swimming without them. They are only also heavy on my feet in addition to I experience similar I can't command that all that well.
Next I was offered a lifejacket, which I saw every bit a personal insult. I'm Dutch, I learned to swim when I was inward kindergarten thence I wouldn't drown inward the channels, ponds in addition to lakes that are literally everywhere inward my country. I didn't demand a lifejacket. Lifejackets were for losers.
I wanted to mitt the lifejacket back, but was told I couldn't buy the farm snorkeling without it. I mentally rolled my eyes. They'd evidently never seen a Dutch immature lady swim before. So I made my agency to the waterside, wearing my vivid orangish lifejacket...
We were told to follow our guide inward 2 files. He'd accept us to the reef in addition to exhibit us where to swim thence nosotros wouldn't bump into the coral. After this brusk instruction, I finally pose my mask on. Of course of pedagogy people stared at me in addition to gave me weird looks. With both the lifejacket in addition to mask on, I felt similar an aquatic Teletubbie. I likely looked the purpose also in addition to felt quite uncomfortable because of that. Then I dipped my confront inward the H2O in addition to realized it was all worth it.
I wasn't fifty-fifty at the reef at this indicate inward time. Actually, I wasn't fifty-fifty 5 meters from the shore. But at that spot were tiny picayune fish everywhere in addition to I could encounter them clear every bit day.
The grouping started swimming. Not me though. I started panicking. H5N1 lot of people accidentally kicked in addition to slapped each other (that's what you lot acquire for swimming inward stone oil waters amongst a group) in addition to I was out of breath correct away. I was used to breathing chop-chop through a metro spell snorkeling. Usually amongst H2O trickling into my mask. That wasn't the instance now. Everything was dissimilar amongst my total confront mask: non a unmarried driblet of H2O came in, which was a skillful thing, but my quick breathing made me run out of breath within seconds. It scared me. So I took ane deep breath to calm downwards - thence straightaway noticed I had to a greater extent than oxygen inward my lungs, to a greater extent than oxygen coming into the mask. Another 2 deep breaths after I'd mastered breathing inward this novel mask. I was create to swim.
I before long constitute myself at the front end of the group. I enjoyed swimming there, breathing surprisingly naturally inward my mask. The coral doomed upwards inward front end of us similar a mount range, some of it almost breaking through the surface. We swam through a overstep betwixt coral mountains, thence arrived at huge coral fields. I could already encounter them when I was withal swimming through the pass. Then a gigantic moving ridge picked me upwards in addition to threw me onto a coral mountain.
I was stuck on top of the coral, but scrambled off it every bit fast every bit possible. Not only because it wound similar hell, but also because human impact is deadly to coral. I felt bad for myself in addition to the bump coming upwards on my shin, but felt worse for the coral I'd touched. So I swam away every bit fast every bit possible. I'd only reached opened upwards H2O in addition to the coral fields when I realized I could live bleeding. The coral had scratched my pare pretty badly. And my blood was at nowadays flowing into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean because of that coral collision, it'd attract sharks inward no time. I touched my shin, which withal wound similar hell, but couldn't actually experience anything because of the pain. So I decided to float on my handbag in addition to stick my leg upwards into the air.
No blood, give thank you lot God. I'd worry almost the coral mayhap existence toxic later.
When the blood crisis was over, I explored the coral fields. They were beautiful. Words don't produce the justice. I saw countless fish, to a greater extent than unique species than when I visited the Great Barrier Reef. The coral was amazing in addition to looked salubrious in addition to colorful to my layman's eye. I also saw sea cucumbers. Don't inquire me why I similar something that looks similar a sea turd, I only do. I fifty-fifty whispered to myself: 'Sea cucumbers! They're everywhere!'
And thence I managed to stray away from the croup, closer to the deep nighttime bounding main beyond the coral fields. I didn't notice until I looked ahead to where the H2O was darker. I couldn't encounter anything there. Just nighttime bluish waters, also nighttime to encounter through. My shark phobia piped up: 'A dandy white volition appear correct at that spot whatsoever infinitesimal now!'
Of course of pedagogy no shark e'er showed up, but that thought was plenty to brand me race dorsum to the grouping in addition to await over my shoulder every few seconds.
In the meantime the jeep safari grouping had acquire surrounded past times a schoolhouse of fish from all kinds of species, most no bigger than my hand. It was Finding Nemo inward existent life. Except without turtles.
I swam around for a spell in addition to every bit the fish got used to the presence of loads of people, they came closer to me. And closer. And closer still. Until I could impact them. And touching fish was almost the finally affair I wanted. I similar to admire them from afar, no demand for close-ups. You see, I'm non only afraid of sharks. All kinds of fish brand me jumpy.
For a spell I enjoyed looking at all the picayune tropical fish, ignoring the bigger ones that were all around me. I couldn't ignore them whatsoever longer when they came correct upwards to my face. I abruptly pulled my caput out of the water, kicking my legs in addition to flailing my arms to scare all the fish away. I scream when I accidentally touched one.
So many fish thence many fish thence many fish! My heed was going a meg panicky miles an hour. Get them away from me acquire them away from me acquire them away from me! They were everywhere. I alone calmed downwards when I looked upwards at the heaven in addition to pretended I was inward a pool. As long every bit I couldn't encounter the fish, I was okay. When I finally looked downwards at the H2O again, I alone saw the shadows of fish, which somehow made them less existent to me. H5N1 few deep breaths after I was create to buy the farm on snorkeling.
The showtime affair I saw when I broke through the surface ane time again was a fish. Right inward front end of my face. And it was pooping. Also correct inward front end of my face. I didn't know how to react to that, thence I laughed hysterically inward my mask. Then I swam away; I didn't desire to acquire fish poo all over me.
Our snorkeling tour was almost over, thence I took inward every bit much of the persuasion every bit I could. All the coral, all the fish... It was magical. Scary in addition to panic-inducing, but also wonderful. The colors were surreal. When I climbed onto the rocky beach again, I was awestruck. Despite all my fears in addition to all the panicky moments, I'd immensely enjoyed this picayune snorkeling trip. But I was also all also aware that my generation mightiness live the finally to encounter coral reefs this healthy...
I chop-chop changed into my normal clothes. The guide who'd shown us the agency to the reef came upwards to my parents to tell them their immature lady was a dandy swimmer. I laughed it off, fifty-fifty though I'd been adamant I was a skillful swimmer when I was handed a lifejacket. The guide had likely missed out on my panicked flailing when a fish bumped into me. The fact that fewer people volition live able to flail similar that if nosotros maintain dumping plastic into the bounding main at our electrical current charge per unit of measurement made me sad. Coral reefs are also beautiful to destroy, experiences similar this ane also priceless to surrender on.
As I stepped into our Suzuki Jiminy to buy the farm on our jeep safari, a innovation began to form. I'd faced my fears at Playa El Coral, at nowadays it was fourth dimension for me to give something dorsum to that large scary ocean. By the fourth dimension Playa El Coral was only a speck inward our rearview mirror, I had it all worked out. But that's a storey for some other time. And spell I was inward Cuba, I had no thought if my innovation would fifty-fifty work. I had no thought if it'd e'er plough into a story. So I focused on living inward the moment, thence I had to a greater extent than Cuban stories to portion on my blog. Which I volition maintain doing for some other few weeks now. I hope you lot that!
x Envy
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