Exploring the ocean

Our second trip to Thailand in 2012 was my first holiday after I'd moved to Australia.I’ve travelled to many places in my 21 years, thanks to my travel-bug bitten parents. It is the greatest gift they could’ve given me, I believe, the love for travel.My resolution was that in every trip I take thereon,I would face a new fear.We decided to go on a tour of the islands and indulge in snorkeling.I was about to face my first fear, fear of the open ocean to a non-swimmer.I stood on my seat in the back of the catamaran so I could see the little snippets of ragged rock raise out of the crystal blue water randomly out of the opening near the ceiling of the boat.Then we came to the spot,my little Eden,where we had to make our first jump to snorkel.We entered a little natural pathway between two of these little mountain-islands,grey and black jagged rock rising out of the sea on both sides of our winding path of blue water.Bright green leaves falling around the grey rock,reaching out to meet the water, stopping just shy of the turquoise blue surface.It was blue-green water, glowing with the magic of the Sun,protected on both ends with walls of rock, it was beautiful.After laying my eyes on this spot, I had no fear.I had seen fish before,extraordinary,eye-catching fish, in world famous aquariums around the world.But nothing had prepared me to see them in their world,in the wild, wild, ocean.Massive schools of tiny blue, green and yellow fish swarmed through me, not even noticing this huge foreign body in their way,I looked at my feet and surely enough,there were more silver fish eating away at the skin at the soles.I thought I would be scared, nervous,but I was too fascinated by the other world below me.Not once did I look up to see where I was being led,I was too enchanted.So striking!So many colors and activity,smooth easy speed and natural grace.Corals inhabited the surface of the jagged rock that was bare above the water,covered in life below the surface.I could stayed there for hours,lie there in the water with my face down looking at this other side of the world, a world that we know but don’t really know, are only allowed to glimpse at but never be a part of.I silently appreciated the beauty of that quiet spot,thanking whatever higher powers that were at play here, for making so many of these amazing hidden paradises on this planet.I’m glad I found mine there under the Sun,in the middle of the ocean in Thailand.