Always Spring for the Fins

The water was warm yet turbulent with the incoming tide. I had washed ashore, gasping for air, my body half in the water, my face resting on warm grey sand. It was soft, exceedingly friendly sand. Not thirty minutes earlier I’d seriously questioned whether I’d feel that sand again. I’d just cheated death and I’d never forget it.

It was a perfect day for a speedboat trip out to the Phi Phi Islands in Southeastern Thailand. It was pleasantly warm and breezy, if a bit cloudy. Our tour group spent the morning sightseeing and snorkeling. I saw beautiful fish. I followed a trio of cuttlefish jetting around a brightly-lit cove.I floated lazily off shore, laughing as a troop of monkeys chased some tourists off the beach and into the ocean.

Lunchtime rolled around, I wasn’t at all ready to stop exploring. The tour guide convinced some of us to swim over to see some sharks. I love sharks! However, I quickly realized my mistake of opting not to rent fins earlier, as everyone else in the group immediately outpaced me by a few hundred yards. Not to be deterred, I doubled my efforts to catch up. The guide said it should be a short swim.

I overestimated my swimming talent. I lost sight of the group and found that I was incredibly tired. Worse yet, I realized I’d passed nothing but sharp, craggy rocks and cliff-face for most of the swim. There weren’t any soft resting spots anywhere in sight.

At this point, I struggled a great deal. I realized I had to swim all the way back before I could rest. All I wanted to do was stop swimming and float for a minute, but it took one razor-covered rock beneath the surface to clue me in that the tide was coming in fast and the wind had picked up.

Waves crested over my head, splashing down my snorkel, as I steadfastly swam back. Suddenly, beneath the wave, the water discolored to a hazy pink. The next instant, a huge, bulbous jellyfish materialized right in front of me. It was big as a dinner plate and terrifying. I was so exhausted and if I got tangled up in that monster, I’d be done for.

I backpedalled and swam around, only to realize the tide had brought in a whole swarm of jellys. Yet scared as I was, I was awestruck. These creatures were amazing, gorgeous. I’d never see this again. Carefully, I threaded my way through the swarm.

As soon as I was out, I surged down the coastline, past the jagged rocks, until the beach opened up. I turned over and let the ocean carry me to shore.

Lesson learned, always spring for the fins.