A local encounter that changed my life

We boarded the boat at Coral Bay, ready to head out on our snorkelling adventure; a mixture of excitement and nerves filled the boat, sheer anticipation was felt in the air. The boat finally set sail and we travelled further away from the shore with my nerves becoming increasingly worse. The anchor was dropped and it was time for us to don our snorkel gear and jump into the deep dark ocean, who knew what awaited us?

With my heart beating a hundred miles an hour, I jumped in; all I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears and the eerie sound of my breath through my snorkel getting faster and faster. “Pull yourself together Sophie” I told myself, it was the only thing I could do to stop myself from freaking out completely.

Then it happened, a moment that was to change my life forever. The beauty of the ocean was right there before my eyes, so much life surrounding me, engulfing me in its presence. There were Angel Fish with vivid blue and yellow markings darting to and fro, two graceful moving manta rays, each 3 metres in size gliding through the water performing mesmerising somersaults with each other, not to mention the ferocious looking sharks swimming calmly along the ocean floor; it was unbelievable, these so called beasts of the ocean swimming alongside us as if we weren’t even there. There were so many colours everywhere that you wouldn’t believe existed unless you witnessed them with your own eyes.

I would be the first person to admit that before this encounter I was naïve, unsure of what I wanted to do in life and where I wanted to go, but since this experience my life has definitely taken a turn for the best. I went from living with my close-knit family in a small village in England, working in a kitchen factory to where I am now; living in Australia and doing Environmental studies at University so I can learn all about these amazing creatures and places.

I will never forget that moment, the moment where everything just fell into place for me.