Drowning in Love

I kept swimming, but the shore was getting farther. Panic started to creep in. Waves were crashing down on me. People were becoming smaller and smaller. I was already fatigued and was now caught in between the waves and the undertow. I was in trouble. Keep going, I told myself. You’ve got this. You can’t give up. I was trying to ride with the waves, but they kept pushing me back. More panic started to set in.

Gasping for breath, I tried to regain my focus. You can do this. There was no time to panic or get overwhelmed. I didn’t have a lot of time. The current was strong; I had to be strong too. With quick words of encouragement, I paddled and swam the hardest I ever have and shut off all thoughts. Making it to the shore, still in shock, I was so grateful.

I instantly ran to my new friends, or should I say my new family. We were at Love Beach (Praia do Amor) in Pipa, Brazil, formerly known as the Beach of the Drowned. A strange contradiction, but the name change began to make sense. This place tested me in all ways possible, emotionally and physically.

A beach lover’s paradise, Pipa is in fact not one beach, but four beaches, over a stretch of 10 km. All offer different activities from surfing, paddle boarding and swimming with wild dolphins to playing soccer with locals and dancing capoeira on the beach.

In this secluded paradise, the locals are some of the happiest people you’ll ever meet. They live day to day, just saving enough change to grab dinner. I learned a lot from them and their infectious energy. While we didn’t speak the same language, we didn’t have to. We connected on a different level. They helped me feel empowered and strong. Happy and free.

While many people choose to travel to Natal (about 80 km North of Pipa), I urge you to choose this alternative and opt for more than a beach vacation. Be sure to check it out during low-season (April-June). With less tourists, you can really get to know the locals and have an authentic experience. If you open up, they’ll treat you like family, I promise.

On my last day in Pipa, one of my local friends William had some final parting words for me. He told me that anyone who escapes death at the Beach of the Drowned is given the gift of not only life, but more importantly love. He told me it was now my responsibility to spread this love wherever I could. I reassured him I would every day. The Beach of the Drowned could have killed me, but Love Beach had awakened me. I was forever changed.