ADVENTURES OF A FIRST TIME SNORKELER

In fifth grade during a routine school eye test it was discovered that I needed glasses – badly.  You know the type, where you hold up three fingers the way that the progressively smaller “E”s are facing. Well, I couldn’t even tell them which way the big “E” at the top was pointing!

Since that day I’ve worn glasses or contacts my entire life. Sometimes it can be a bit of a pain in the ass, but mostly I’m just thankful that something as simple as eyeglasses can give me the gift of perfect sight.  However, water sports have always been a challenge since it’s not a lot of fun to swim, water ski or zip down waterslides when you can’t see three feet in front of your face.

In my 62+ years of life I had never snorkeled since I couldn’t see the fish or anything else underwater. My only son, who is afflicted with the same bad vision, invested in a snorkeling mask with corrective lens several years ago. He has since had laser surgery & has 20/20 vision without any glasses, but loaned me the mask for our cruise.

When we planned this Southern Caribbean cruise to six different islands my research found that Bonaire is one of the top three dive destinations in the world!  I figured if I was finally going to snorkel, this was the place to do it.

Some of the Bonaire coastline. This isn't where we snorkeled but it was close by.

I picked a snorkeling excursion that started on the beach. Something in the recesses of my brain told me that it would be much easier to be able to stand up & pull the mask off if I suddenly panicked or couldn’t breathe.

We arrived at the beautiful beach with crystal clear aqua water & were briefed on the hazards of the coral reefs by an American couple, Walt & Cindy, who retired in Bonaire. There were six of us who were first time snorkelers in the group. Everyone wore an inflatable vest & the beginners were encouraged to put a flotation noodle under their vest to make floating easier. We were advised to forego the flippers until we tried it a few times. Lou has snorkeled a lot and took off on his own while I waded out with Anders who was assigned to our motley crew of snorkeling virgins.

My sister and I share a strange trait that is not something we enjoy – we gag at the slightest provocation. I can literally gag brushing my teeth sometimes! Well, when I put the mouthpiece in and bit down I immediately gagged on it.  I pulled it out then tried again. More gagging. Poor Anders kept asking if I was alright. I nodded & raised my hand in the universal “I’m fine” gesture when I clearly wasn’t. Finally, I said I needed to go sit down on the beach & regroup.

After several deep breaths & doing my damndest to relax & stop it, I headed back to the ocean determined to put mind over matter. Interestingly enough, once I just put my face in the water & floated for a minute, the gagging went away.  Thank God!

I was surprised that from above the surface the rocks & fish are blurry due to the distortion from the water. But once you put your masked face in the water, it all becomes distinct & is completely clear. It was fascinating to simply observe this underwater paradise. Once I got used to the motion of the waves (we were only about 20-30 feet offshore) & the rhythm of breathing through my mouth several minutes went by quickly.

Lou bought an underwater camera & took lots of photos - it's just me, not the Loch Ness monster.

There were a lot of small fish darting in & out around the coral which was beautiful in itself. They were all colors from almost clear to bright blue to yellow. Suddenly I saw a huge (at least to me) fish that must have been 18” long. It was several shades of bright blue. It was so close I could have reached out & touched it although we were cautioned not to touch anything. That was when I started to think that this snorkeling thing was pretty cool.

A neon blue fish that Lou captured on film.

This is a colorful patterned fish that Lou saw further out on the reef.

One of the plentiful Parrot fish that were all over the place.

Cindy was stationed nearby in the water to make sure none of us drowned. I described the fish & she told me it was a Parrot fish. I excitedly pulled my mask down & began another underwater adventure. This time I noticed a light tan, almost white, really thin, flat fish slowly maneuver near the sandy bottom. It laid on the bottom almost disappearing. I could barely see the outline of it when I knew exactly where it was. Cindy confirmed that it was a Peacock flounder with both eyes on the same side of its head.

Lou found me & wanted to take me out to the deeper water. I went back for some flippers but had a helluva time just getting them on & trying to walk. A wave hit me & not being able to catch my balance with the flippers, I fell back on my butt with my legs up in the air. At that point I told Lou that I was having a great time in the shallow water with just my water shoes & wanted to stay there rather than take a chance of spoiling the experience.

Me floating over the undersea wonderland with my noodle.

Back to floating over my brain coral & rocks, I stumbled onto an eel that looked to be fighting with another fish! I watched them for a couple minutes before they disappeared back into the coral. Before I knew it, about 1-1/2 hours had passed!

What started out looking like it might be an expensive day at the beach (because of my gagfest) turned out to be a terrific adventure. I won’t say I’m totally hooked but I thoroughly enjoyed my little taste of Bonaire’s fascinating underwater world. And I would certainly try it again now that I’m pretty sure I won’t drown!

My report on the cruise & Southern Caribbean will follow shortly.