Into the Wide Blue Yonder
Even though I’m a Piscean water has never been a comfortable element for me.
When I was five I was skipping home with my family from Mass one Sunday along the edge of London’s dirtiest stretch of canal. I was in a state of bliss when the sun blinded me and I fell in. Now we had a family dillema! My father,the great John Wayne look-a-like always made sure of his satorial elegance, particulalry on Sundays. So this morning he was attired in yet another brand new suit. Should he jump in and save his daughter’s lifeand ruin his expensive new suit? The dark yellow water had closed over my head for the fourth time when Mum persuaded him to jump in, so I was dragged out, thrown on the tow path and given a thorough telling off.
In my teen years I could see what fun was to be had in the water (and also what it did to your hair) and didn’t venture in again until the early 90’s when I took my PADDI diving course.
We practiced all week in a local swimming pool, during which time I consumed enough pool-water to really challenge my digestive system and make me very sick indeed!
Our open water dive took place in November in Lake Coniston in the cold North West of England. The freezing wind whipped off the top of the grey water as we struggled into massive inflexible padded diving suits, lots of ’stuff”was arranged around my head and neck and I was attached to two heavy gas bottles. The group waded off joyously into the water, I tried to follow, too quickly, tripped on my flipper and fell into three foot of water and floated off carried by my two oxygen tanks, soon to be rescued by my instructor.
By the time I was back in position everyone else had jumped off a natural ledge in the lake and I could see them twenty feet below. My scissor jump to join them was a disaster, I kind of fell forward disturbing all the loose stones and muck on the side of the incline and fell at the feet of the group minus mask and breathing apparatus. I signalled the instructor that no I didnt want to try again I wanted to get back up to breathing Oxygen again and stop filling up with water and debris as soon as possible. Much as my Dad chucked me onto the tow path my instrucor dumped me on the side of the lake, still attached to gas bottles. I lay there totally exhausted, unable to move for over an hour, while the group came up laughing and joking, having passed their dive course. No one acknowledged me and I was divested of my gear and sent off home.
A month ago in New Zealand on my way to the Cook Islands I made the life-changing desicion that my luck on and in the water was going to change. I bought a snorkel and mask - destination Aitutaki and the biggest lagoon in the world.
The lagoon was at the bottom of my garden and on the first day I put on the gear and walked into the water up to my hips, I bent at the knees and put my face in the water, I thought I felt something brush past my leg and set off for the beach in fright. The next day I swam about a bit keeping my eye on the depth of the water.
All around the lagoon coral wall the sea could be seen splashing dangerously over the top, sometimes in huge waves. Fishermen told stories of having large Tuna ripped off their rods by ravaging sharks around their boats way outside the coral safety wall. Each day I watched and took photos of this safety net between me and the ocean. The sea on the other sideI’d heard was hundreds of feet deep.
I went on two snorkeling tours of the lagoon with Captain Fantastic in exchange for reflexology treatments. When we got to the snorkeling site in the boat I was really quite scared at going into the deep water, but Captain F held my hand and took me all around the corals and showed methe wonderful fishes, it was all so marvellous I began to feel a bit hysterical! I was so excited I wanted to laugh but couldnt. Wile he showed me how sea cucumbers squirted fluid out of a little hole at the end of their cylindrical shaped bodies Captain F asked me spend the night with him on Honeymoon Island to further my snorkeling career, I declined and the next time we went out he totally ignored me and held hands through the trickey bits with a plumptious american lady called Nancy.
So on my next tour I decided to go with Kristene and Fred and signed up fortheir adventure trip in the outer canyons, luckily Kris liked reflexology too. It didnt occur to me for a moment that outer canyons meant beyond the sea wall. So I’m chatting away to a nice german lady when we whizz out of the wharf along the reef and OVER THE SEA WALL!!
I nearly died - I went into a state of shock and as Fred stopped I said I’d stay behind and look after the boat. I searched over the side into the very deep water looking for large grey shapes coming towards me at speed. Fred said “come on, stay next to me, you’ll be fine” So I did, there was miles and miles of deep blue water below, long thick fingers of coral made up the outer canyons. Fred had said stay close, so I did, he couldnt get me away from his side, a couple of times we came up to the surface for a discussion and he asked me what I was doing - I said “staying close to you”
We swam about for 30 minutes, no grey shapes, though I kept an eye out - just in case. And we saw amazing and gorgeous fishes and it was all perfectly marvellous.
I’m on my way home tomorrow. The Cook Islands were wonderful, extremely HOT and heaven for mosquitoes. I had my choice of two lovers the King of Aitutaki (no less) and Captain F, they werent a particulalry desirable pair but itwas flattering anyway.
I wont come here again, there is a massive economic difference between the $500 a day tourists that come here and the very hard up locals. You had to watch your purse, a husband can take his wife to court and cannobolism only ended here 150 years ago, if not later.
Must go