Underwater

On our second day in Hawaii, decked out in snorkel gear, we set out on a boat with two marine biologists, a captain, and two other couples, with high hopes to see some dolphins.   

I was excited.  But I could not have prepared myself for what I was about to experience, since I had never been close to dolphins that were not in aquariums at Sea World.  This was the real deal.  We were taught how to correctly use our snorkel gear, a lesson I know Cody wishes he had heard on our honeymoon when he ended up with a leaky mask for half of our underwater excursion.   We learned how to swim with the dolphins, rather than at them.  We were told to swim shoulder to shoulder, mimicking the way the dolphins swim fin to fin in their pods, in an attempt to get them to accept us.

Two things have stuck with me since this experience.  First, I found it way more than ironic that we were instructed to imitate the dolphins so that they would accept us.  We, as humans, are constantly working to gain acceptance.  We do things that we think others will perceive as cool or smart or noble or whatever.  We spend so much of our time here on Earth trying to get people to like us.  To accept us into their circle.  And there we were, in the middle of an ocean, trying to gain the acceptance of a pod of dolphins.  And it was such a huge victory when they circled back around to us again and again, declaring that they had indeed accepted us.  They were comfortable, because we were trying so hard to look like them, swim like them, and behave like them.  

I was amazed as we watched from the surface, looking down on this underwater world that was so foreign to me.  I was completely captivated.  An overwhelming urge to become part of this that world of fins and flippers consumed me.  I wanted to be accepted.

The second thing that left a huge impact on me was the peacefulness that rushed my soul as soon as I stuck my head underwater.  I was nervous, since I had not snorkeled since our honeymoon, and I was a little leery of what else besides dolphins might be lurking in the water below.  But something seemed to change when I was underwater.  My heart continued to race, but my mind quickly abandoned those anxious thoughts as I became surrounded with silence and stillness.  Even the way the dolphins swam was calm and relaxing.  It might have something to do with the fact that we were observing them during their resting time.  Swimming in circles and figure-eights is their method of rest or “sleep,” as we call it.  I kept thinking over and over how much more peaceful I’d be if this was what I did at night instead of tossing and turning, caught up with the thousands of thoughts racing through my exhausted mind.  Everything about them exuded peacefulness.  What’s funny is that as soon as I pulled my head out of the water, that feeling was gone.  As the morning continued, I started to crave the silence and that peaceful feeling I got when I was observing this underwater world that was so different from mine. 

It wasn’t all silence, though.  The same pod that kept coming around to us had a baby in their pod.  And boy, were they chatty!  We heard them squeaking back and forth, and I couldn’t help but wonder if one of them was talking in his sleep.  Or maybe it was a Momma and Daddy discussing who would be responsible for coaxing the baby back to sleep.  Or maybe they were looking up at us, chatting about the strange intruders lurking in their bedroom.  Who knows, but it was awesome to be that close and to hear them communicating, even if we couldn’t understand what they were saying!

 

After swimming with the dolphins, we rode out to what the marine biologists call the “Turtle Cleaning Station.”  The turtles swim to this large rock where a certain type of fish hangs out.  These fish clean off the turtles’ shells, hence the name “Cleaning Station.”  We saw six turtles and none were too small.  They were not shy either, and it sort of freaked me out how comfortable some of them were with us.  

 

I was truly in awe of this world that exists under the water.  So much is still unknown to me, and I think that it what is so intriguing.  I learned so much about these creatures and how they live, and became extremely conscious of how my carelessness can affect them in all kinds of ways.  I left that day with a renewed responsibility to make wiser choices about how I live, in order to protect the world God has created and the fascinating creatures that live in it.