It's magical. Swimming out into the aquamarine sea, looking with awe at the life underneath you. I've never felt more at one with the world. All your tensions just fade away and for that moment, you feel truly alive.
As we are all stuck in quarantine and the prospect of a holiday is just a mere dream, let me take you on an adventure through my past. I'll tell you about the first time I went snorkelling, how I improved over time and my most recent and magical snorkel till date. I may also tell you some tips I've learnt over time through experience. Just before I start I will tell you that I have never had any snorkelling classes so all my advice is through experience so please do some of your own research if you want to try this.
My family and I are in love with beaches. Now, whenever we plan to go on a holiday, we look for islands where there are many beautiful beaches and bays to explore. This obsession started with our first beach trip to an island called Menorca which is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea. I was 12 years old and we went in the month of July. I am the only member of my family that can swim so I would go out into the sea every day and swim by myself. At this time I was not really confident with my swimming; I had very basic swimming training when I was younger. So I spent my time practising front crawl and backstroke whilst swallowing too much sandy salt water! One day, we went on a boat trip out into the sea and we didn't know that there would be snorkelling stop included in the ride. When we stopped, I was very hesitant to get in the water as it was 5 meters deep and my swimming wasn't that good yet. Nonetheless, the lovely tour operator handed me a life vest to keep me afloat and a snorkel and mask and he told me to give it a try. Reluctantly, I put on the vest and slowly inched into the warm sea water. I let go and kicked my feet to get me further away from the boat. Carefully, I put the snorkel into my mouth and put my head beneath the water. I couldn't believe it! There were hundreds of small, yellow and black stripped fishes circling around me feeding off the fish food that the tour operator was throwing in the water. It was spellbinding. They brushed up against my swimsuit and were not frightened. I didn't want to get out of the sea and that was the moment I fell in love with snorkelling.
I can't recall when I bought my own snorkel and mask but I believe it was when we went to Tenerife. By this time, my swimming had improved drastically and I was confident swimming front crawl and back stroke and I even started to attempt breast stroke. This holiday was when I started to teach myself snorkelling. I would go into the sea but not too deep and I would practise breathing, taking my snorkel in and out of my mouth whilst swimming and keeping myself afloat for long periods of time. Unfortunately, the beaches here were very crowded as it is a popular resort but nonetheless I saw very small fishes swimming around people's feet and I my confidence while snorkelling increased.
My most recent holiday was in Cyprus in the summer of 2019. The weather was so sunny and hot that I spent most of the day swimming. We went to Nissi Bay on one of the days and it was astonishing. The water was very shallow when I first stepped in, but the closer it went out towards the open sea, the deeper it became. I was following a pair of yellow spotted pufferfish out until the water was around 3 meters deep below me. To this date I'm still unsure whether that species of pufferfish is poisonous or not but they were swimming around many humans so I assumed it was ok. I saw shoals of small fish coming out of holes in the rock that dotted the bay. It was bewildering how much wildlife was swimming right below my very own feet. There were so many wide-eyed flounder fish gliding along the floor, almost completely disguised into the sand. I can't even try to name all the fishes I saw. It was stunning.
However, the best snorkel I had was in Saint Georges beach just a 20 minutes walk away from our hotel in Paphos. The wide beach-like section had very strong rip currents so we couldn't swim there but just a few metres down, there was a small area which was sectioned of naturally by rocks. The waves there were quite large and it looked difficult to swim in so my parents advised me not to. However, I saw many people were snorkelling in it so I knew I must have been missing out on something. My stubborn nature meant that my parents gave in and allowed me to swim but not too deep. I climbed into the water and was caught of guard by the slippery rock underneath and the force of the strong waves. This was going to be a true test of my snorkelling skills. Despite the urge to climb out, I put the snorkel in my mouth and kicked my feet to go deeper. That's when I realised that the slippery rock didn't reach out very far and just past it the water was 6 meters deep. I had never swum in anything that deep before... ever. So I mustered all my courage and was amazed by what I saw. Huge salpa fish around 20 to 30cm long swam right under
me in huge shoals along with thousands of smaller fish of different species. They glided through the water, their orange and silver stripes glinting in the sunlight. I bobbed up and down, being pushed side to side by the strong waves but it all added to the magical experience. This is the point where I really wished I had a GoPro because I wanted to share the magic with my parents who were enjoying a drink in the hut as they kept a close eye on me. I loved it so much that I went back again the next day. I am so grateful I got the chance to experience something so beautiful.
I hope to go on more adventures in the future and maybe even try snorkelling. I will keep you all updated if I do! Congratulations for getting this far and coming on this journey with me. For all of you that have been inspired to give snorkelling a try here are some tips I wish I had known before trying to snorkel:
1) Check if the beach you are going to has any dangerous creatures to look out for. If the beach is crowded then it is less likely that you will encounter anything dangerous but it's better to be safe than sorry. I wished I had read about those pufferfish before going into the water. Also, many species of octopus and jellyfish can be deadly so make sure you do your research.
2) Don't touch the animals. You can agitate many of the animals if you touch them and it's best to leave them in their own space and let them come to you. You must respect the animals that you are swimming with. Also, some animals might be dangerous to touch so it's best not to.
3) Make sure you have supervision when you go snorkelling. I know I snorkelled by myself but I always had my parents watching me constantly so I advise you to have someone there with you when you start snorkelling as you might get carried away and go too deep into the water.
4) Be aware of rip currents. If there are any rip currents then there are signs to point this out but people have been caught in unexpected rip currents. If by chance you are caught in a rip current, don't swim against it, not even expert swimmers can fight rip currents. Instead swim out at 90 degrees to where the current is pulling you; you can escape if you swim out to the side.
5) Practise in shallow waters or with a life jacket. Snorkelling isn't easy. You need to practise basic skills like breath control, taking your snorkel out and putting it back in and emptying your goggles if they fill with water.
6) Make sure you try the mask before you buy it. If your mask doesn't suction to your face properly it can fill with water and it will become difficult to use in deeper water.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for coming to my tiny corner of the internet! I hope you have a great day and I will see you next time!
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