I have a very ambivalent relationship with snorkeling. On the one hand, it can be awesome to see creatures in the wild that I have only been able to see previously in marine fish tanks. On the other hand, I am not a particularly strong swimmer in an environment where I cannot survive on my own. Yes, yes, I know I am snorkeling, not SCUBAing. But I take comfort in the fact that when I snorkel I basically have a direct connection to the oxygen I need to survive. I’m just not inclined to trust an oxygen tank in a completely foreign environment where I have to worry about things like depth, pressure or nitrogen levels.
The other thing that makes me nervous about snorkeling is the coral. I’m not too worried about scraping myself up on the coral. I have seen a small coral scrape take months to heal, but it is not me I am worried about. What I am terrified of is accidentally touching the coral and killing it. Imagine going to a stranger’s house for a visit and accidentally killing your host. No, you obviously didn’t mean to do it, but nevertheless it remains the antithesis of being a gracious guest.
The only other time I pulled out my snorkel gear this trip was one evening when a group of us went out to swim with manta rays. Apparently, shining a light on the water attracts the plankton. The manta rays then follow the light themselves so that they can get a easy meal. It was fun, and a manta ray touched my wetsuit (that was another excursion that scared me because manta rays are protected by the State of Hawaii because touching them wipes off they mucosal layer and exposes them to all of the lovely bacteria that we host on our skin). David’s cousin shot a nice video of the manta ray we saw doing somersaults in front of us that you can watch here. http://youtu.be/7-owrs1n1tM
So how do I reconcile my fears? Very poorly. I mostly find some other way to entertain myself when a group goes out snorkeling. But, as our Hawaii trip draws to a close, I am feeling like I am missing out. That is why this morning I have agreed to go out and snorkel with a group of friends and family. I am sure everything will be fine. But, that won’t stop me from worrying until we are safely out of the water.