The waves were choppy, but that didn’t stop me from going to the edge of the boat and drawing in a deep breath before taking the plunge…only to pop right back up to the surface. Life jackets aren’t designed to let you sink. Besides, I didn’t need to go very deep. I was just snorkeling.
â–º SEMI Finalist 2012 Teen Travel Writing Scholarship
I’d been staying at the Beaches at Sandy Bay resort in Jamaica for three days already. It was its own little bubble of paradise. Everything was provided for us: food, nightly entertainment, a beautiful stretch of beach. Up until then my family had been fighting a losing battle to convince me to do something besides stay on the beach. I admit it; I was attached. If I had to choose between food and the beach, I probably wouldn’t have hesitated to pick the beach. But by the third day I figured some variety in my daily routine wouldn’t be bad, so I went with my parents and brother when they signed up for a snorkeling trip. I had faith that the beach wouldn’t spontaneously erode while I was away.
I don’t regret leaving it.
When I jumped off of the boat into the water I couldn’t escape the wonder no matter where I turned my head. So many things that I’d only seen in aquariums before were inches from my fingers. Sea urchins, an eel, something I can’t describe except as a brain! I could barely contain my excitement when a school of fish swam right past me. I’m from Charleston, so the concept of swimming with fish in the ocean was not new. The difference is the visibility. The Atlantic Ocean is an opaque blue-green while the water in the Caribbean was glass. I’d never been more aware of the life in water than I was then.
I was disappointed when we were called back into the boat. I felt like I could have spent hours there and it wouldn’t have been enough. However, in Jamaica there’s at least one thing you can count on: the afternoon rain. It always rained in the afternoon, and if you didn’t mind a slight margin of error you could set your watch by the rain. What the rain meant for the snorkeling trip was that it had to end there so we could get back to the resort.
After going to Jamaica I believed it was an experience that everyone should have the chance at. I had never felt so relaxed on a vacation before. With the relaxed atmosphere and natural beauty, I really believed in the unofficial Jamaican motto: no problem.
How could anyone think there were problems when they swim with the fish?
If you want to go as well, here is the link to the resort website.
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