SNORKELING
The first time I ever snorkeled was back in Maui during our honeymoon in 1990. Well, for a few seconds . . . When I was young (I do not remember how old I was), I almost drowned. While I do not remember the exact time and place, I do recall the helpless feeling quite vividly until some random guy next to me pulled me out. It did not last long. It did not have to. That was long enough for me to develop a fear of water.
Back to Maui. Although I knew I was afraid of water, especially deep water, and considering the fact that I didn’t know how to swim, the clear turquoise water in Maui still lured me. We took a boat out and docked near the coral reef by an island. Everyone eagerly jumped in. I naively believed that I could somehow float and enjoy the underwater scene. What made matters worse was that no adults wore lifejackets; only young children had them on. My ego kicked in and convinced me that I didn’t need one. The next thing I remember is being in the water, frantically searching for something to hold onto. I spotted a lifeguard on his surfboard nearby and swam as if my life depended on it. I realized I could “go” but didn’t know how to float.
To make matters worse, my dormant fear rushed back while I was in the ocean. I grabbed one side of the board. Surprised, the lifeguard told me I could not hold on to the board and to swim back to the boat. I couldn’t tell him I didn’t know how to swim. Again, my ego interrupted. I saw the boat approximately 20 feet away. I put my head down and swam like a madman. In those few seconds, I caught a glimpse of some coral reef fish. Even while I was on the verge of “dying” during my honeymoon, I couldn’t ignore the beauty of the fish. I finally made my way back to the boat, completely out of breath and my heart racing. That was the end of my first snorkeling experience.
Thirty-five years later, I found myself in a boat, setting out for yet another snorkeling adventure. This time, I was on beautiful Redang Island, off the coast of Kuala Terengganu, along the eastern coast of Peninsula Malaysia. Redang Island is notable for its marine sanctuary, renowned for world-class snorkeling and white sand beaches. The Malaysian community had planned this getaway a while ago. The all-inclusive resort soft-opened in March after being closed from November to February. Since it was not peak season, the rates were extremely reasonable. Our stay lasted two nights and three days, with snorkeling as the main highlight. We went out three times to different nearby islands. Although I had been learning to swim (and still couldn’t float), I promised myself I would try again, hoping to redeem the disappointing experience from thirty-five years ago. This time, I didn’t let my ego interfere; I wore a lifejacket, which was actually required.
I jumped into the deep ocean and submerged my head to breathe through the snorkel mask, but I initially froze due to the depth of the ocean floor. I reassured myself that I had a lifejacket on and just needed to breathe using my mouth instead of my nose. As I began to enjoy the incredible new underwater world, I quickly surpassed my previous record of just a few seconds. After the outing, I FaceTimed my wife and shared every detail of the experience blow by blow. (My wife stayed back since she had a lot of work to attend to.) On the second day, we went to a nearby island where the Marine Center is located and snorkeled in shallow waters. Armed with pieces of bread, we attracted an array of colorful coral reef fish. With so many varieties to see, I marveled at this world I never knew existed. At one point, it felt like I was swimming in an aquarium.
The redemption and overcoming of my fear were not insignificant achievements. Figuratively speaking, this redemption and overcoming opened up a new world. This new world emerges as we learn to conquer our fears and experience redemption. To me, that was the bigger lesson.