An Unlikely Experience by Nadia Kamrath

“If you see one, don’t swim toward it. If you do, it will swim away … fast. Just watch from a distance.”

I plunge into the clear water, full scuba gear intact. My heart pounds because no matter how many times I scuba dive, it is never natural. I look at my guide and nod. It’s time.

My mom and brother are seated on the edge of the boat, waving at me. I wave back before becoming fully submerged in the surrounding waters. We begin our descent, holding the mooring line for guidance. When the line stops, I look up; the world above me is far away now, no longer within my reach.

As my guide begins to swim away from the line, I follow. Everything is quiet below the surface. No waves slapping the side of the boat, no regular chatter from the people it contains. Just us and the fish.

We swim for a while, admiring the sea life and the coral they call home. Out of the corner of my eye, something moves … it’s bigger than a fish and strangely round in shape. It’s a turtle. I swim to get a closer look, but remembering my guide’s words, I hesitate.

The majestic creature glides along the coral, pausing at the mossy parts to take a quick nibble. I move closer, my flippers pushing me through the water. It’s not racing away. The beautiful being swims beside me. I reach out my hand, my fingers trace its shell.

I can’t breathe even though I know my tank is full of air. I can’t believe this is happening. I can't believe I am touching an animal so magnificent and wild … an animal they say you can't touch. My stomach flip flops with excitement as I move with restraint beside it. My love for this creature seeps from my heart as I look at it, my eyes dance with joy.

As does every mammal, the turtle soon has to breathe, ending our synchronized swim faster than I would like. If it was up to me I would have followed her to the surface, but as I watch her poke her head up, reaching for air, I know I need to stay with my group. The graceful animal dives down, out of my sight. And, so I continue.

As soon as I feel the warm air against my face, I quickly spit my mouthpiece out, eager to recount my experience. I decide to keep it a secret until I can show my family the video that was taken capturing the whole experience. It feels like forever, but finally I get to show them. The look on my mom’s face when she sees me with the turtle makes the wait worth it. I never imagined it possible to have an experience like this in the open ocean.

I have always felt a strong connection with animals and even though everyone told me not to try, my gut told me differently. If you always play by the rules and listen to everything you’re told, you’ll likely miss out on experiences like the one I was lucky enough to have ... however it translates in your life. I took the leap, reached for an unlikely experience because I felt compelled to. If I hadn't … I wouldn't have this unexpected memory.