Forever Young

I recently shared our Hawai'i pics with a friend.. The sunsets, the Luau, the beaches.. and of course some shots we took underwater while snorkeling. She knew I never learnt how to swim and naturally asked if snorkeling was scary. Her question reminded me not of the time we took our underwater cameras with a tour, but the day before when we engaged in our most adventurous, may be foolish act ever.

Nikhil was really kicked about snorkeling ever since we planned our trip. An avid aquarium hobbyist, he was really excited to see the real thing, in a real setting. So while we had booked our three tours for later dates, we really wanted to make the most of our trip by jumping into the Pacific sooner than that. The way to do that was to rent a kayak, snorkeling gear and set in motion. Now we had not kayaked before, but Lonely Planet referred us to "Adventurous in Paradise", they not only rent kayaks but also show you an introductory video of how to kayak.

So we got there and the lady in charge expressed genuine surprise that we said we wanted to see the video. You cannot not know kayaking if you want to rent one into the Pacific, it was too brave. We had news for her: we didn't know swimming either. Also, it seems snorkeling/ swimming is recommended in the early morning hours since by noon the waters start to get choppy; but we wanted to do it anyway. With lots of good wishes we left with our gear. We chose the popular Captain Cook Monument on the Kealakekua Bay for our adventure. The monument is about 2 miles from the shore and is a protected marine reserve. So the idea was to kayak the distance, snorkel and come back.

We got launched our kayak well, which was quite something because the water was almost 8 feet from the ground, so we had to lower our kayak and then jump on it. I almost expected us to topple at the start but Nikhil's confidence is rather infectious and we made a terrific start. Mid way into the ocean, with just the two of us there, it was the most exhilarating feeling. Our kayak was steady, the water blue.. we made a good team. Half way into the distance, Nikhil got super excited and wanted to jump into the water. For someone who gets worried when he bikes from work after dark - I was unusually brave too. I cheered him on as he donned his snorkeling gear. It was just a moment's hesitation before he made his jump into the Pacific but that tripped the balance of our kayak and the next instant all of us were in the ocean. Nikhil, myself, two paddles and of course the upturned kayak. It was a scary moment.. I was thinking that we have no floor under our feet, that we can't swim and that we need to get back on. Nikhil in the meantime got a look at me and scarily asked me to hold on to my kayak. I had forgotten to tighten my life vest and it was already upto my chin.

He was a hero. All I did was hold on to the kayak at one end while he went to the other and turned the kayak around. These things are so much heavier than they seem, I remember trying to give it a push but am sure it did not help much. Then he suggested we come across each other at the centre of the kayak. He held my hand and pushed me onto the kayak. I have no idea how he managed that.. in all this panic his mind was clear directing his body to precise movements. He got onto the kayak, tightened my life vest and we found one of our paddles near by. We used that to get to the other paddle and then.. there was jubilation! Nikhil was so excited.. Our first time kayaking.. into the Pacific.. And we managed to turn around a capsized kayak!! His only regret was he couldn't see any fish in all this confusion. I could only think of how much he loved me, what presence of mind he had.. he was a hero!

The adrenaline rush got us to the monument fairly quickly. It was afternoon and there wasn't anyone around that time. Nikhil had lost his mask earlier and half jokingly asked me if I would want to jump into the water and snorkel. I remember my thoughts: how can we come so far and not have either of us see any fish.. And Nikhil loves fish so much! So I said, yes.. and for the first time donned the gear.. It felt odd to have that mask on my face, I remember the smell of the salty rubber.. I was just beginning to feel a little scared but since thinking about fear only changes it exponentially from a dot to a star, i made that jump.

As soon as I jumped, I looked down. The water wasn't 5-7 feet deep as we had earlier thought. More like 40-50 feet. It was as if I was falling from a three storied building, only the ground would keep shifting downwards and the fall would never end. There was lone yellow fish, huge corals and then the water went all blue. In this instant I panicked and natural instincts broke: wanted to breathe from my nose, and fight the water. Final straw: looked up and around, could not locate our kayak/ Nikhil.
It must have lasted three seconds, this mix of falling to no end, not breathing and not seeing Nikhil, but its easily one of the most scariest times of my life. Sure, I had a life vest and Nikhil had to be around somewhere but the fear was as real as it gets.

I heard him before I saw him. He was yelling, "Take off your mask and breathe." I instantly did that and then saw him. The ocean was getting rough and had swayed our kayak but now it was in the perimeter of my sight and getting closer. Finally I could touch it and all I had to do was pull my weight with my hands and get onto the kayak. And that's when I learnt the exact meaning of the word powerless. I tried, and tried but hands wouldn't lift my body. I felt shamed and embarrassed about letting myself down, struggled and gathered every ounce of strength I had but couldn't do it. Could not let my hands pull my weight, could not stop my feet from going under the kayak.
I must have been in the water for over 25 mins, Nikhil giving his best instructions, and after every failed attempt egging me on. At one point he even suggested jumping in the water ("We have experience in overturning a capsized kayak" - he's got a positive streak alright!).

Finally, I managed to get onto the kayak.
Hassled, exhausted, relieved, quiet.. we were like that for a couple of mins. Then Nikhil asked me: "Did you manage to see any fish?" Trust me, no matter how big a hobbyist you are, don't ask your non-swimmer-first-time-kayaker-hassled-snorkeler-nearly-drowned-panicked-wife if she saw any fish.
I am laughing now, wasn't so amused then.

It was a two mile trip with choppy waters and drained spirit. All I could think of was how I wanted to be on the shore; only paddled because we could not afford another capsized kayak. Nikhil was strong and patient, he did all of the navigation and most of the paddling. As we reached the shore, Nikhil first got out of the kayak and then it was my turn to make the 8 feet climb. I put my hands on the ground, raised my body, the kayak swaying away from my feet and then lost balance. My hero all alert, held my hand tight until a kid standing close got there. They pulled me out- my right side rubbed against the ground as they did so.

And this was Nikhil & Shailja's day out. First time kayaking, snorkeling, heck! (attempted) swimming! Its a very special memory.. not only because we knew what we did was brave, a trifle foolish, but because we felt like we were like kids again. So much of our life is organized and planned and secure that this dash with raw uncertainty soared our spirits, our togetherness with a crude power that only Mother Nature possesses.

We went snorkeling a few times after that. Needless to say, it was beautiful but not quite as adventurous. That's when we took the pictures.