I have too many blog posts on near death experiences.  This is only the second one.    But I’m not a cat- I don’t have nine lives.  So two seems like a lot. My most recent NDE was two days ago, so I feel the need to share it with you.  NDE may be somewhat of a stretch for this scenario, but there was several minutes when I didn’t know if I was ever going to make it out of the ocean.  And there was a few additional minutes of me wondering if my friend had already drowned.  So, I think we’ll let this qualify as an NDE even if it is a mild one.

It was to be my last full day in Belize.  And I wanted to do nothing more than lay on the beach and snorkel.  I met three other backpackers who were interested in doing the same.  The four of us split the cost of a chartered boat to go to Tobacco Caye.  $300 Belizean Dollars (BD) for the round trip.  Not cheap, but certainly affordable when divided amongst the four of us.  It was 20km off the shore of Dangriga and it took about 45 minutes to get there.  We stepped onto the dock and we were immediately greeted by a sting ray swimming near us. Certainly, this was a sign that it was going to be a great day.   

  

   
We found the snorkel gear rental stand and got everything we needed.  I had brought my own set of fins, mask and snorkel down to Central America with me.  I had a set from when I was living in Maui, and I hoped I would get a lot of use out of it down here as well.  The mask broke in my suitcase so I needed to rent that alone.  $5 BD for the day.  With all our gear, we headed over to the east side of the island where you can snorkel.  There’s a short little dock so you can start snorkeling where the water is just deep enough so you don’t need to wade first.  

The fish were AMAZING.  I saw Yellowtail Damselfish which are my new favorite!  They should have been named disco ball fish because the juveniles have such vibrant bright blue dots on them!  I also saw a school of some type of jack and several parrot fish.  We swam with a barracuda and a sting ray as well and I maintained a respectful distance from them.  The coral reef itself seemed to be dying off.  But it was a large reef and we wanted to keep exploring it further.  I’ve snorkels do quite a few times, but I’ve never had to swim against such a strong current.  I made a mental note to make sure I went back in to shore before I was tired in case I needed my strength to get out of the water.  I swam between the different pillars of reef, trying to maintain a respectful distance from them as well.  The waves were getting bigger and I didn’t want to get any scratches because a wave pushed me up against one.  Me and my Dutch backpacker friend were the only two people in the water at the time.  I don’t have a fear of open water, but I like to swim with a buddy just in case anything happens.  The waves were getting bigger and bigger and I would lose sight of him for a minute or two at a time when a big set of waves would pass through.  I swam closer to him to be on the safe side.  We continued snorkeling for a few minutes when a large set of waves came in.  We were instantly pulled under water, rolling about without an ounce of control.  My legs came in contact with the reef.  Another wave came in and pushed me into shallower water.  I tried to look around for my friend, but couldn’t see him.  crashed against the reef again.  I knew another wave would be following closely behind.  I frantically looked for a safe exit route.  There wasn’t one.  The waves were coming from the east.  I was in shallow water with the reef below me and continued to the west.  The reef continued to the south of me for about ten meters before the safe open water began.  I’d never make it that direction with such shallow water.  My legs and arms would be completely torn up.  I looked to my north, only about 4 meters of shallow coral to scramble over until reaching a sand bar.  Another set of waves crashed over me, pushing me down against the reef.  It ripped away my fins along with my mask and snorkel.  I desperately grabbed for the mask.  Losing my visibility here could be further disastrous.  The loss of my fins determined that climbing out to the north onto the sand bar was the only way to go.  I’d never make it against this current without that method of propulsion.  I began walking on all fours to get to the sand bar.  A burning pain in my feet reminded me that I needed to avoid sea urchins almost as much as I needed to avoid drowning amongst the reef. After my painful scramble, I made it onto the sand bar.  After a few large swells passed by, the height from the sand bar allowed me to see that my friend had made it to the open water and was now swimming back to shore.  He had lost his snorkel which slowed his progress but at least I could see that he was out of harms way.  We made it back to the dock around the same time.  We hugged each other, thankful that we were both alive.  It’s hard to find words after an experience like that.  

I could still feel myself trembling from the adrenaline that had been coursing through my body.  I grabbed a few Beliken beers and sat myself down in the sand under a palm tree.  I appreciated the soft, steady earth beneath me.  I could appreciate swimming in the waves another day.  I think Poseidon was telling me that today was not my day to swim in the sea.  I’m not angry or afraid to go back into the ocean. It’s good to be reminded of the power of the ocean.  Hopefully, today’s experience will help me to know the right time to swim back ashore and not wait until it’s too late.