*The ocean doesn’t give a shit about you, so have a beer*
This is the aftermath of being chewed up by the ocean. Beautiful right? I was held down in white out conditions for more times than I care to repeat, dashed against the rocks a bunch, and stepped on the dreaded purple sea-urchin while climbing my way back to shore.
Lessons I learned:
Don’t dive at the start of high tide. The sheer power of incoming water is humbling.
Upper body strength. After getting tired of getting dunked and dashed, I held on onto the rock and used pure upper body strength to pull myself up the rock face. Do those pull-ups boys and girls.
Purple sea urchin. Not a fan
Check your ego at the shore. This all happened early in the dive, so I still wanted to get back into the water. That was my ego. The ocean put you through the ringer, and now you want to prove it didn’t get the best of you. Checked my ego before the spin cycle.
Have a beer, or tasty beverage of choice, waiting on shore to enjoy with your dive buddy. It’s the ending that counts, and I can’t think a better way to take in the beauty of the ocean and reflect on the dive. P.S., don’t tell him/her that you brought a beer until they are out of the water. Watch their eyes light up. Mine did. Stay safe and freedive in stillness