South China Sea Swim

I woke up my first morning at Cherating and decided to go for a long swim in the South China Sea. Swimming is my therapy. The challenge of good technique, combined with the rythmic motion of the stroke, and the comfort of the water all combine to give me an inner peace and contentment I have never been able to achieve through any other means. Ask any swimmer, and they will tell you the same thing. Once you get bit by the swimming bug, it is with you for life. Even though I hadn't been swimming for several months before this trip, I was still confident of my abilities. I may not be a fast swimmer, but I can swim for a really long time. I was really looking forward to this swim so I grabbed my cap and goggles and headed for the beach. It was probably around 9:30, and I had the entire beach to myself. As I may have said before, the water was not as clear as I had imagined it would be, but it wasn't as dark as Ocean City either. It was a light murky green. The temperature was cool and refreshing but not cold. Perfect swimming conditions.


My plan was to swim straight out from the shore and then turn north and swim around a point at the end of the beach. Unfortunately, I am terrified of sharks. It is a completely irrational fear. When I swim in any water that is not pool water, I hear the "Jaws" theme in my head. This being said, the first few minutes of my swim I kept telling myself "Face your fears. Face your fears" over and over. Then I reminded myself to punch the shark in the face if one comes towards me. As I swam, I would swim into cold pockets which would remind me of Dementors from Harry Potter (sorry to those of you who don't understand the reference--read Harry Potter). The cold water was like fear, loss of hope, despair. I was certain I was just going to swim right into a shark's mouth. I would follow my instructions to "face my fear" and swim through the cold, the despair, until I would hit a patch of warmth where hope and contentness returned. It was a lot like life. Sorry. I don't mean to get too deep on you. Get it? Deep? Deep water? Anyway, while my mantra did help, I also tried to just concentrate on the scenery and the coolness factor of swimming a long distance in the South China Sea. This method of distraction helped immensely.

The current was pretty mild until I got near the rocky point. In that area, the water was crashing against the rocks and the current was fairly strong. I liked this though. I felt like I was really getting a challenge, and the scenery was beautiful with the water crashing against the rocks. After getting around the rocky point, the small cliff receded into an isolated, private cove. The surf was rough as the waves crashed along the rock walls funneling into the small cove. There were also slarge rocks dispersed throughut the waters of the cove making it a little treacherous when swimming. I wouldn't realized their was a boulder lurking under the surface until I had almost swam right into it. I reached the isolaed beach and stood there for a few minutes, taking in the beauty as well as a small ownership of this cove knowing that few tourists had probably stumbled upon it. I put a seashell from the cove in my swim cap to remind me of my private cove, my accomplishment, my courage to explore, and facing my fears. Then I dove back in the water and swam back.

Now for the life changing moral of the story. As good a swimmer as I am and as confident in my swimming abilities as I am, there were periodic moments of terror that shivered through me when I was far from shore. I would stop to check things out and realize my feet didn't touch the bottom. I realized that my life actually depended on my own abiities. I was a tiny organism in this huge sea. I was driftwood unless I took charge and fought the current. Only I could prevent myself from becoming lost at sea, crashing into the rocks, or just sinking beneath the surface. I was the master of my destiny and neither of my parents nor any other member of my family or friends could save me. No kayakers or lifeguards were there to save me. It was frightening. It was empowering. It was wonderful. If I can take control of my destiny in the water, I can do it in life.