Mexico Part 2: SEA-HUMANS.

I like pools.

Pools are fun.

They are safe - providing you know how to swim - and there aren't any surprises in pools. I enjoy swimming in pools. Call me a geek, but one thing I love to do is tread water. Just tread. I don't need to go anywhere, I'm happy to stay in one spot for 45 minutes and just turn my legs round and round keeping my head above the water. You can't do that in the ocean. If you do that a shark might eat you. Or if you live where I do, a brown sea lion may give you a bite on your leg. Neither of those things would be enjoyable in the least.

The ocean in Mexico (on the Caribbean side) is lovely. Right by the second largest coral reef in the world you can spy on fish and all their little friends all day long if you'd like. Crystal clear water and large waves makes for a delightful day of wave jumping and water splashing. To those of us who call the pacific ocean our main body of water, even more precise the shores of White Rock Beach, you could definately call the waters of Mexico (once again, the Caribbean side) an upgrade. No sloppy wash up goop that wraps around your feet and tide pools that fester blobs of germs and grossness all day long.

I have always had a small fear of oceans. Actually, there were a few years in my childhood when I REALLY didn't like swimming in lakes either. Let me explain why I prefer not to swim in the sea. There are a few reasons.

Salt water. No matter how hard I try to avoid it I always manage to swallow a big gulp of it when a wave unexpectedly knocks me in the face. My first reason is rather minor though, I can get over the salt water thing.

Creatures. Do you know how many creatures and animals and fish live in the ocean? Neither do I. That is reason enough to have me nervous. There must be at least a million creatures and animals and fish in there. It's the really tiny ones and the really BIG ones that just creep me right out.

Undertows and sharp rocks. Put them together and what do you get? Ouch. There is no controlling the hugeness of ocean. We truly are foreigners there, it can change at any moment.

I did go in the ocean in Mexico, once.  I was a little bit reluctant because there was a sea urchin warning (no joke!). They're basically sea porcupines waiting for you to touch them so they can plant one of there sharp needles into your fragile flesh. But I had goggles, and borrowed - demanded more or less - Mike's crocs for my precious little feet. I watched my steps very carefully and thankfully, I was unharmed. There were also giant barriers keeping out large, dangerous fish and sea mammals.

I really don't understand the hype about being IN the ocean anyways. When God created the oceans he did not put humans in there. He created sea turtles, sea urchins, sea cucumbers even! But nope, he didn't create sea humans. I am not a sea human. I know of many sea humans and they seem to do just fine being in there. I am married to a sea human, so I guess that makes my children half-sea humans. I will not keep them from swimming in the ocean. I may even join then every so often....more like...maybe once.

I am not entirely against these great blue displays of power and awe. I do like skim boarding...and building sand castles beside the shore. I look forward to this summer with our kids. Oddly enough we live on a peninsula completely surrounded by the ocean. I LOVE where we live. I LOVE looking at the ocean. It reminds me of the greatness of our God. The creativity..incredible. I LOVE learning about and seeing all the creatures - weird animals that do amazing things like light up and dangle things over their heads to attract prey - I just prefer to see it on Planet Earth DVD's and not be swimming in the same water as them.

Some of the times that I enjoyed best on our trip was sitting under a grass roof hut watching all the little sea humans climb up on the barriers and wait for the waves to send them into a tumble. I had lovely laughs and thoroughly enjoyed watching them thoroughly enjoy themselves.

To all of you sea-humans out there, just be careful!

LAURA.
ps - My husband Mike is thinking about getting into diving. He wants to go diving with the giant six-gill sharks that come up from thousands of feet deep each year to mate near Hornby Island. Huh.