Snorkeling

Yesterday, July 19th, was definitely the highlight of the week so far: snorkeling at Villefranche. Nestled away from the foreign tourist crowd, Villefranche offers clear blue water (thus, the Côte d'Azur), rocky beaches, cute old Ville with streets from the 16 century, and such a nice view of houses above the sea. And the fact that we went snorkeling today made my week.  

We hopped on a boat where the snorkeling instructors drove to a place in the sea with a plethora of sea creatures and marine habitats. We pulled on wet skins and goggles and fins before jumping in the azure water below a cliff that housed gorgeous mansions. 

It was pretty breathtaking and I wish I could have taken pictures... But alas, I don't have an underwater camera. But I guess I'll try to describe a picture with words. 

Above the surface, the sun, the sky. Below, a whole different world, inhabited not by humans or insects but by coral, sponges, sea urchins and fish. The water was perfectly clear, unclouded by any sediment or pollution-- if anything was obscured, it was obscured by my huge snorkeling goggles. Fish, the size of my ring finger, dodging and swiveling around.  An octopus, camouflaged into the coral. Purple Sea sponges, the simplest of animals, waving with the current. And the most breathtaking-- when the coral reef drops suddenly so it's just the deep blue sea, a school of silver, slim fish. Thousands and thousands almost at your fingertips. As soon as your hand is just...there...the fish dart away. Nice try, but never going to happen. 

Of course, the best part is being freed of the cumbersome snorkel mouthpiece and diving deep into the sea and swimming down under with the fish. So fun.

The instructors were experts and brought up sea urchins from the bottom of the sea for me to hold and touch...

And while snorkeling, a major nostalgia moment. Made me think of China and when I went to.. Can't remember. But I went snorkeling and scuba diving. People got stung by jellyfish, I saw turtles, the instructors handing out jellyfish cream afterwards. Don't remember much--I was 7. 

Something about the sea attracts me. Just it's vastness and deepness and sense of infinity and surprise. And I'm a swimmer, so that helps. I don't like the beach, but love the sea.