(Caveat! Going out in these conditions requires expert knowledge and experience)

It was gusting 20 knots and intense rain squalls were scouring the sea. It was the weekend, our traditional day of spearfishing for Sunday night dinner. Jwala and I were debating the merits of going out on the boat and into the ocean to catch dinner…

“Let’s go!”, I’d say, then another squall would come pouring across the island, reducing visibility to a wall of water coming in sideways. “Maybe not, I’m not so sure…” I’d add, hesitant to get cold from the drenching sheets of falling rain…

“Do you wanna go?” she’d asked, a break in the rain. “Yes, let’s do it!” my reply, jumping to my feet with excitement, then I’d look out the window and add, “Right.. after.. this.. squall…”

The radar showed a relentless wave of squalls lined up and headed our way… some people (many people!) would say we were crazy to even entertain such an idea. My own brain said the same thing… (“What? Go out in this weather? Are you crazy???).

We bobbed around in the not knowing, between logic and inspiration, for maybe twenty minutes. It seemed foolish, even risky, to leave this warm apartment and go out into the wet weather, but adventure was calling just as loud. I don’t know what it was that tipped the scale, but we both finally agreed – let’s do it!

We put on our wetsuits, grabbed our gear and walked to the boat in the rain, grinning from ear to ear. It didn’t matter what happened next, or if we’d have to turn back from rough seas, for we were wet, committed and having fun. I bailed out multiple buckets of rainwater from the boat while she topped off the inflatable tubes with the foot pump. We loaded the gear, fired up the motor and sped off into the blue, laughing with excitement, feeling like two kids playing hooky from school.

The surf was fine, the swells out on the water were small. The water was cold, green and muddy from all the rain. Our first stop was a sunken barge in 40 feet of water, I’d spotted a big grouper there a few days ago, and schools of yellow and bar jacks frequently cruise past the wreck in search of their own meal. We dropped anchor and got in the water.

It was colder than expected, hard to see clearly from all the rainwater mixing in with the sea, but I saw a jack swimming upcurrent towards us. I dove down to meet him, and as soon as I got ten feet below the surface, the water got warm and clear… it was beautiful!

I speared the jack (yeay, fresh fish tonight!) and after a bit we moved to the next spot, happy as seals for our time in the sea. We didn’t see a single boat out there; we had the entire ocean to ourselves.

Over the next few hours we got three fish; the jack, an ocean tully, a grouper and one big lobster. We were late getting in, just behind sunset, and brought our catch up to the WildQuest family for dinner.

The fresh fish was lovingly received. We filleted them on the dock, they went into the oven, and we brought the boat home in the dark. I got a bit of scolding from my Bahamian friends for coming in after dark, particularly in such intense weather. “Next time don’t bring the girl out into the storm with you!” they said, not knowing the only way I could have gotten Jwala to stay ashore is with lots of rope and chain.

We ran back laughing in the dark rain, cold and shivering, flush from adventure…

Coming back to land in the rain

Exhilarated – a great word to describe the energy in my body and spirit… Being out in the elements in all their passion fired up our own, and after the most incredible hot shower we sat down to a community dinner of fresh caught fish with dear friends.

I’m so glad we went fishing, we almost didn’t. In moments of uncertainty, when the yes and the no collide, what do I do?

I hang out in the moment, I don’t need to know, I just witness the play of thoughts, feelings, beliefs and inspiration…

Ultimately, the passion to join with the sea in her tempest was stronger than the mind, and once we said yes and were committed I knew it was the fun/highest/best choice. By being willing to hang out in the not knowing, free of the need to force a decision, it sorted itself out until the action wasn’t even a choice, it happened of itself.

But was it safe? (The perennial question)… To the mind, certainly not. Prudence would have us stay ashore (and stay warm and dry!). But life is both eternal and fleeting, and the call of the sea and the wind had a grip that was undeniable, and our yes to her beckoning evokes waves of exuberance that I’m feeling still in the remembering.

We all know that voice, it calls us each day to follow our hearts regardless the voice of the mind, fear, conventionality.

Yes I am crazy, happily so!

The World is changing & Humanity is Waking Up!

Now more than ever, its time to Live in Joy!

There is so much to be Joyful about! Celebrate your many blessings!

(I’m alive, I can breath, I have a computer I have internet I can see I can read I am self-aware etc etc etc)

I’ve had an amazing stay here in Amsterdam. Its been a beautiful adventure; I’ve written a lot, started a new website (www.DolphinWhisperer.org – still under construction) and gotten inspired to live even simpler and more joyfully! How? By letting my heart lead the way, and the heart always leads with joy…

Seriously! Joy is the path of Tao, life, flow!

I’m headed back to Florida tomorrow, then over to beloved Bimini. I’ve got three upcoming opportunities for you to CELEBRATE This Most AMAZING TIME In HUMAN HISTORY!

(And activate your Joy & Exuberance to new heights!)

These trips are beachfront adventures swimming with the wild dolphins of Bimini, Bahamas. They are for fun-loving individuals, couples and families. Are you ready to bring your Joy to Life?

Sept 23 – 27 – Yoga, Bliss & Dolphins!

Oct 2 – 5th – 3 days of Wild Dolphins! (email me for details)

Nov 9 – 13th – Celebrating 11:11:11 in the Ocean with the Dolphins!

Join us as we celebrate life with the dolphins!

Love,

Joe

Beth & Spiral during our seaweed tag game last month!

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Check out the new website! www.DolphinWhisperer.org

Joe Noonan is an author, speaker, life coach and spiritual guide, Joe leads retreats around the world and facilitates self awareness programs for those on the path of awakening.

A guest on National Geographic, Fox TV and Oprah, Joe reflects back to people that this world is already a Heaven on Earth, and that the tools to find joy in the moment are around and within us. That harmony is inevitable and that innately we all just love each other and sometimes we forget — he is here to help us remember.

Planetary Partners advocates, educates and celebrates conscious co-creation on an individual, local and global level. We offer workshops, meditations, events and trips that awaken our divine connection with Nature.

“Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God” Tielhard de Chardin

SURFING the SHIFT with PLAYFULNESS & JOY!

Amanda meets Spiral!

The dolphins have increased the intensity of their interactions with us tremendously – this summer I’ve had some of the most playful and transformational swims with them in my 16 years of bringing people here.

Earlier this month I was swimming with my friends Spiral and Swoop and the gang, playing an intense game of seaweed tag. We were passing the seaweed back and forth, me with my hands and Spiral and Swoop with their mouths, pec fins, dorsal fins and tails. We were having a blast, and it seemed a god time to bring up the question I’d brought with me.

"NOW is always a great time to play!"

“I’ve been guided to bring a couple more groups out to play with you this fall. How does that feel?”

“Bring ‘em!” was the immediate reply. “We will have fun with them, and will assist them in opening further!”

“Its good to have more people holding a focus of joy”, they said. “The world is changing on every level, and those who channel joy and playfulness make a powerful contribution to the process.”

“Is it safe” I asked, having had a wave of dire predictions directed to me by family and friends.

I felt the smile of their reply… “We are all eternally safe, here to leap and play across all creation. Relax, my friend, all is well. Everything is handled by a Loving Creator grander than all of us combined. Trust your joy, for it will guide you to what is truest and best for you.”

I was shown the image of parallel realities lined up alongside each other, each a bit unique from the one next to it. They went from scary to beautiful, so beautiful that I forgot to breath…

“There are infinite realities that share this planet, each with its own degree of fear and love. The question is always the same; which will you choose in this moment?”

I felt the warmth of love flood my being, felt the release of tensions held out of loyalty to others whom I love, others who continue to see a cloudy future… a big sigh came out of me, I felt at home and relaxed, allowing myself to enjoy the beauty that calls so clearly.

“Some will experience separation, others will be filled with joy. To each his own. For us it is an easy choice, one made long ago when we decided to be born into these bodies so beautifully designed to play and love life.”

Who was I to argue? I sure was having a blast playing with them. Then Spiral dropped the seaweed in front of me, and as I kicked hard to grab it, Swoop swept in and beat me to it, squealing and blowing a stream of bubbles out his blowhole (See the photos below – you’ll see us in action when I get the video posted!).

We played for a long time, and pure exuberance filled me many times over. I felt the joy, the relief and the excitement of remembering that all is well, and its being handled by a loving creator much older and wiser than us. I felt the excitement of knowing that every drop of joy and playfulness we feel is a direct contribution to the frequency of this planet.

Joy is our nature, our divine inheritance, and there is no end to how much fun we can have. As many saints and spiritual guides have said throughout history, joy is the unmistakable sign of the presence of God.

How much joy do you want in your life?

Giving you an Ocean of Hugs,

Joe

For more information about our upcoming dolphin trips, visit DolphinWhisperer.org

For info on our September 23 – 27^th  trip , Wild Dolphins, Yoga, Meditation & Joy

And our November 9 – 13^th trip, Celebrating 11:11:11 with the Dolphins

Come play with us!

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Join our email list for upcoming trips, workshops & events –
Joe Noonan, Founder, Planetary Partners
An author, speaker, life coach and spiritual guide, Joe leads retreats around the world and facilitates self awareness programs for those on the path of awakening.
A guest on National Geographic, Fox TV and Oprah, Joe reflects back to people that this world is already a Heaven on Earth, and that the tools to find joy in the moment are around and within us. That harmony is inevitable and that innately we all just love each other and sometimes we forget — he is here to help us remember.

Planetary Partners advocates, educates and celebrates conscious co-creation on an individual, local and global level. We offer workshops, meditations, events and trips that awaken our divine connection with Nature.

Wild Dolphin Trips – http://DolphinWhisperer.org
Self Awareness Programs – http://PlanetaryPartners.com
Corporate Leadership Seminars – http://QuantumLeadershipProject.com
Join Joe on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joe-Noo…

“Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God” Tielhard de Chardin

I am of God, Gaia and the Sea, and I hunt, catch and eat much of my food from her…

I grew up a hunter/gatherer, so its always a bit of a surprise when someone calls me a hypocrite for loving dolphins but eating fish. I used to post photos of my beautiful catch, blessings from the sea, just as a happy farmer shows off photos of their prize zucchini or giant sunflower, but I’ve gotten a bit hesitant, having received judgment from others who have only gotten their food from the market and have never fed themselves directly from the land (or sea).

Today I bumped into Jama… he’s a Rasta here on Bimini, and he used to be one of the drummers at the Compleat Angler. His dreads stuffed up in a pouch, lost to the drum in his hands, many are the times I danced til dawn to his passionate rhythm.

I haven’t seen him in years, and I was shocked when I saw him today… He is gaunt, hunched over and shuffling… his body a shell of his former self. There was very little spark or fire in his eyes…

He walked into the store that’s next to my apartment here, clutching a clear plastic bag of pasty white rolls… He shared that he narrowly escaped death, and how the Lord has saved him. His every third sentence is ‘Praise the Lord”.

Standing next to him, I can feel his body’s yearning for sustenance… The main diet here in Bimini is fried; fried everything, and many Bahamians are overweight and diabetic. His bones and skinny arms were begging for something vital and alive. “Whats with the rolls?” I asked, and he replied that he’s eating them to try to put on weight…

When I am here in Bimini between leading trips, I try to go out on my little boat every day. If the weather’s calm, I head up north to the dolphin grounds, but if its windy, and it doesn’t take a lot of wind to deter my small inflatable boat, I stay closer to shore and freedive for my dinner. Any self respecting fish that presents himself is, in my aboriginal eye, an offering from the sea, and sometimes I catch more than I need for that night for myself and my immediate circle of friends.

Inspiration spoke and I knew exactly what to do…

“Wait right here, Jama, I’ve got a piece of fish for you”. I went to my freezer and pulled out the snapper I speared a few days ago. I had cleaned it and stuck it in the freezer for whom I knew not. Now I know.

I hand him the fish and his face lights up. “A snapper” he said, eyes piercing through the plastic bag, “A hog snapper”. The hog snapper is a prized fish here, it is delicious and rarely caught by hook. Only spearfishermen catch them, and they are highly desired. “Praise the Lord!” he says, the look of joy in his eyes.

I smile, happy to be a servant in this circle of life… as crazy as it is to the mind, I know that that fish swam to me to nourish Jama, to bring sustenance, energy and life to his starving spirit.

“This fish is doubly blessed”, I tell him. “I say a prayer before I get in the water and I say a prayer of thanksgiving after I catch him”.

“Praise the Lord”, he repeats, and I watch a bit of spring return to his step.

I know nothing… I know nothing at all… I just know that my heart and spirit were filled with joy, and that I am willing, delighted actually, to keep showing up and be played along with the rest of this beauty…

*       *       *       *       *       *       *

Check out the upcoming ‘Deeksha, Oneness & Dolphins’ trip to the Bahamas this August 1 – 6th

© Joe Noonan

End of a beautiful day on the sea...

Joe’s upcoming dolphin trips & events

JOE NOONAN is an author, speaker, life coach and spiritual guide. He leads Leadership and Nature retreats around the world and facilitates self awareness programs for those on the path of awakening.

A guest on National Geographic, Fox TV and Oprah, Joe reflects back to people that this world is already a Heaven on Earth, and that the tools to find joy in the moment are around and within us. Following are some of his programs:

Custom Wild Dolphin Trips!

Self Awakening Seminars

Creating Conscious Corporations

Joe’s videos on YouTube
Joe’s blog ‘Everyday Ecstasy’

Join Joe on Facebook

(Caveat: If you read this post and feel like there is something wrong or needs fixing, I invite you to sink deeper… :)

Its been over a month since I returned from India… and I see now more than ever the profound effect my experiences there have had on me…

Spending 6 weeks in a process of divine inquiry has ignited my desire for complete immersion with the Divine… Now, back into ‘my life’, while I have great appreciation for the joy and beauty and abundance, I also find myself restless and unsettled…

In the past four weeks I’ve had profound connections, joyful abundance, deep insights, beautiful romance, ongoing discovery, miracles galore, but strangely, I do not stay satisfied…

I go in and out, up and down… in the moment, immersed in Life’s beauty, I am happy and ecstatic… then the clouds roll in, the tide shifts, and I find myself profoundly restless and lonely, filled with a yearning that promises to overwhelm me completely…

In India they spoke of ‘God Realization’. I read Yogananda’s ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ as a teenager, and I’ve read it at least once a decade since. I know what they’re talking about… a depth of intimacy with God, a closeness that beckons and taunts, calls out to us from some heavenly place within, a depth of intimacy that is so dear that tears start rolling down my face when I even think about it… (yes, they’re rolling now…)

This is what we all want; this is the original yearning… to be One with the Divine, Immersed with the Beloved, Totally Merged with the One True Soulmate…

I’m in an apartment by myself in Bimini, spending my mornings in contemplation/distraction/prayer and my afternoons out on my little rubber boat enjoying the magnificence of the ocean I love so much… I have beautiful friends here and yet I am isolating myself; last night was dance night and I stayed out on the water by myself; something yearning, gnawing within me, daring me to let this gnawing dig deeper, burn a hole straight into the ugly stinky yearning for God that has festered since the moment we agreed to play the game of ‘other’ infinite eons ago…

There are many ways I avoid this emptiness; read, watch TV, immerse myself in any number of projects that await me… I have coaching clients waiting for me to resume, my voicemail says I’m still in India, and somehow I have changed none of this, preferring instead to just be with this emptiness, this yearning…

‘Get a Life’ the mind says, ‘Jump back in the stream’ it encourages… but my heart, it says stop and feel, and so I feel and in the feeling, I allow the suffering and yearning I’ve run from forever to overtake me…

Yesterday, amidst another wave of feeling helpless and uncertain of what the hell I’m doing, of thinking I’m friggin’ crazy and need to get a life, I pull one of my Course in Miracles cards. It said:

“Nothing can prevail against a Son of God who commends his spirit into the Hands of his Father.”

Reading it triggers grief, hopelessness and relief; relief at the possibility that this yearning has an end…

I have reprieves… yesterday while looking for my dinner out on the sea a big grouper dared me to catch him… I chased him into a ledge, we played hide and seek for an hour, and my attention was solely on bringing him home to feed me and my friends. I say prayers, talk to him as we do our hunter/gatherer dance, invite him home, but in the end he splits and a beautiful Spanish mackerel swims over to me and takes his place.

I clean my catch out on the ocean in my little boat, watching the sun drop lower in the sky… I don’t want to clean the fish at the dock, preferring the solitude of the sea instead… while cleaning, I give thanks to the fish, his life feeding my own, feeling the dichotomy of life and death, give and take, the seeming polarities this world is ripe with…

The emptiness returns and I feel the yearning for company, of friends and laughter and conversation… If I hurry, I can still make it over to south island and join in the fun… But I know that the joy of this is temporary and soon enough I will again be faced with this loneliness, this aching…

I turn again to the yearning for God, feel it alive within me… I nurture it like a hot coal from which to make the evening’s fire… maybe tonight, maybe next time you will burn clean through me…

Back at the dock I’m hailed by two friends, it is great to see them… we share fresh sashimi, I cut up the mackerel right on the dock, and between bites of raw fish and oranges, we appreciate our dinner and the ocean’s offering. Eating the fish while standing in the water a crab scuttles across my foot, demanding his share of the booty… I cut off a piece and hand it to him happily; there is more than enough for everyone… Several more friends stop by, check out my catch, and then I’m on my bike, pedaling home in the dark, to my cave and refuge…

My internet connection is gone, there is no web for me to distract myself with… I turn on the TV for a bit, surf endless dramas and realities with a flick of a finger, knowing I am distracting myself from diving into this yearning.…

Finally, restlessly, I flop onto the bed, give space for this yearning to rise up within me… my heart center, my whole chest expands, the breath becoming softer, wider… I feel myself rising in love…

I am the vessel, a cup, the water level rising higher, higher…

Gently, easily, under its own power and grace the tide of love comes in… As beautiful as it feels, waves of discomfort come with it, discomfort in many forms; physical discomfort (my shoulder’s sore, I ought to roll over), resistance (its late, I ought to get some sleep), tensions from other places and lifetimes…

But the love, it surrounds me, holding me where I am in pain… I vacillate between simply feeling and the mind’s litany of reasons to run…

The scariest of all is the voice of hopelessness, the voice that said “I cannot, I dare not, go any further, because to dive into this yearning further and not have total union with you will completely break my heart… the grief of coming this close and then falling back again, I cannot… “

But I have pulled away from this grief too many times, and somehow, through an act of grace or surrender I know not, ‘I’ stay…

Awareness comes and goes, I’m floating in a sea of bliss, my breath coming naturally of its own accord… I marvel at the effortlessness of it and the pure joy of expansion…

And then the energy shifts, the grace pulls back… I try to ‘pick it up’, try to re-ignite, but the tide is falling…

In India the Guides and Bhagwan speak about the illusion of self effort and the grace of helplessness. Self effort will only slow the process, they say, and so I surrender again and again. Helplessness allows the Divine to step in, so I pray for helplessness…

Remembering all this I give up, roll over and sadly go to sleep, wanting that hot coal to burn completely through me… I pray that maybe it will happen in my sleep, but I have strange dreams, poking around in old dark places… we have traveled many paths on this journey of life…

I wake today, start again, and pull another card… it says:

“It takes great learning to understand that all things,

events, encounters and circumstances are helpful.”

I give thanks for all of this, ALL of it…

And decide to write down this yearning… its been a month since I posted a blog. I’ve started many beautiful posts, but always end up in a pause… I have been in too deep an inner inquiry to share much…

Writing this, typing out and reading the honesty of these words, tears come to my face… they flow easily, tumbling down my cheeks… much healing had happened since India, I have given myself full permission to seek the greatest relationship, the greatest path, the greatest adventure I could ever dream of; complete Union with the Divine… nothing else can come close, and yet everything and everyone IS this relationship… the mind scurries, flitting from one viewpoint to another as I surrender to this process, knowing that the Union I seek is inevitable, the Oneness we yearn for never left, and even this ‘search’ is an illusion…

India, Bhagwan, the Guides, they remind, inspire and awaken within me the passion to go for the greatest ride this world has to offer; complete God Realization… I am present to the game and up for the task… I am doing everything and nothing, and I have the hem of Her robe in my grasp… I am hanging on, hopefully and helplessly, lonely and happily, totally ecstatically…

The grief and the yearning has become strangely comforting, it brings God back into my awareness, back into my life, into me… I choose this over not feeling, I choose this over boredom, I am supremely thankful…

There are many days I am full and complete, I am hugely blessed in how much I feel Life coursing through this body… its just that somehow, I know to allow this yearning its due, to fully surrender and feel it, will only bring me greater, richer rewards…

I feel it creeping closer, closer… “You are mine” the Divine whispers… “Soon you will have me completely…” And so I let this fire rage, let it burn itself through me however it may, give myself utterly to it… grief and joy leap forth…I am ready to be swallowed, spit out into a wholeness where the rest of me awaits, watching my every step, cheering me on with total equanimity…

We are all awakening, giving permission to feel a depth of calling and oneness so deep that our knees buckle and we swoon at its presence… we spontaneously break into tears, overcome with the beauty, tragedy and magic of being human at this most precious time in our evolution…

This yearning has become so sweet, I almost don’t want it to pass… for it focuses me completely on the Beloved… do I want to be completely merged? Do I want to become fully One? A part of me is not sure, not ready to give up being a drop to join the ocean, for the love of Other, the Beloved, is so incredibly sweet it makes this whole journey a blessing…

All I know is I know not… there is no longer any choice, only the full surrendering to this amazing grace…

There is nowhere else I’d rather be…

This is my day, this is my week, this is my life… I get up and move forward; smiling, breathing, trembling…

*       *       *       *       *       *      *

I will be returning to India for another 4 week Deepening retreat this October 23rd to November 21st with a group of fellow Oneness Trainers and Blessing Givers. This is a very powerful retreat to expedite your awakening and God Realization. You can attend for one, two, three or all four weeks. If you are interested in joining us, please call me (954-242-5830) or send me an email at oneness@planetarypartners.com.

Check out the upcoming ‘Deeksha, Oneness & Dolphins’ trip to the Bahamas this August 1 – 6th

© Joe Noonan

Some of my friends out in the ocean

Joe’s upcoming dolphin trips & events

JOE NOONAN is an author, speaker, life coach and spiritual guide. He leads Leadership and Nature retreats around the world and facilitates self awareness programs for those on the path of awakening.

A guest on National Geographic, Fox TV and Oprah, Joe reflects back to people that this world is already a Heaven on Earth, and that the tools to find joy in the moment are around and within us. Following are some of his programs:

Custom Wild Dolphin Trips!

Self Awakening Seminars

Creating Conscious Corporations  

Joe’s videos on YouTube
Joe’s blog ‘Everyday Ecstasy’

Join Joe on Facebook

Merry Christmas to you!

Merry Christmas from Bimini!

I’m in Bimini, the Bahamas, leading a dolphin trip for a wonderful family of Canadians that drove 24 hours from Toronto to be here for 5 days.

In the past few days, they’ve become my family too…

Jen’s here wth me, helping me out big time! And Nan from Calgary has joined us!

Today, Christmas Day, we went out and swam with a pod of wild dolphins.. it was, well WILD!

They rubbed up next to Shannon and me… it was so magical, they came so close…

I got a great quote about Christmas… it distilled the essence of the season for me; cut thru the fluff right to the stuff!

“Before Santa and presents and shopping, this holiday was enshrined to commemorate a guy who got nailed to a tree for daring to tell people to be kind to one another. If you have two cloaks, He said, give one away. Remember those who have less than you, be charitable, be good, be merciful.” William Rivers Pitt

Sending you Love & Blessings for your Christmas!!!

Joe

10 year old Shannon (the one driving the golf cart at 30 mph over the speed bumps!) said of her first day in Bimini; "I have a 1000 new colors"

Beauty has a way of reaching inside of us…

I was out on the water, the sky was incredible…

Took a video while the beauty took my breath away…

Check it out!

(If you cannot see the video, click here)

(c) Joe Noonan

Don’t you get tired of strategizing, of lining everything up and figuring it out?

Its how we’ve been taught; make a plan and stick to it! Check off the steps one, two three… (four, five, five hundred!)

Success is defined in a thousand books about how how how…

B-ooooring!

Its a LOT more fun to just show up!

Of course it helps to have an idea of where you want to go, but…

Doesn’t your heart already have that? I mean really, do you have to contemplate what you, in your heart, really want to do?

(Yes, that was a trick question)

I love just showing up… I’m doing it more and more in my life, and it ROCKS!

This, another fish story, is a prime example…

(If you cannot see the video, click here)

I was swimming with these two dolphins who kept ‘high fiving’ each other…. I laughed thru my snorkel!

It was so cool to see… they were slapping their pectoral fins back and forth like a couple of kids… the joy of their play was contagious!

I got it all on film… check it out and let me know if it leaves YOU smiling too!!!

(If you cannot see the video, click here)

The ocean can be a scary place… I used to have nightmares of sinking in it as a kid. Its BIG and DEEP and full of weird stuff including SHARKS!!!

(Scared yet? ;)

The ocean is also a place of fathomless beauty and wonder… a place we go to to be baptized and reborn.

A few weeks ago I taught half this group how to snorkel. Some were strong swimmers, some didn’t know how to swim, and some were scared of the ocean. It was the beginning of a five day dolphin trip that Jen and I were leading. Day one is ‘get friendly with the water’ day, and its one of my favorite.

These brave adventurers brought their brand new masks, snorkels and fins into the water. After showing them how to adjust and wear them, they each got coached in putting their face into the water and breathing thru their snorkel. Not an easy feat! Putting your face IN the water and inhaling is counter-intuitive. It takes a bit of practice and a lot of trust.

Then, once everyone’s floating comfortably face down on the surface, I taught them each how to to do a surface dive.

Yup, virgin first-time beginner snorkelers learning how to freedive – it was awesome to behold how their excitement lead them thru their fear.

The whole thing took less than two hours… Like learning to ride a bike, now they have a skill for life! I get so inspired watching people overcome their fears, I’m often moved to tears. (I’m sure it was the salt water… ;)

Twenty years ago, I taught my former mother-in-law how to snorkel… she was scared but was curious to see what we were so interested in. I remember getting her to float on the surface of the ocean and keeping her face in the water… it took a few minutes, but then she got the hang of it…

Then the magic ensued…

She stopped thinking about the snorkel and began to notice the fish life at her feet… Watching her from a few feet away, I could feel the shift… she began swimming slowly along the shoreline, following the nooks and crannies of the rocks, and for the next fifteen minutes, didn’t lift her head out of the water once…

And when she did, she was radiant! The same radiance I saw on these friend’s faces – the beautiful innocent look of wonder…

I’ve seen this happen so many times; once people get a glimpse of life under the sea, they become enraptured.

The very next day, our group of first time snorkelers were swimming and playing off the back of a boat in forty feet of crystal clear blue water with the wild dolphins; they were ecstatic!

Take on something new; it will open your horizons.

And we swam with the dolphins!