I made it back from my vacation in the Galapagos Islands in one piece (650 miles from civilization, in the Pacific, near the equator). I was swimming with Sharks! It was quite an adventure–one that enlarged me in ways I have yet to find words to describe. I’ll understand it better by and by. I want to give you all a glimpse of what it was like. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to share my experience with you.
The briny deep is both beautiful and perilous. It is said that there is safety in numbers, so we’d dive in small groups of 5 or 6 divers and each diver had a buddy, technically. But, in reality, things are so unpredictable underwater that you really had to have your wits about you, know your stuff and know God. I was scared on some of the dives but–I DID IT ANYWAY! (“If I perish, I perish,” I think Queen Esther would have been proud of me). I can say with confidence that I truly earned my Advanced Diver Certification. It was a test of courage and faith. It was living life fully, in living color. All of our dive explorations were from 50 to 85 feet deep. At times, the underwater currents were so strong that we’d have to cling to the rocks to keep from being swept away. And the currents were constantly changing so we never knew what to expect. We would be swimming along, riding a current and in a matter of seconds, another one would sweep in and take us in a completely different direction. It’s difficult to articulate an experience that is, on the one hand, life threatening, and on the other, so full of breathtaking beauty. Just witnessing God’s artistry firsthand quickly allayed my fears. The Pacific Ocean is teaming with life. Each day we’d immerse our weightless bodies in this infinite blue liquid space and find ourselves engulfed by thousands of exotic fish, flowering plants and coral anemones of all colors, shapes and sizes.
On one of my dives, I was swimming at 82 ft (with my dive buddy) when we got caught in a rushing down current and in less than five seconds, we found ourselves suspended at 110ft. It’s really strange to watch your air bubbles going down instead of up to the surface. We quickly recovered and buoyed up to 50 ft. The thrill was getting into a fast current and riding it for a few miles. Then suddenly the current changed and again we had to hold on to the rocks just to slow ourselves down to let a school of Hammerhead Sharks, Barracudas and Cow Rays pass by. My most exciting dive was when I saw a Whale Shark that was nearly 50 ft long. Its enormous, gaping mouth looked at least 2 feet across! I could even see the little suckerfish darting between its jagged teeth and hanging from its huge fins. I remained very calm and still as I watched the mammoth beast glide by. Its massive body was so graceful and its skin was a beautiful shimmering violet gray with white leopard spots. I was close enough to touch it–but I didn’t (I may be a little crazy but I ain’t stupid!). Later that same day, we went snorkeling and a school of Dolphins joined us–there looked to be well over 50 of them playing, whistling, leaping and somersaulting around us. What a breathtaking experience.
Deep sea diving is an outer-worldly, outer-body experience–a profound spiritual awakening. My diving adventures in the Galapagos Islands taught me to live in the moment and confirmed over and over again that our God is The Great I Am—our uncreated Creator. The All in All. God is truly awesome and we are utterly helpless without God. And the fact is, God is in control of everything!
There is no place we can go where God is not: “If I settle on the far side of the sea, even there His hand will guide me” (Psalm 139). I summoned all the courage I could find to experience God’s wonderful water kingdom. The entire time I was there, I was thinking about what a privilege it was to see God’s wonders on display. The experience demanded that I face my fears head on and “let go and let God.” That’s the place I want to occupy in my daily life. I want to get to that peace of mind in everything I do–no worries, no more second guessing what God has called me to do–and even if the task seems unorthodox to others, I must take charge of my fears, trust God and do it anyway! “Let go and let God!” I’ve learned that I am a fierce woman of God who is determined to experience all that God has for me. And, I’ve discovered that this journey we call LIFE is both beautiful and perilous. God’s creation is magnificent and glorious and I want to experience all of it. All I have to do is take courage, have faith, trust God, breathe and DIVE IN! Will you take courage and join me?
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. — Joshua 1:9
