As I navigated the speedboat through the crystal-clear waters, I couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer beauty of the sea. It was 2023, and I had come a long way since my first sea travel experience back in 2005, when I was much younger and nearly fell off a ferry.
I still remember that day vividly. I was on a ferry with my Mum, Dad and siblings en route to the eastern part of Nigeria from the south, enjoying the beautiful view of the ocean when suddenly, as a hyper active child that I was I wanted to see more than my eyes could already see, I lifted my upper body with my hands on the railings and stretched out my neck towards the water.
Everything else was black and white. I just remember sitting down and everyone looked at me with horror in their eyes, my mum froze for the longest and I could hear my sister from the other end of the ferry;
“BB, I’ve been telling you to sit down one place I don’t know what is wrong with you”
My mother was too shock to say anything, she just held me to her side silently, while I remember my dad just laughed nervously and shook his head. It was a scary experience that stayed with me for a long time.
Fast forward to 2010, and I found myself on a navy ship, still a little bit scared of the height not the sea though.The ship was massive, and the waves were not high, but I was determined to overcome my fear. I spent some minutes on the deck, watching the brown water that looked like the tasteless tea that was served to us in the galley (also known as refectory) and trying to get used to the motion of the ship. Slowly but surely, my fear began to fade away, and I started to appreciate the beauty of the sea.
And now, in 2023, I was sailing a speedboat, feeling the wind in my hair and the salt on my skin. The sea was calm, and the sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the water. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and I felt a sense of peace and contentment that I had never experienced before.
As I rode the speedboat further out to sea, I marveled at the different shades of blue and green in the water. It was like looking at a living painting, constantly changing and shifting. I have always wanted to see dolphins particularly but I could only see different types of fishes swimming below the surface, and I felt a sense of awe at the sheer diversity of life in the ocean.
The sea has always been a source of wonder and mystery for me, and this experience only confirmed that. It may have taken me years to realize it, but the sea is one of my favorite things in nature, I couldn’t imagine life without the beauty and serenity of the sea.