Angel in Cairns...

This post is dedicated to Australia - Amazing country and amazing fun loving people...

During my trip to Great barrier reef @ Queensland I experienced true spirit of humanity. As we all know  that Great barrier reef is home to one of the seven natural wonders of the world. I was so excited about my adventure tour planned to explore this amazing place in Month of April 2012.

The most cherished experience of the trip was - Snorkeling on the Beautiful Coral Reef. Thanks to various guided tours available for beginner swimmers like me, memories of the day will remain fresh forever in my mind. Indeed a mesmerizing experience to watch beautiful corals, which I had never seen earlier in my life. I am not able to describe in words how wonderful it was to swim with lots and lots of colorful fishes around me.

According to my pre-booked travel plan, I was supposed to go for snorkeling only once. My itinerary was full of adventure activities like snorkeling, scuba dive, sky dive, sea kayaking etc.. But indeed it was not enough to cherish beauty of the coral reef in just one day. I was compelled to juggle my travel schedule by adjusting the sea kayaking tour timing to accommodate one more snorkeling tour on the same day. 

Here is how my second attempt at Snorkeling unfolded.

Our sea kayak tour guide announced that whoever wanted to snorkel, could jump off from kayak to snorkel for an hour. I was stunned by his announcement and could not believe that he was asking us to go on our own for snorkeling!!  

My brief conversation with tour guide- Mike:

Me: Hello Mr.Mike, Is snorkeling tour not accompanied by a guide?

Mike: No dear, I am afraid it is not.  Have you not checked with the booking office. Snorkeling is not offered as guided tour by our company! 

Me: Whattttttttttttttt? How can I be so idiot and stupid?  I did not check the details of tour before booking. I am not a confident swimmer. I can not go on my own for Snorkeling :(..

Mike: [ Looking at my almost crying face] I am sorry ... may be beauty of corals hypnotized you!! Why don't you try once yourself. Be confident. You are wearing life jacket. You will not drown. If any thing happens just give me signal I will come for rescue. I am going to sit on that platform to keep watch on all of you. Go for it, its not that difficult and scary.

Mike ended the conversation and hurried towards the far away platform located on shore to keep watch on snorkelers. I was totally annoyed on myself. In hurry of making run time booking; I didn't pay much attention on details of Snorkeling tour. It was unguided tour and meant for confident swimmers/ experienced snorkelers :(. How can I be so careless specially when I was travelling alone!!

We were total 6 sea kayaking tourists who opted to go for snorkeling. In our team I was the only person who was not from Australia and was not confident swimmer. One by one everyone jumped into ocean and started snorkeling. Somehow my phobia of water was holding me back. I could not gather courage to jump in ocean alone. So much of water around me made me more nervous. With very heavy heart I decided not to go for Snorkeling and sat on the shore alone.

After 10-15 minutes I heard a voice from one lady. She was an Aussie lady from Melbourne aged around 50. I do not recall her name now but Lets address her as Angel. 

Angel: "What are you doing sitting their alone? Come on dear, join us..It's so beautiful out here. So many fishes and amazing corals. Don't you want to see them?

Me: I am afraid of water, I can not snorkel alone without guide .... I am not confident.. I will be here only ..

Angel: Why can't you swim?

Me: I can swim, but only in swimming pool. Looking at so much water and currents of Ocean, I am so much scared. I can't swim in ocean...sorry Ma'm...

Angel: All the way from India you have come to my country to see Great Barrier reef and now you are telling you will not snorkel!!! This is not fair...

Me: It's ok.. I am fine here... I don't want to take risk...

Suddenly after 10 minutes, Angel came out of water and sat besides me. Like a Mother she ordered me to get up and go with her. I still remember her each and every word what she spoke that time. 

Angel: Come with me, I will take you in water. I will hold your hand, don't be afraid of water ..nothing will happen...Looking at amazing corals here you will forget your phobia... come join me.

Me: Hey, seriously I am fine here. I am too much scared of currents, look at the water here, for me it's too much to handle. I can not come. I will spoil your fun too. You please go ahead and enjoy.. thank you very much!!!

Angel: But I am not fine watching you sitting here alone. I can not see that one person who has come to my country from such a far away land, just can not enjoy beauty of my place only because they are not confident swimmers. See... I have grown up with waves, so snorkeling/ diving and surfing is nothing for me... but I truly understand your limitation... you have not been brought up in such surroundings so you are scared of waves. You might be good at so many other things which I will not know how to do it...So come on don't be afraid of anything or feel shy of anything... I am there to take care of you ... I will make sure you carry good image of my country when you go back from here...

Me: But....

Angel: Come with me...trust me...I have taken my son also for snorkeling like this when he was small.. I will take good care of you and will not let you drown. I could not resist and jumped in water with Angel. 




For about 15 minutes we snorkeled around the place. She   kept on showing me beautiful fishes, corals around. She kept on checking whether I am feeling ok... She made sure that my attention is diverted from 'lots of water' phrase to 'wowww so beautiful' reaction....

After first 15 minutes, First line I spoke to her..

Me: Angel, I can't thank you enough for this gesture of yours....

Angel: Oh dear, looking at your happy face... I am also very much thrilled...I am glad that I could  show you around .... only one thing    can you hold my hand little bit lightly? You are holding it so tight..its paining me :)

Me:       Oh I am so sorry.. Why you didn't tell me before...

Angel: Oh don't feel sorry dear... it happens, I can sense from the way you held my hand that how much scared you are!! It's nothing.. come we will go towards left side.. my husband is telling that  on the left side lots of colorful fishes and amazing corals are there. They are much more beautiful then here...

She kept on holding my hand for another 15 minutes, and kept on snorkeling with me around the reef. She was amalgamation of a mother and a true friend to me ... Who can turn you on and fill sparkling moments of joy in your life in a selfless way.  I had never experienced such an amazing act of hospitality outside India. She was truly an angel for me that day!!

We have a saying in Sanskrit- वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम [Entire world is one family.]  My experience in Cairns indeed depicted what this Sanskrit line actually means.....