Jackie - Stranded

Stranded

After a morning full of scuba diving on Tuesday, I didn’t expect anything else to top that experience before sundown… until I laid eyes on Pigeon Cay. The island was no bigger than a city block, with not a single structure to disturb the pure white sand and palms. After scoping out the island for seashells and enjoying another delicious lunch prepared by the kitchen staff, we scattered into the water with our snorkel gear. When my mask broke the surface, I was absolutely stilled by the scene before me. Studying the native marine life for an entire semester could not even compare to one second of the underwater view that surrounded this island. I ventured through the mazes of coral with Dominik along side of me trying to take in all the different colors and creatures. Periodically, we would dive down to get a closer look at exotic species like lionfish and the many shades of parrotfish. I was so lost in the moment that I eventually lost track of Dominik as well as the time that I had been snorkeling.

When I came up to the surface I realized the entire group had returned to the island, so I decided to head in. I swam a few strokes toward the direction of the sand and was quickly denied by a wall of coral reef that breached the surface. I started back in the direction that I first entered thinking that I could easily make it around the high area of coral, but that definitely was not the case. Every deep break in the coral turned out to be another shallow dead end that frustrated me even more than the last. After several failed attempts at finding access back to the island, a feeling of panic started to creep up. I knew everyone was waiting on me, and I didn’t want the group to think I was selfishly taking my time out there when I was actually stuck on the wrong side of a barrier reef without a clue how to get back.

I breathed a big sigh of relief when I saw one of our motor boats out on the water nearby. As soon as Dr. Tubbs and the driver got my attention, they waved me in the direction of the nearest passageway. I took off swimming as quickly as I could because at that point I just wanted to get back with the group. Yet even at my fastest paced swim, it took me about ten minutes to get around the shallow reef. Thank goodness I was in shape from cross country season or I would have had serious trouble breathing that hard through the tube of a snorkel. It was an exhausting swim.

When I finally reached land and got to vent about the stress I’d just felt, Dr. Tubbs kept praising my swimming abilities repeating that he couldn’t believe how fast I had made it in. Frankly, I couldn’t either. I’d never thought of myself as a very strong swimmer, but I covered some hard distance in those ten minutes. I guess being lost and alone in a foreign sea is enough to make your instincts kick in!

Yet right after my little display of hydrodynamic ability, I swiftly proceeded to wipe out and colorfully bruise myself while stepping up into the boat. Who knew that after scuba diving and getting stranded off a desert island, my coordination skills would prove to be the worst of my worries that day!