There’s a note going around on Facebook, “25 Random Facts About Me”, where people tag you to read their 25 random facts and then you are supposed to in turn write 25 facts about yourself.  I liked reading about my friends and definitely found out things that I didn’t know before.  Well, I figured that I needed more room than Facebook allowed, so why not bring it on home where I can get really funki?  Get ready to find out more than you ever wanted to know about Funkidivagirl.

Betcha didn’t know that….

#10  I love the beach, but I’m afraid of the ocean.  Mostly the sharks in the ocean.

I love, love, LOVE the beach and plan living near the ocean (again) someday.  Looking at the water both soothes my soul and gives me energy at the same time.  At least once a year I try to make it to some beach, somewhere.  My kids love the beach as much as I do and we can stay there all day long collecting shells, flying kites and looking for marine life.  But except for an occasional wade out into the water just to cool off, I like the ocean from the vantage point of the sand. I’m afraid of the ocean and of course there’s a story behind my fear.   There’s always a story.

Back when I worked at Club Med, one of the perks was being able to experience all of the Club activities along with the guests.  I took tennis lessons, went horse-back riding and played pool games.  One day I decided that I wanted to learn how to wind-surf.  The wind-surf instructor wasn’t busy that day, so he gave me a beginning lesson on the sand and in the shallow water.   When he thought that I had the hang of it, he urged me to go into the water even further, but still close to the shore.  

Now would be a good time to mention that I didn’t know how to swim.   No problem, the instructor said, don’t go out too far and since he wasn’t busy, he’ll keep an eye on me.    I’m pretty fearless and it didn’t look too dangerous at all.    Besides, I had noticed that although beginner wind-surfers fall quite a bit, they fall very slowly and are able to hold on the sail while in the water.  I would be fine.

And I was fine for awhile.  While I did fall a lot, since I was so small, when I did get back on the board and lift the sail even slightly the wind took me pretty far.  This went of for awhile: falling, getting back on the board, lifting the sail, surfing for a short while and falling again.  Finally tired, the next time I fell I just sat on my board.  And looked up to see that I was far away from the wind-surf instructor (who was now busy with guests and forgot all about me) and far away from the shore.  I wasn’t even on Club Med’s property anymore.  I looked at the water and it was a very deep blue AND I TOTALLY FREAKED OUT.  Sharks!–That’s all I could think about.  I didn’t actually see them, but I knew they were there.   I tucked my feet up under me and made sure no part of my body was in the water.

Well, now I was in a real dilemma.  I couldn’t wind-surf back to shore because I couldn’t control the sail very well and the odds were that I would take myself further out to sea.   I couldn’t swim to shore because I didn’t know how to swim.  I couldn’t yell for help from the Club Med personnel because they were too far away to hear me.  So, I just sat on my board for what seemed like forever, but was really probably 15 minutes.

In the distance I saw a small figure on the beach waving at me and yelling something in Spanish; it was a local Mexican gentleman walking on the public beach.   I didn’t know who he was or what he was saying, but I just yelled back “Help Me!”   Much to my surprise, he jumped in the water fully clothed, swam out to me and pushed me on the board all the way back to shore.  He didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Spanish but I was so grateful and he knew it.  After making sure that I was okay, he went on his way and I dragged the wind-surf board across the sand all the way back down to the Club Med beach.

I was 18 years old when that happened and it while it turned out okay, it was a stupid thing to go into the ocean without a life jacket on, not knowing how to swim.  I didn’t like that I had a fear of deep water (even in a pool) because I don’t like being afraid of anything.  After the birth of my first child, I knew that I had to learn how to swim, if just to be a good role model.

#11  I learned to swim as an adult and I’m very proud of myself.

Yes, I took swimming lessons as a child at the YMCA like everyone else and I was doing just fine until they made up jump off the diving board into the deep end of the pool before I was ready to.   There was no compassion from my instructors and it was pretty cut and dry, either jump or leave the class.  I left the class and never went back.   For the rest of my childhood I “got by” at the pool by swimming under water and mostly staying in the shallow end, but I had few incidents of almost-drowning.   One time I was at the local public pool and I wanted to jump off the diving board like all the other kids.   So I did.  But when I hit the water, I didn’t know how to come back up and swim to the edge, so I started fighting the water and going back under.  The lifeguards didn’t even see me, but luckily a teenaged girl did and helped me to the side.  That brush with nearly drowning only worsened my fear of deep water.  

So when I finally decided to learn how to swim, I first had to get over my fear of deep water.  My friend had a pool in her backyard and let me use it to hire a private instructor for a few lessons.  When I felt comfortable enough, I continued lessons at my local YMCA.  Before long I could tread water in the deep end and swim the length of the pool.  I was so determined to learn and not be afraid that I was the star pupil of the class.  I kept my progress report as a reminder of how far I had come.  

I do like knowing that I have a good chance of saving my life if the situation should ever arise, but I’m not sure if I will ever be comfortable swimming in the ocean; the thought of all the ocean creatures beneath me kind of unnerves me.  The ocean absolutely fascinates me, but I like learning about it from visiting the aquarium or watching Imax films at the museum. However, I do try to push myself every now and then, just to keep my fear under control, and ultimately, conquer it.   This past summer I went jet-skiing in the ocean and boogie-boarding as well.   And someday soon I plan to take surfing lessons.  I gotta get ready for my future life as a beach-bum.

Betcha didn’t know that…..

#1  I have a bad temper, I’m pretty fearless and I hate punks.  And that has gotten me into trouble. 

#2  I have toys in my home office.  And they’re all mine.

#3  I have a library call number.

#4  I was a Keebler elf.

#5  I hate sneezes.

#6  I was a small part of the Minneapolis Sound.

#7  My father calls me Sam.

#8  People think that I am Ethiopian.

#9  I was a Club Med G.O.

© 2009, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

Related posts:

1. Betcha Didn’t Know (#7 & #8 Random Facts About Me)
2. Betcha Didn’t Know (#9 Random Fact About Me)
3. Betcha Didn’t Know (#5 Random Fact About Me)
4. Betcha Didn’t Know (#4 Random Fact About Me)
5. Betcha Didn’t Know (#6 Random Fact About Me)