under the sea

last weekend, i was reminded of the excitement of exploring life underwater. it's been ages since my hubby and i last went scuba diving. ten years ago, to be exact. in palawan was the last time. many different corals bursting in more than a rainbow of colors as the sunrays pierce through the deep waters. tiny, neon aquarium fishes in and out of the seaweed fingers. big, silvery ones with fins and tails swooshing as gracefully as the tiny ones. a shy moray peeping from underneath a rock. a scary seasnake darting up so swiftly. a manta ray sweeping the ocean floor. a gentle giant pawikan hovering above as if in flight... we get lost in time, engulfed by everything surrounding us.

Snorkelling with my daughter, arianna, reminded me of all that. though we were in tali, and not in palawan, it was exciting nonetheless. though nothing was new to me, it's as if i see everything for the first time. we marvelled at the aqua-tipped spiky coral. but squirmed at the weird-looking brain coral. she pointed at creatures which caught her fancy as i pointed at those which caught mine. together, we eagerly swam after brightly striped or spotted fishes as they zigzagged and circled by. no moray, no scary seasnake, no manta ray nor pawikan. but just the same, we get lost in time gliding on the surface side by side, till the sunrays stung our backs. it was a different high for me, being able to snorkel with my daughter. it not only reminded me of my diving days with my hubby. but also my snorkelling days with my daddy. i was as young as her when he showed me the world under the sea for the first time.