Picked up a shift on the boat today. A guy had broken his thumb and they needed a couple fill ins. They haven't been busy enough to give me a regular day on the schedule so I take what I can get until things open up.
The people watching is spectacular. Really getting a glimpse into how someone operates is incredibly interesting and down here you see it all. It's a non-stop show.
What I really like about the water jobs is seeing grown adults turn into little kids. It's quite something. People are definitely affected by water and you see all kinds of transformations happening during the trip.
One person could have never snorkeled before and comes back in awe of all the sea creatures that surrounded them. They squeal like a five-year-old listing off everything and what it looked like down to the most amazing electric blue markings they'd ever seen on a fish.
Another person could be deathly afraid of the water but gets in, braves it and afterwards there is a huge smile that comes from a sense of accomplishment at beating back their fears.
Or maybe you just see a group of totally different people looking out at the water in total silence. Almost meditatively.
While watching a group on the front of the boat today, I thought how interesting it is. They are all seeing the same thing but will integrate it into their life story so differently depending on what their existence is. I usually watch them wondering what they're thinking or feeling looking out across the water. Most people look like they have a sense of peace. Something that possibly escapes them in their daily lives.
A memory of snorkeling at the reef will surely be filed away, but their individual experience - what it meant to them while being on the water; finding that peace - will trigger a range of emotions for years later. That itself kinda blew me away today.
People generally lose all their senses out there. It's hard not to. They walk onto the boat in a confident stride but as soon as we get moving it's like watching a bunch of toddlers trying to keep their balance while wobbling around; grabbing hold of whatever is in front of them.
The boat people are fun to work with. They're a whole other breed of people. Adventurous, fearless, and funny. They live in the moment and just make things work. Like the time I heard a story from my captain who for a short time lived in his beat up station wagon at the dock he once worked at. The best part was he put an air conditioner in it. Power corded it to a nearby outlet and stuck it in his car window. He had it going for a couple weeks until the dockmaster caught him.
Or the guy who broke his thumb skateboarding. He pulled it completely out of the socket and it was bent back. Horrified, I asked him if he went to the hospital. Nope. He just shoved it back into place, wrapped it up and took some ibuprofen. My mouth hung open in awe when he told me he didn't go because he already knew what to do after having the same thing happen to his shoulder.
Saw so many things I wanted to take pictures of but it was too busy I couldn't. It's Christmas week and that means packed to capacity. We even got an extra guy at the reef. He boarded and sat up on the deck for about 20 minutes until he realized he was on the wrong boat. He apologized, got back in the water and swam off.
The most interesting person was this older lady so terrified of the water but she was completely determined to get in it. Once in, she tried to talk her younger friend to go in with her.
"Water is so healing. You get such a sense of tranquility from it. It's healing. It's healing." she kept chanting as it washed over her.
She had a point. After a day on the water and my body and mind are tired but buzzing at the perfect frequency.
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