me vs. the seal of la jolla cove

|| diving into the deep ||

 

|| cozy bed ||

 

 

|| kayaking with my cute mama ||

 

|| always so funny :) ||

 

|| beautiful school of girabaldi ||

|| exploring the caves ||

 

 

|| where you enter and exit the water ||

|| hi, seal ||

 

I remember when we first moved to California we visited La Jolla Cove and I saw all these people swimming and snorkeling right there amongst the seals. I was shocked people got so close to them, let alone swam through those thick kelp beds without any worries of all the lurking leopard sharks! I remember visiting the Oregon Coast as a child and being told seals were aggressive and rather territorial. Well, it was that day my Idaho grown self told Chase, "My goal is to overcome my fear and swim in this cove. I need to embrace my environment and overcome my ocean fears."

A year later I decided to take the plunge. We were kayaking with my mom and the water was abnormally warm and clear thanks to El Nino. I decided right then and there was the perfect chance for me to take a dip. I could see all the pretty orange girabaldi swimming around and they looked nice and calm so I knew I could be too haha. Chase was far off on his own kayak so I was on my own! I slid off the kayak and there was no turning back.

Honestly, I was rather proud of myself for swimming around without fins and without Chase! Mom was nearby in case I decided I was over it, but I was doing okay and started to relax and not fear the kelp and possibly lurking sea animals as much. I took a few dives and was really starting to relax and enjoy myself when I looked up and a seal was charging straight at me! Ha ha it was so funny you guys, I'm sure I screamed in my snorkel because when I came up for air my mom was laughing from her kayak yelling, "Lisssssssy, I'm over here!" You better believe I swam as fast as I could to her kayak haha. I mean that seal was literally inches from my face! I saw its little teeth but his eyes reminded me of my childhood dog so that was sorta nice I guess haha. Anyway, that was when I decided to hop on the kayak and call it a day.

Later in September Chase and I visited again and I decided I really wanted to snorkel with him. I'm so glad I did because it was gorgeous! We saw all sorts of beautiful and colorful fish and swam through schools of girabaldi. I saw seals this time but no run ins, so it was a great time. Can't wait to go back again! Slowly I can feel my self getting more brave and soon enough I'll be able to swim above those leopard sharks without constantly scanning for death threats haha. I know they aren't harmful, Chase says they are like big nice fish (ya real comforting). But considering for 22 years I only visited the ocean a handful of times, I've come a long way :) 

My deep love for the ocean gives me the desire and curiosity to explore and embrace it in all its forms. I'm so glad I married Chase who supports and pushes that desire and lives that lifestyle on the daily. I feel like this mindset can apply to a lot of things in life by overcoming our silly fears through exploring in nature. It truly is a healer!