How do you justify a once in a lifetime opportunity twice?

“Where do we put the application in to become your kids,” the couple in front of asked us, following Olivia’s declaration that this was the second time she had swum with the whale sharks.  My own desire to live the life of our children was coupled with sheer delight in the girl’s palpable sense of adventure.  “It is this type of calculated risk taking that will get them through their teenage years,” Dave assured me as we coughed up a small fortune to swim in the pristine waters of Ningaloo reef with the largest fish in the ocean.

We did not get the greatest conditions on the boat ride out to sea.  The remnants of Alice’s breakfast sprayed over Dave’s favourite hoodie was a reminder that we were at the whims of mother nature.

“GO GO, GO. Get off the boat now” I heard the skipper yell.  Mia and I took one last loving look at each other and jumped into the open ocean not knowing what the experience would bring.   The rough sea meant it required all my energy to keep up swimming with the group. As wave after wave crashed on both sides, I doubted how anyone was navigating the movements of the bus size creature beneath us “Look down now,” the instructor said.

There he was, the king of the ocean in all his beauty (an estimated 80% of all Ningaloo’s whale sharks are male).  Bigger and more glorious than I remembered from six years ago – with strikingly patterned skin so unique. Our experience was perfected by the awe I could see in the girls faces as we swum together in a seemingly bottomless ocean.

Despite my usual submission to this current era of stolen focus and distraction, I have been truly mesmerised by the abundant life that lives in the ocean.   I have snorkelled for hours, slowly following turtles, not wanting to look away from phosphorescent coral, and fish every colour of the rainbow. 

The natural world has begun to restore my focus and reminded me that our bodies are connected to nature.  An intentional step away from the constant alerts and scrolling of devices has quickly restored my circadian rhythms and strengthened relationships.  ‘Giving it a go’ with the kids whether it be snorkelling or riding the red dirt BMX tracks, phoning a friend for a chat, or watching the sun set each day with Dave has created countless opportunities for connection, laughter’s and has been the recipe for a very full heart.