Remarkable snorkeler along for the dive

[freediver]

Jacques Mayol free dived to 105 meters when he was 56, but the depth was hardly the point. The man I met was Finnish, and Finland isn’t in the Caribbean (go ahead, check your atlas, I’ll wait).

See? Mr. Finn was not born to this. Still, I’d bet a month’s beer money there’s not one member in a thousand on SB who could duplicate what he was doing.

But that’s still not the point. The point is that he was a free spirit, a man gone walkabout, experiencing the magic of the sea with the minimal mechanical assistance. He was a vagabond, traveling whichever way the winds blew in search of the perfect snorkeling site. Kinda like that 60’s surfing movie, Endless Summer, only he was living to experience what was under the waves..

He wasn’t trying to set a record or to show up the guys on Eden reef or to entice tourists to toss him their loose change. He was doing it because there was something in his soul told him he had to.

Rarely do we meet anyone in any walk of life who has answered to that small, still voice inside themself and is living with such purity of purpose.

From your reference to Jacques Mayol to the "purity of purpose", I found the story to be superb and this post in particular was excellent!

But what’s the point. If I have to explain it, it’s unlikely you’ll ever get it.

This should be picked up as a signature line! As one who hears those same voices, I "get it" ...and thanks for sharing.

[Marvel]

Jacques Mayol free dived to 105 meters when he was 56, but the depth was hardly the point. The man I met was Finnish, and Finland isn’t in the Caribbean (go ahead, check your atlas, I’ll wait).

See? Mr. Finn was not born to this. Still, I’d bet a month’s beer money there’s not one member in a thousand on SB who could duplicate what he was doing.

But that’s still not the point. The point is that he was a free spirit, a man gone walkabout, experiencing the magic of the sea with the minimal mechanical assistance. He was a vagabond, traveling whichever way the winds blew in search of the perfect snorkeling site. Kinda like that 60’s surfing movie, Endless Summer, only he was living to experience what was under the waves..

He wasn’t trying to set a record or to show up the guys on Eden reef or to entice tourists to toss him their loose change. He was doing it because there was something in his soul told him he had to.

Rarely do we meet anyone in any walk of life who has answered to that small, still voice inside themself and is living with such purity of purpose.

But what’s the point. If I have to explain it, it’s unlikely you’ll ever get it.

The magic shone through for me. Thanks for taking the time to tell us about it.

[Cave Diver]

This story actually reminds me of a book I read "Last of the BlueWater Hunters." It was about freediving spear fishing. There was a certain peace and tranquility described there that is hard to imagine on SCUBA. Definitely worth a read.