When was the last time that you did something for the first time? When was the last time that you threw fear and caution to the tide and allowed its current to pull insecurity to a perfect reckless abandon, drowning it in the wake of new experience? Call me a romantic, but I am of the opinion that focusing the lens of life’s experience exceeds the pursuit of silver and gold.
It was a leap I was going to have to make. Ten feet to the opaque water below. From there, depths unknown. A 30-minute hike had brought us to a desolate cove that had served as a fishing port some 200 years ago. The ocean pressed upon the ancient stone wall below my flippered feet. Soft rubber sealed snugly around my face. One last deep embrace of the readily available oxygen and the warmth of the sun’s glow. Leap. Plunge. Arrive in a new world, surrounded on all sides by a new life experience.
The objective for the day was to spear as many fish as possible for a dinner party I’d be hosting in southern Baja, Mexico a few hours later. While this wasn’t my first time finning in the ocean, it was my first time with a spear in-hand, with the clear intent of securing my and my friends’ dinner.
Diving deeper with each attempt, the twin-lens frame of the Cressi Nano Mask allowed my eyes to view a new fluid world, swirling, serene, serendipitous. The learning curve to spear fishing is steep, but made easier by the perfect clarity and minimal bulk of this mask. I could see each target’s movement in such a way that I could almost pick out where they were about to be. A shot and a miss, another, but getting closer with each attempt.
An adrenaline surge coursed through my veins as the tip of my spear found a fish. Success. Minutes later, another. The start of what would become a new obsession of mine. With a satchel filled with our next meal, we exited the water. An unbridled feeling of success washed over me as I began the half-hour trek back to the car.
Later that evening, I came together with friends over a meal that was equal parts delicious fresh fish and exiting story, providing satiation for hunger and adventure alike. It was an unforgettable experience provided by a Cressi mask that can be bought on Amazon for under $100, and a willingness to step off of the ledge of comfort and into a place unknown.
Dinner at my place next week. You bring the beers, Cressi and I will bring the fish.
(All photos courtesy of Alex Doseff)
