There seems to be wisdom and magic in the idea of swimming with a good friend. How did I forget this? I wonder…While living in Ankara,Turkey from 2014-15, I enjoyed swimming at an international sports center that had 5 pools and luxurious services. Upon entering I would receive two clean fluffy white towels and one mat for my feet. I often had a different girlfriend who I would meet up with to swim, and then have dinner afterwards within the facility. In Prishtina, Kosovo, from 2015-2020,I spent time with my best girlfriend on Sundays, taking a swim in a new Olympic sized pool and chatting afterwards in the sauna. Perhaps, I forgot because I didn’t have a pool to swim in for almost two years, during the Covid-19 pandemic. I was living in the Netherlands during the second year of the pandemic and had selected an apartment near an indoor pool; however, because of the Covid-19 restrictions, it was closed the entire year. In addition, the idea of swimming in the canals was too wild for me at the time. I gratefully accepted invitations with a new girlfriend to bike together, and biking became my favorite friendship activity.
Moving to Terceira, Azores in September 2021, I swam a few times with my best girlfriend at her favorite swimming hole in Port Martins, but in time, I hungered for longer stretches of sea to swim in. In December 2021, I settled into my new apartment in the city center of Angra do Heroismo, and because it was just steps away from a protected bay, I continued to swim even though the weather and the water had become very cold. (The sea water of the Azorian Atlantic Ocean was approximately 14-15 degrees Celsius and the afternoon winter air temperature ranged from 14-17 degrees Celsius. In comparison, indoor competition swimming pools average a temperature of 25-28 degrees Celsius). In December, I found the water too cold for my feet and they ached hours after swimming, so I adapted a wetsuit by cutting off the legs and arms and made booties from the extra pieces to comfort my feet. This way I could swim for about 20 minutes, until I got too tired, or my fears of the unknown overwhelmed me.
Mostly I was afraid of the Portuguese man o’ war; or in Portuguese language, they are called Caravela.” (Caravela means “ship with sail” and as these creatures resemble ships, they have received this name. It may be that the creature was named Portuguese man o’war by the international ships of the 1600’s who saw them in the water near the islands, but I am not sure). I had never seen any alive and swimming in the sea; however, on several occasions I had seen them covering the beach after a storm. From mid December to mid March I regularly observed one large pod of fish that liked to hang out in one area of the bay. But I could feel the wind and currents changing and wondered when the jellyfish and Carvela would be arriving.
As a child I first learned about the Carvela while reading a small pocket book about seashells of the Atlantic. I loved seashells and collecting them from the shore. There were a few summers my family took a two week vacation to Myrtle Beach South Carolina and I had found the book in a small gift shop. At the back of the book there was a colorful scientific drawing that described and labeled the creature. I was awed and in fear of this creature that floated on top of the sea and that had brilliant blue tentacles hidden beneath in the water, which could be a couple meters long. I don’t remember telling anyone about what I had read, or asking anyone about them. It was a secret fear that I thought was not significant. But the curiosity to see what they looked like or to understand their behavior remained submerged below my consciousness throughout my life and was now surfacing as I settled into my new life living in Terceira, Portugal. From the change of the winds and the collected stories from local Portuguese friends, I sensed the Caravellas would be coming soon.
But it was not the Caravela, I would see for the first time in the water. Rather, it would be an unusual experience with a small brown stingray. I was swimming alone one evening in mid-March around 5:00 pm as the sun lowered behind Mt. Brazil. I had only been swimming for about ten minutes when suddenly below me, I saw a small tan colored stingray, about 25 cm from wing to wing, that swam about 1.5 meters to my right. Immediately, it darted into the sand and nestled quickly by pushing up a cloud of dust around it. I was awed by its graceful movement but also wondered if it would be wise for me to get out of the water. I was not deep in the ocean but I couldn’t stand. I decided I would continue with my intended swim back and forth across the bay. Then just when I had recovered from the surprise of the stingray, a low flying bird suddenly swooped down right over my head. Later, I learned that it was likely a Cagarro bird and they are often confused as seagulls. They usually only fly at night as they are blind during the day, and that is why he was flying erratically. It was then, with this second surprise encounter with wild flying creatures, that I decided, “Ok, I surrender-time for me to get out!”
The next morning the entire beach was covered with more Caravelas than I could count.
Two days later, the beach was miraculously clear of them. Where did they go? I wondered. How could they just disappear in the water with no trace? But the wind and waters calmed and it was safe to swim until their next return. Two weeks later, on April 1, they returned, covering the shore as before, and then vanished the next day. These sightings made me cautious but I didn’t want to stop swimming. After a few months of swimming in the cold waters, I was feeling so much healthier. My circulation, sleep, and energy had all dramatically improved. I was determined to learn more about these creatures and overcome my fears by gaining more information. I started talking to everyone I knew and asking them: Did you ever see a Caravela when you were swimming? What happened? What did you do? Eventually, my informal research led me to a local marine biologist, João Pedro Barreiros, who has studied the marine life of the Azores for 30 years. According to his recent publication, I learned that the best response to a possible encounter with a Caravela is to try to remove it in the water by peeling it off (not rubbing) and rinsing with cold sea water or vinegar (rinsing with regular water activates the poisons). Then go to the hospital.
So what about the Jellyfish? They are not deadly like the Caravela, but they can be painful and scary too. On April 5th, hundreds of jellyfish scattered the shoreline like police cars with purple headlights warning not to enter. However, the next day, somehow the beach was washed clean and springtime activities across the small beach: some played soccer, children splashed near the shore, and couples rested on beach towels on the sand. Two young children played with the power of the sea by running in and out of the cold water’s edge. They were innocent to the jellyfish that had passed by the day before and their simple delight with the surprising waves reminded me why I loved the sea so much and how it can be even more enjoyable when you are with someone who loves it too.
It was our third time swimming together and today it was just him and I in the bay. The water was clear, cold and peaceful except for when the occasional pieces of broken red seaweed floated by. I arrived first and swam for about 10 minutes before he entered. After he swam for about 10 minutes we swam towards each other to talk about something. As we treaded water and moved to try to keep warm, it was like having a tea party in the middle of the sea. Something I would have done with my best friend when we were 10 years old. Feelings of safety and boundless freedom overcame me. I laughed with delight and realized with great joy, that I found my new swimming friend... I’m also finding myself again.
Every encounter you surprise me
Your gentlemanly kindness and sweet
Engaging questions
Leave me wanting to know more
Time
With you
Isn’t a distraction
It’s a life meditation
For in you I find moments
Of eternity
And pieces of myself
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