My Oceanic Sojourn

This Saturday, I arose at the break of dawn (Larry’s “break of dawn” is 7:15am) to join my Dad and some family friends on a deep sea fishing excursion. Oh, the adventure that would soon greet me!

We headed out at around 8:30am and voyaged through the ole Jupiter inlet. Amazingly enough, there were 30-40 commercial fishing boats floating around, trying to snatch some “triple tail.” Now, I pride myself on being somewhat of a Cousteau-in-training and yet, I had never seen or heard of these inlet dwellers. Apparently, they’re tarpon-esque and great for eating.

Then came our first steps towards “going ocean.” It was quite choppy, but such a beautiful day! I thoroughly enjoyed our “way out” into the sea, as the ocean spray collided with my face and the smell of the salty sea air embraced my nostrils. I’m not much of a roller coaster enthusiast, but I will say that violently jerking up and down as we glided over (and through) the wake was most exhilarating.

All in all, our day at sea was non-stop action and adventure. Whether it was beholding the majestic leatherback turtles making their way towards shore (to lay eggs), watching schools of shiny Mahi Mahi zoom by the boat, or my exposure to the incredible technology innovations that has emerged since my “days” of fishing with a rod, reel, bobber and rubber worm, the trip was most enjoyable!

Ah, but those who have participated with me in previous oceanic outings surely know that beneath the beautiful blue lurks the menacing deep sea demon (i.e. seasickness). That sucker hit about two hours into the trip and man, was it torturous. Everyone was having a grand time reeling in their catch while I looked to the sea, pondering: Would being consumed by a shark be preferable to this? Fortunately, throwing-up helps (as does Dramamine, so I’ve been told). One hurl changed everything and I was, more or less, back to normal (after about an hour and a half of trying to preserve my pride).

When all is said and done, there’s nothing like the thrill of the catch and being able to bring home some fresh, wild Sea Bass or Snapper (which will cost you a pretty penny at your local seafood restaurant). Be advised, though, that fishing is aptly named “fishing.” It would be called “catching” if the majority of the time was spent reeling in those aquatic acrobats. Such is not the case.

(note: The photos are illustrative; they are not the actual pictures from my trip)