By telling us your country of residence we are able to provide you with the most relevant travel insurance information.
Please note that not all content is translated or available to residents of all countries. Contact us for full details.
Shares
“I can’t do it!” I screamed at my friend. Looking back at her I could see her doubled over laughing at my attempt to jump from the side of the catamaran we were on. “You need to do it, when are you going to be back here?” That’s all I took to convince me. When was I going to return to this place? And how much would I regret it if I didn’t just take the leap? It was only about 3 metres from the ledge I was on into the Aegean Sea. I put one foot over the edge and did a little leap. I was falling into some of the most beautiful water I’ve ever seen. I squeezed my eyes shut and plugged my nose with my fingers when I went as low as I could I kicked my legs, pushing myself back up to the surface. It was getting brighter and all of a sudden I broke through the water. A smile spreads its way across my face. I was laughing while kicking my feet in the water underneath me. Wow. It may seem small but it brought me back to reality. Here I was, swimming in the Aegean Sea, having jumped off a huge boat which just left a port on the island of Santorini. It seemed like a dream, and to me it actually was. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for around fifteen years. For over half my life I’ve been imagining scenarios like this one. But my what I envisioned didn’t even compare to my reality. I was with my best friend, eating my favourite food, and exploring some amazing parts of Greece all while making new friends along the way. “See it wasn’t that bad.” Cheyenne’s voice brought me back. “It gave me kind of a rush,” I said, treading water in place. I turned my back to the catamaran and stared out to the sea straight into the horizon. There was just me and the water, everything was peaceful. That was until I realized no one was around me. All the other travellers had gotten back onto the boat and it was just me, all alone, in the middle of the sea. I might have been fine with this situation a few days ago but yesterday Chey came up with a song while we were swimming and it went “swimming in the ocean with a big blue shark.” That was it, nine words and the impact they had, had brought fear into my mind. I started swimming toward the ladder that led back onto the solid sole of the boat. I tried to act calm because people always look at someone freaking out and my social anxiety was not prepared to have 40 people looking in my direction. Finally, I made it. The ladder was beneath my feet and I could already feel my heartbeat slowing to its normal pace. Back on the deck I needed another drink, endless drinks and friendly faces were just a couple of perks that this excursion had. Drink in hand, I headed back to my seat between Chey and Sara, a girl we met on the boat. We just discussed life and our travels all while hanging our feet over the edge of the boat and facing blue sky which would soon show us the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen.