We made it to the 1,000 yen parking lot by 9:15. The dozen or so cars free parking at the mountain was already full so oh well thousand yen ain’t a bad for a day of snorkeling, grateful we got a spot! The walk down to the rocky shore got a little depressing since seeing remains of all the assholes who leave all their bbq shit and litter. There are jerks in this world. Don’t be like them boys! We continued on till away from most the few dozen other people and had masks donned by 9:30 a.m.
Snorkeling time!
The big lava and rock formation that we spent most the day around and on was maybe 25 meters out yet not all that difficult to get to. It was a huge, flat volcanic formation, jagged in places with an open roof cave/hole on one side that you could crawl on your belly to enter from two smaller holes below at low tide. I’d been out snorkeling on the far side of it and the older boy spent quite some time in deeper waters to the south, but save for jumping from the rock and swimming in the younger boy had yet to remain out where it was deep for very long. Even in shallower waters he still saw a ton of fish though. Just as in times past the blues and yellows, the vertical and horizontal stripes and little schools of 100 or more—the snorkeling was as great of a mix of interesting exciting relaxing fun as ever.
By two p.m. the awesomeness of the day had yet to wane but we were beginning to feel the effects of five hours of fun and sun and sea, so decided to swim all the way around what’d been our home base for much of the day before heading home.
Challenge!
We jumped into a few to four meters of sea on the south side, oldest boy, younger boy, then me. We started swimming out to sea, around that side of the rock then turn to the east to swim on the deepest side, then out a bit deeper still to get around some pretty turbulent jagged rock waters, before circling around to go back towards the shore. It was just before the turning again that I heard “daddy” and looked over to see the younger boy had worked his way closer to where the waves were crashing into the rocks.
The push and pull of the tide over and between stones rising to various submerged heights didn’t make for the easiest swimming. The older boy handled it well, but upon hearing the call I realized “Duh!” this is probably pretty scary for a 12 year old. So he did what’s natural and tried to get closer to something solid only to realize the sea is even rougher where it pounds into the rocks. He was fiddling with his mask; a hint of panic in his eyes when I got to him. He pulled the mouthpiece of his snorkel out of his mouth long enough to tell he’s going back.
“Nah come on dude, it’s easier this way” I lied.
Not giving him a choice I grabbed his hand to give a little support so he could get his mask on straight as I pulled him out further, then just kept his hand in mine and we swam together. Submerged rocks on the north side are higher, but still not enough to stand on to catch your breath. In the one place where they are high enough they’re too jagged and close together. Navigating through them is a bit like swimming in a short circuited blender when the waves hit. Younger boy’s hand in mine I got pushed into a couple trying to keep him off of them. I glanced over my shoulder as we went to be sure older boy was making it through okay only to see he got pushed into one too. I stopped long enough to laugh. He’ll be fine. He’ll make it.
He was. He did. We all were and did. It never got really dangerous as long as you didn’t get too close to the place the tide rushed in and out of a thousands of years sea stripped pocket in the big formation we were making our way around. That said, I’m guessing it was enough to work itself into a cranny of the scary exciting experience long term memory part of a kid's brain.
Upon making it around the last deep crop of rock that ducks down from the main formation into the sea at a sharp angle I pulled the boy in close then kept his momentum going and pushed him in front of me. I swear I caught “I did it” vibrations as he moved into more familiar snorkeling waters.
There was much more to the day. The jumps and flips off of our home base rock. The swim-belly-crawl through a hole to that cave with a skylight, the goofing off in there laughing with my two sons, the sitting in the shade eating rice balls for all of 5 minutes before “Let’s go again”, laughing at the crab with a death-grip on the boys finger and more.
That swim around that big formation of rock is the one part I just have to get down while still feeling so grateful I can hardly even stand it though. Raising three kids ain’t easy. God I swear there are times I feel so discouraged—so tired—so frustrated and feeling like I’m blowing it. But today wasn’t like that and, what’s more, as I tap out this one small bit of it on my keyboard a sense of awareness washes over me like so many waves did out there today—an awareness that all of the tough times are just as necessary. It’s all part of the package deal.
So just love them. Just do your best. Just get up and do it again, and again. And again. Just keep trying, try a little harder, try something different, show some humility and tell them when you blow it. Just keep at it and behold a perfect day, perfect days even, get woven into the kid raising fabric.
Today was one of those days. We got home in time for me to catch the end of a play date our little girl had with a little friend. Toenail painting and drawing Sumikogurashi characters. Good stuff. That could've been a perfect end to a perfect day, but just now a cat came in and plopped herself down at my feet under the table so we can play a game of cat wrestles feet.
Life, especially parenting life I often think, ain't always an easy trail to trudge. That much is true, but invariably I catch myself so damned grateful for this experience of swimming around the big life rock in the sea of eternity that I can hardly even stand it.
