MAGIC

Found this random video online and think that person might actually be me?

Steve noticed them first, "I think I see some mammals out there?" Annemieke and I scanned our eyes across the grey surface of the ocean for several seconds. We were total skeptics on this matter. But then, miraculously, there they were. A smattering of black fins skimming along the coast, just past the breaks. Here. In the motherfucking Rockaways. Our minds were — how do you say — blown? We watched them from shore, then suited up for a morning surf session.

An hour or so later, the dolphins were back, swimming in the opposite direction. I was sitting on the sand, recovering from a major wipeout and heat exhaustion. The wetsuit I'd worn, (4/3) was WAY too hot; I'd had to keep flushing it through with ocean coldness to maintain sanity. After peeling the suit off, I was reluctant to 1) put it back on 2) dive back in the water in just a bikini. But those dolphins were SO CLOSE. I grabbed my board and headed out anyway. It was cold, but I warmed up soon enough from all the paddling. I paddled until my arms felt weak. Then I paddled some more. The people back on shore looked no taller than than the tip of my pinky, and the dolphins — the dolphins were swimming by me a mere 10 feet away. I could hear them breaching, just going about their business as usual. But for me, it was pure magic: I felt alive, humbled, and utterly grateful for this moment.