I never truly lost interest in swimming. I just kept getting sick each time I swam in fresh water, and especially in public swimming pools (which, come to think of it, are fucking disgusting). The illness that I got after swimming in fresh water was what killed my desire to swim in it. However, I never lost my love for swimming in the ocean. 

I grew up snorkeling in Florida, California, Los Cabos, Mexico, Connecticut, and in the shark tank at the Denver Aquarium (the sharks at the aquarium are well-fed, so they pose little risk to those who pay 120 bucks to swim with them for an hour), and fell in love with it. I love the smell and the taste of salt water, as well as the way it feels on my skin and holds me up on the surface. The best part about swimming (and fishing) in the ocean, is the diversity of the sealife below the water’s glassy surface. 

The Puget Sound is home to all sorts of interesting creatures. Harbor seals and otters can often be found sunning themselves on rocky peninsulas, barking and yelping at the top of their lungs. Seagulls, Ospreys, Loons, Bald Eagles, and Pelicans are a common sight in western Washington, my favorite being the Bald Eagle (‘Merica, fuck yeah!). There are numerous songbirds that make their homes in western Washington’s lush rainforests. There are also plenty of deer, elk, moose, bears, and even wolves. However, there’s a much more fascinating world hidden under the cold waters of the sound itself. 

Ocean life is unlike anything else. It’s alien and freaky, yet it’s absolutely magnificent. I don’t think there are words to express how much I cherish and admire God’s wonderful underwater creations, no matter how weird they are. God really got creative with the sealife. 

Orcas, Grey whales, and Humpback whales are known to frequently swim through the Puget Sound, especially during the migration season. Orcas love to eat seals (which gives them their name “Killer Whale”), but they are friendly and even affectionate towards humans, including towards those who are in wetsuits, whom seals often mistake for other seals. That, to me, suggests that orcas are extremely intelligent, as are other porpoises and whales. That’s yet another nail in the coffin of literal creationism, but I’ll save that for another day. 

There are lots and lots of reefs and reef fish in the Puget Sound too. I’ve seen a few of the reefs from the safety of a kayak, and I look forward to seeing them with my snorkeling gear. They’re breathtakingly beautiful, even from the surface. All sorts of colorful reef creatures call the Puget Sound home. My favorites include the Wolf Eel, Brown Catshark, and the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish. 

I actually caught a Lion’s Mane Jellyfish while I was fishing from a kayak before. The Puget Sound has a lot of jellyfish, none of which are particularly harmful towards humans, although they do sting. Thankfully, it was easy to get the lure out of the jellyfish that I caught without getting stung, since it didn’t snag by the tentacles. Once I got it out, the jellyfish went back to doing whatever jellyfish do. It was a very interesting encounter.