Note: I’m debating on whether or not this should be in my blog or my library. For now, it’s a blog piece. 

Over fifteen years ago, my grandparents took me snorkeling at the Denver Aquarium for the very first time. It was for my seventh birthday, and at the time, I was obsessed with everything that had to do with the ocean. I loved fish. I loved sharks. I even loved eels. And I was so fascinated by the stories my grandma Connie told me about her adventures scuba-diving in places like the Red Sea and the Bahamas. 

Unfortunately, scuba-diving wasn’t something I’d ever be able to do, so I couldn’t dive with the big sharks at the aquarium. However, snorkeling with the smaller sharks and the eels was just as immersive and fun. 

Once I proved to everyone that I could snorkel safely both in the pool and at the aquarium, I began to snorkel in the warm oceans off the coasts of Florida and Baja California, seeing creatures of all kinds very few people ever get to see, up close and personal. During those adventures, I’ve seen everything from tiny, colorful reef fish, to large, wild sea turtles. I was even “charged” by a giant Gulf Sturgeon once, although it meant no harm. 

Sadly, after my various run-ins with a freshwater-borne bacteria known as Pseudomonas, as well as a very unpleasant heat-stroke experience after I snorkeled in Florida in 2019, I lost interest in swimming almost entirely. It took me years to garner up the strength, health, and courage to get back into the water. Even then, however, swimming just wasn’t my thing anymore. 

But then, for my Christmas present this year (2025/2026), my grandma Connie wanted to take me snorkeling at the aquarium again, along with my little brother, my little cousin, and my aunt’s husband. I agreed to go, especially since I was bored and wanted to do something a little different than usual.