Longevity Minded - Night Dive
Murderous-looking lightning bolts illuminated the night sky. Slickly geared in a black wetsuit, I sat in the back of a diving boat with six others as the small Colombian fishing village we departed from faded into lights shimmering off the pitch-black Caribbean Sea. Although I had spent the last two days diving these waters, this felt bone-jaringly different. The turquoise sea and baby blue sky I had grown fond of were replaced with inky black water that met an equally dark sky. Our boat roared to an abrupt stop as the captain impatiently announced in Spanish that we’d arrived at the dive spot. Like a poorly trained Navy SEAL preparing to infiltrate enemy waters, anxious tension jumped from my stomach to my throat as I rushed to gear up, fearing I would be the last one in the water. Having prepped and checked my gear on the ride, I hopped up and sat on the edge of the boat with my feet on the bench. Fins on. Mask on. Flashlight in hand. The captain irritably held up my tank to prevent it from prematurely tipping me backwards into the water as I rapidly fastened and inflated my buoyancy vest and popped my regulator into my mouth. Holding my mask and regulator in place, I rolled backwards into the ominous pitch-black sea. Once the rest of the crew hit the water, our Dive Master gave the signal to descend. Air hissed out of my buoyancy vest and, as the top of my skull slipped below the surface, I tightened my grip around my flashlight. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to see my hand in front of my face and could become completely disoriented with no sense of up or down. With only three meters of visibility, I struggled to find a balance between calm and alertness. Between staying relaxed enough to curiously explore and enjoy the alien environment I was floating through and not losing the rest of the group. To lose the group is to be stranded in a vast sea, wishing upon a murderous lightning bolt to be found while only focusing on staying with the group is to miss out on savouring an incredible experience. My body’s response to this unfamiliar situation, being submerged under 20 meters of water in the middle of the night with a group of strangers, was to produce overwhelming anxiety. But with forty underwater minutes ahead of me, I knew I had to reign in my emotions and refuse to let the primitive, what are we doing down here pal?, part of my brain take over. I slowed my breathing and extended my breath cycles. Long slow calm inhales followed by long slow calm exhales. The breath informs the body of your mental state. I focused intensely on the details of my surroundings, narrowing my vision on colourful fish darting around for a late-night snack, a baby octopus hanging out on the sea floor, and bioluminescent algae exploding in dark water like so many welding sparks. The texture of the coral, the way the sand kicks up and swirls around when a startled fish darts away, the unnatural sensation of weightlessly floating through water. But in my head exists an ugly monster. A prehistoric old thing. He helped keep my ancestors alive but now spends his days trying to convince me to skip runs and reminding me of all the ways I could be publicly humiliated, face rejection, or fail. He wants to predict and control the future. But like a vampire exposed to blinding light, he shrivels and retreats when I bring myself back to where I am and what I’m doing right now. What I’ve been up to:
Photo of the week:A 67-meter-tall Lady Buddha looks over and protects the fishermen of Da Nang, Vietnam. Thanks for reading!1 — Leave a like. If you enjoyed this post, I’d be grateful if you’d consider tapping the “heart” ❤️ at the top or bottom of this page 2 — Send a message. Questions? Ideas to share? Want to chat? Paid subscribers can start threads in our Substack chat but everyone can respond. You’ll reach me and 1,200+ other Longevity Minded readers. We’d love to hear from you! 3 — Get in touch. If this resonates or you just want to chat, go ahead and respond to this email or leave a comment on this post. I love hearing from you and I respond to everyone. Lots of love, Jack You're currently a free subscriber to Longevity Minded. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. |
Older messages
The Patagonia Hat
Sunday, January 21, 2024
Protect your inner peace
In food marketing, lies kill
Thursday, January 18, 2024
My attempt to take down evil food companies
Buzz Cuts, Dressing Simple, and Packing Light
Friday, January 12, 2024
An ode to simply living.
25 Directives at 25
Thursday, January 4, 2024
Telling myself what to do.
The Best of 2023
Sunday, December 31, 2023
My top posts, books, songs, decisions, wins, moments, and photos.
You Might Also Like
Meghan Markle Just Wore The #1 Color Of The Season
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
The looks just kept coming.
The Best Thing: May 14, 2024
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
The Best Thing is our weekly discussion thread where we share the one thing that we read, listened to, watched, did, or otherwise enjoyed recent… ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
The French Girl Secret To Healthier Hair Just Dropped
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
And it only involves one product.
Sydney Sweeney Revived A Y2K-Era Staple And Made It Chic
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Plus, EmRata's corporate sleaze outfit, your horoscope for Tue. May 14, & more.
8 Obscure Home Upgrades You Didn't Know You Needed
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
What's 'BBL Drizzy'? The benefits of most home upgrades are obvious and widely known, but these eight small but mighty changes are usually overlooked. Not displaying correctly? View this
Don’t fall for “climate-friendly” beef
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
New FOIA documents give insight into the secretive, industry-funded science behind the much-hyped product. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Inside Facebook’s Free-Sperm Economy
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo TUESDAY, MAY 14 parenting Inside
Welcome to the chainification of America
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Why do cookbooks include so many shots of bare skin?
New from Tim — "A Strategic Deep Dive on TikTok, The Boiling Moat of Taiwan, and China’s Next-Gen Statecraft"
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
The latest from author and investor Tim Ferriss
The Opposite Of Small Town Blues
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Highways weren't made for people, and classic urban fabric wasn't made for cars ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏