November 18, 2023
Hmmm…It is one of those moments when you question your sanity.
Watching those in front of me disappear under the water with the hand of our guides on the back of their necks pushing down and not resurfacing where I could see them, I couldn’t help but wonder if this particular activity was a sound idea for us two 71-year-old “adventurers.”
Nick headed into the cave entrance
The problem is, we had already taken the 30-minute boat ride from the resort, climbed the steep stone steps [happily, well-balustraded…look it up!], up to the cave entrance, then descended the stone steps to the edge of the water that filled the open cave. At this point, there was no choice but to jump in the water. The water was a good 5 degrees cooler than the ocean water. However, with the ocean water at about 82 degrees, the 77 degree water was quite refreshing and comfortable.
We were now swimming, or more to the point, treading water, in a cathedral cave with natural light filtering through the trees from above. The Sawa-I-Lau Caves made their cinematic debut along with co-star Brooke Shields in 1980 when Brooke was 14 and the caves several epochs old. The cave has a definite cathedral ambiance which is amplified by the slow rhythm of the gentle wave-like feel to the water.
The cave with the natural light
Looking up, to the top of the cave, the challenge of fresh water mixed with minerals vs. the goliath push of the Pacific Ocean just outside (and inside) made for some intriguing rock formations. Having just spent (last week) a full four minutes on the Calico Mine ride at Knott’s Berry Farm, I was quite impressed that Mother Nature seemed far more capable of creating a set than the crew at Knott’s Berry Farm.
We were in the cave, as the promise was that we would go from the “open” cave then swim underwater to the next cave. Again, hmmm… But by then we were all in awe, watching our guides climb the vertical walls and jump into the water, or dive 20 feet down into the water to retrieve the flashlight they had thrown down to light up the bottom.
If they could do apparently “death-defying” feats, we could manage a ten-second swim through a cave hole underwater to the next true cave. The brave ones went first….The rock walls of the cave didn’t help as there was no sound coming from beyond to signal that those who went through the hole were still alive.
The guides completely understood and never pushed anyone too fast. Nick and I had a good 15 years on the other members of our tour, with the bulk of them in their 20s and 30s. Nick went first. I watched as his head disappeared and his feet were left kicking himself downwards. Again, no sounds.
My biggest fear, as I approached the crack in the rock was that I wouldn’t fit and I would end up wedged underwater unable to free myself. The guide assured me I would fit, encouraged me to look with my goggles as he shined his flashlight, and then put his hand on the back of my neck. Hmmm…It’s now or never. Big breath and the hand on the back of my neck pushed me down. Within seconds I saw the flashlight from the other guide on the other side and there I was in the inner cave, along with the other dozen folks of our tour.
Echoes, water, formations…and blackness, once the flashlight was out. That was when the guide mentioned the only living creature in the cave…an eel. Nothing with teeth, just a friendly foot-long eel that could be “petted.” Conquering fears, not overthinking, just doing. A beautiful 30-year-old woman was the only one of us with a life jacket. It turns out she can’t swim. Moreover, she is claustrophobic. In the end, she pushed herself through all of it (no doubt with the loving support from her adorable husband) and even made it into the inner cave. She is my hero.
