Trespassing at sea

I once decided to go for a swim just off Browne’s Beach (in Barbados for my international readers) around dusk.

After I pulled into the parking lot, I strolled across the sand, placed my keys ever so carefully on my slippers before covering them over with my towel and headed into the water.

When it reached my chest, I started to swim, straight to the nearest fishing-boat, it felt great, every stroke took me farther and farther away from the shore and closer to what I always see as the nearest thing to heaven, being completely surrounded by the beauty of nature.

 Then I decided to get creative, "why not climb onto a boat and dive off?" I thought to myself. “I haven't done that since I was a teenager!”

Well, the rope I started to climb was covered in algae - "no problem," I thought as I wrapped my legs around to start the climb, "what I can't see will not freak me out!"

HUGE mistake! Living in the algae were little creatures that did not appreciate my trespassing and they defended their territory by injecting what felt like acid into my skin. The burning sensation was extremely painful. I swam ashore then raced home, thinking I could just wash whatever it was off but that didn’t work.

I then drove myself to an emergency care facility and waited in agony for the doctor who examined me to prescribe vinegar applied topically.

After I returned home and had dutifully covered myself with vinegar bands, I asked myself, "What is the moral of this story?"

If you swim in the dark, stay away from algae ...