I don't have a big fear of heights but I do have a big fear of the ocean...more like deep water and the things in it. But being a little afraid of things makes them more fun to do for me. That's why on vacation last week in Grand Cayman, I decided to go parasailing with a family friend.

The captain and mate suited us up in a harness that just rested under our mid-thigh and then we sat on the back of the boat. He hooked our harnesses on to  a huge yellow smiley-face parachute. That's when I started getting a little anxious. Then, to my surprise, we gently just floated upward until we were HUNDREDS of feet above the ocean. Near the shore, the reef and shallows keep the water a crystal-clear shade of turquoise. But out on the boat away from shore, the water was a dense and beautiful navy blue. The captain told us before hand that's because we were beyond the Cayman wall under the water and the water below us was a whopping 6,000 feet deep! Add that to my fear of killer whales that had recently been spotted off the island shore and I wasn't nervous about the height but the creatures below.

It was only momentary, because once we were up high, the wind was so gentle, and it was silent. On that gorgeous sunny day, we could see the entire island, from seven-mile beach to rum point.  Supposedly it was ten minutes or so....but time seemed to just stop for a minute and I felt truly relaxed and peaceful.

THEN we started going back towards the boat. Before I thought about it, I had asked the captain to dip us in the water on the way in, just for fun. That's when I started thinking about the whales again as that opaque navy water kept getting closer and closer. All I could do was give a little yelp and kick my legs while they dipped us for about 30 seconds. I could just imagine some shark or whale streamlining from the bottom to take off a toe or two. But then we were in the air again, and before I knew it, safely on the boat. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Well, maybe not the dipping part. :)

The crazy view of our boat from our parachute 400 feet up!!!

Me in the harness!!

Our toes above that crazy dark blue ocean!