Right before we left the Gambiers for the Tuamotus (about 650 miles), I started having really severe headaches that were causing me to be nauseous, vomit, dizzy and generally incapacitated. At first I thought it was just really bad migraines. But, then they would come and go. I would be fine one day and in bed the next. We were in passage planning mode, and this was really not the time to be sick.
We had a decent weather window to leave the Gambiers, and if we didn’t take it we might have to wait another couple of weeks. After a bit of discussion, we decided to go anyway. Mike said he could handle the boat himself, essentially single-handing, if I could just stand some watches for a few hours at a time to let him get some rest. It was a huge undertaking for him to do, but he was confident it would be fine.
Thankfully, we had a wonderful passage from the Gambiers to Tahanea in the Tuamotus. The wind was perfect, and we sailed almost the whole way wing and wing downwind. The first few days I was really feeling bad, but then I started to feel more like myself and could help out a bit more. I tried to get as much rest as I could, and Mike was wonderful. By the time we arrived in Tahanea, I was hopeful I was finally back to being 100%.
My hopefulness was short lived when we arrived in Tahanea, as I had another horrible day where I couldn’t keep any food down. My friend Diana was so lovely trying to help me troubleshoot what could possibly be wrong. I didn’t have a high fever or any symptoms that were life threatening, so we didn’t feel the need to bolt to civilization for medical assistance. It was just a long two weeks of on and off days. We still don’t know what the problem was, but suspect it was likely one of those lovely tropical mosquito borne viruses that you can’t do anything about except wait it out anyway.
We ended up in the most beautiful anchorage in Tahanea with clear, sunny days, and I was miserable that I wasn’t able to go out and enjoy it. We had seen these very strange looking large, purple jellyfish around the anchorage when we approached. Diana has inspired me with her amazing underwater photography, so I was not surprised when she immediately dove in to photograph them. Later that night, she showed us her amazing photographs that looked unreal. The jellyfish looked like alien creatures with amazing colors of blues and purples. Her pictures looked like works of art, and I was determined to get some photos before we left this place.
Finally I was feeling up for getting in the water and set off with Diana and our cameras to capture the jellyfish. Each one was slightly different in shape and color. Some of them would dive down toward the sand while others stayed up near the surface. It was a sunny day, and the sunlight reflecting through the water onto the jellyfish made them seem as if they had internal lights lighting them up inside. We tried photographing them at all different angles and at different stages as they swam. Despite my best efforts, I really can’t even describe them. The best pictures, to me, are shots zoomed in that show the unique detail on each one. We were both so fascinated by them that I think neither of us wanted to leave the water even though my fingers looked like prunes.
These jellyfish were so unreal and like nothing I have seen in the water. They were also the most fascinating thing I have ever photographed. Diana was right in her assessment that an awe inspiring day with creatures like that can be very healing, and it was. It was just what I needed to get out of my slump and start feeling more like myself.
~katie
