Its early morning and the sun has just risen, hanging low in a white misty sky hovering over the horizon where the sea meets the sand dunes. The air is comfortingly warm and moist against a roller coaster ocean that reminds me of Niagara Falls. Even though it is now just past six and half asleep, I get that excited rush as I see waves frothing up, exploding as they crash around like water monsters getting ready for the days water safari, with an army of white horses assembling behind them stretching out to the ocean’s horizon.
The ultimate rush
As I enter the deep blue sea it is refreshingly cool but not cold. Within a short time I am in a mad unpredictable sea, like being at the fair ground on the ghost train roller coaster, I feel the adrenaline pumping as the waves come full throttle in leaps and bounds of many shapes and sizes. But for me this is just the challenge I need to get my blood racing and body firing, a chance to flex all those muscles in all kinds of ways and battle with nature in the raw.
I am flanked by two life guards in yellow and lots of children jumping over the break laughing as they ride their way back into the dunes and on lookers from the uber cool lookout point and beach bar.
Off I go again covered in sun cream slashing through rows of waves, the current pulls me mercilessly down the beach whilst a large doubled up wave throws me into the ‘washing machine’ at top spin, only to spit me out again, in a foot of water, sitting rather dazed and stupid on the sand being firmly chastised ‘go back to the land where you belong.’
Undaunted, I return to the shore and grab my surf board and once again take on the great unknown the ocean in search of the ultimate rush of a 20 foot monster. But, like Sisyphus rolling his rock up the hill and never quite making it, but half the fun is trying as another wave rolls in this time over 15 feet high.
Exciting activities
Back on the sand I hand my board back to the Jetwing Yala beach life guard team and head off for an excellent buffet breakfast trying to stand up right with my battered exhilarated frame and Rudolph the red nose whip lash from the sun and sea – the rest of the day will be a gentle delight of earthly pleasures indulging in a sea salt fish cooking class, spa treatments under a tree by the pool and observing the effortless wanderings and beauty of the wildlife evening with the hotel naturalist who takes the tented guests on special bird and wildlife watching tours along the parameter of the property.
The next day I go wreck diving to look for treasure discovered by Science Fiction writer Arthur C Clark around the Great Basses ship wreck about 12 km offshore, a vessel carrying cannons, other artifacts and a treasure trove of solid silver rupees that were sent to buy marble for building India’s Taj Mahal and like the world’s greatest monument to love, now sit immortalised and fused within the reef that so many sailors feared and revered. Because of the restrictions imposed by the 30 year civil war, technology has not yet conquered this wreck so who knows what is still down there! Sadly the weather was against us and we only saw some of the treasure in the little museum and enjoyed haggling at Kirinda harbour for the evening’s fish.
Jetwing Yala always has lots of exciting activities going one and we played endless games in the well-stocked bar each evening only stopping to see an elephant from time to time passing buy or herd of naughty monkeys jumping across the top roof, a place they saw as safe to sleep at night. Who is to blame the mischievous troop of grey langours as only the night before a group had seen a leopard on the road next to the hotel and on hearing the wildlife alarm calls of many of the animals, it reminded us just how close we are to the action staying at Jetwing Yala.
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