Kayaking in Costa Brava

I can still feel the waves rocking side to side in a steady rhythm, bobbing and lurching our tiny kayak up and down.

Costa Brava—the coastal region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain—harbors one of the most stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea in the Barcelona.

Colorful umbrellas dotted the sandy beach under the hazy-clear sky when we arrived, and we were quickly ushered into our bright red life vests over our swim suits. We got into pairs, or "couples" as our Costa Brava guides Filippo and Alex called us. They instructed us to coordinate our paddle movements, with the person in the back steering and the one in front watching out for rocks.

The colors of the sea were astonishingly beautiful: brilliant turquoise deep below, royal blue near the shallows, and navy and steel blue at the surface. The dazzling sunlight glittered in the distance and seagulls glided smoothly and softly overhead. There were a few yachts and sailboats humming gently nearby or anchored to the shore. Although the waters were extremely clear and transparent, the waves were not as gentle as they appeared to be. Kayaking quickly got tiring as we struggled to fight against the pulsing sea and maneuver through the churning waves close to the cliff sides.

We stopped first at a little cove to cliff jump. I had known that this activity was planned for the day, but since I had never done anything like that before it didn't truly registered in my brain until now. Simply hearing the words "cliff jumping" sent chills of thrill, excitement and nervousness through my mind. Alex led us up the side of a rocky cliff and one by one, and we scaled up the jagged rocks slowly, carefully examining where we should place our bare feet to avoid cutting ourselves on sharp edges.

Fillippo stood ready with his camera below, and the girls took turns jumping down in various positions, My mind was going through so many uncertainties...should I tuck my legs in? should I hold my nose and lift my arms up? should I close my eyes or look towards where I'm falling...?

I stood right at the ledge of the cliff and stared down at the clear, turquoise blue water few feets below me, and the little crowd that had gathered after already jumping. It felt vulnerable to have all eyes upon me, doing this solo. Just go for it, I told myself, and I lept off from the edge, plummeting straight down and braced myself for the impact. The water hit me like a blast and I went way under, forcing my body back up and broke the surface, spluttering for air. Ugh...the salty water was now in my nose and in my mouth, choking me a little. But I felt good, as if I had just accomplished a challenging feat.

And I jumped off that exact ledge almost immediately after.

The second cliff jumping location was higher than the first one. Fillipo and two girls went before me, so my self-efficacy was slightly higher. Still, squeezing on that rocky ledge jutting out from the cliff face and looking down from that height was terrifying; it sent jitters through my whole body and my heart was hammering so fast. People were shouting words of encouragement and I did the most logical thing to me: I launched myself out from the rocky side and hurtled towards the water.

We went snorkeling in the same cove. To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of snorkeling cause I can never figure out how to not get water in my nose and in my goggles. Breathing from my mouth through the tube gave me a slight panic attack when I submerged my head into the waves. But I managed to adjust and slowed down my frantic heart rate by taking longer and deeper gulps of air.

Shards of sunlight broke on the flickering waves and sent millions of brilliant zigzags around me. The cool, refreshing waves lapped and drummed against the rocky sand, pulling us this way then that like a gentle tug-of-war.

Our lunch was a simple picnic of sandwiches, fruits and chips in a larger beachy cove. Filippo had warned us beforehand about stumbling into naked people, but my stomach still did a double take when I saw people of all ages fully naked, sunbathing confidently on the sand. I don’t think I can ever get used to it.

I realized that there are several of these small, shrimp-curled coves along the rocky coast, inviting people to remove themselves from the rapid pace of their daily lives and hide away with the soul-soothing nature. What an enchanting and beautiful way to live!