Malmok Beach 2021

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So today was our one last day of snorkeling. We wanted to go back to Malmok to try to go a little further and show Sakari what she had missed the other day. I informed her she was going with us this time and not staying back on shore by herself.

Today would be the worse decision we had ever made. I still have nightmares about it. It will be a day I never forget and I feel like I should have seen all the signs, but I didn't.  Well, I did, but just thought things were changing with having a teenager now.

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I shutter while I tell this story...tears come to my eyes...and I have been dreading this particular day in this review. 

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So...here we go...deep breath...

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We arrived at Malmok and hung our things up at one of the palapa's and headed out to snorkel.

We headed under the rope and down the wall.

Then on this rock, there was another rock...but it really wasn't a rock. YIKES! There seems to be a lot of these in Aruba. 

We came across some really huge parrot fish. Still not the big blue ones, but these were pretty big.

It was just so beautiful out there. However, it seemed like the water was a lot higher today. It was also pretty wavy as well and a lot of the time, the water didn't seem as clear as before and the sand was kicked up. We would stop in between each little cove and rest. I would ask Sakari if she was ok because she wasn't really swimming the way she normally did. She usually holds her breath for a long time and she's so smoothe when she swims. I guess it's the mermaid that comes out in her. But I noticed a lot more kicking for some reason. We rested for a little bit and she said she was fine and we headed back out and down some more. 

We came across another cove and it was time to rest again. Sakari said she was fine, the hubby said he was fine. I ask if she was getting tired and she said "no, I'm ok".  The waves were crashing and hard to stand up. Then off we went again. 

The water got deeper really quick, it had been awhile since we had seen a cove to stop. I looked at Sakari and she had a weird look on her face. I said "Sakari are you ok?" She said "yes, I'm fine" but the look on her face was like she was looking right past me with a blank look on her face. She didn't look right. I told her to come over where I was at and hang onto the rock. At this point I was scared. I didn't know what to do. The hubby and I were trying to decide where do we go from here. The hubby wanted to keep going. He said "We're close to the next beach. We're almost there". I didn't think so. But I did know how far we had come. We were much further than the day before. The water was deep now. I wanted to at least go back because we knew how far that was...which seemed far too as well. 

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I started to panic. I was scared. I had never seen Sakari like this. She finally admitted she was tired. That was when I knew we were in trouble. All of a sudden here comes a small boat of snorkelers. They jump out and a man is snorkeling in our area. Then here comes one of the pirate boats. They keep coming and coming and before long I'm thinking they are about to hit us that's how close they were. They seen us there, why are they getting so close???? I promise you the front of the ship was 10' or less by us when they finally stopped. I yelled for the hubby to move! 

There was a guy from the other boat that was pretty close to us. I yelled at him and said "Where's the nearest beach? Is there one close that way?" as I pointed toward the way we were going and the way the hubby said to keep going. He said "I don't remember seeing one close by, but we are on a boat so I'm unsure. I think it's a ways down there from here." So then he ask "Are you guys in trouble?" That word circled my head for a second and yep, that's exactly what we were...in trouble! There was just something off with Sakari and I didn't think she could physically make it back. I told him "Yes, we are" He said, "You want me to push you guys up on that rock and you climb up?" I'm looking at this rock and thinking there's absolutely no way anyone is going to push me on this very small jagged rock that maybe only 1 of my feet could stand on only if I was in an upright position...not with this foot and then me be able to climb up. I didn't even think Sakari would be able to in the state she was in. 

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Next option, he said he would see if the boat he was on could give us a lifejacket to swim back. I told him she was very tired and I didn't know if she could do that but if that was our only option then we would try. He then said "Wait, let me ask them if you can just get on the boat with us and them take you there."  He swam away to them.

After he told the captain what was going on, the captain yelled over to the pirate ship and they were talking back and forth and one of the guys on the pirate ship ask us if we're in trouble...I told him yes! I hear them say "get the dinghy" and they told us "hold on, we're getting the dinghy, we'll be right there"  Of course at this point everyone on the pirate ship is talking and pointing and what an embarrassing moment we got ourselves into. 

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Along came the dinghy with the guy from the pirate ship and he tells us to get in. I don't know how but Sakari managed to pull herself up while we pushed her into the boat and I'm looking at them like there is absolutely no way I can get in there! So, they told us to hold onto the side of the boat and they would pull us to the nearest beach. Oh my!

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Then they took off with me on one side and the hubby on the other. 

Now I will tell you that holding onto the boat being pulled in the water was really getting my arms tired. It was hard to hang on and I would end up switching my arms back and forth. I've never been good with having my arms above my head. They fall asleep easily or start aching. I have always had that problem...even as a child trying to climb the monkey bars and go across the horizontal ladder. 

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The hubby kept asking me if I was ok. I kept telling him I was really tired. We were toward the front of the boat and he came closer and wrapped his arm around me with one arm and hung on with the other to help me out. He is such a protector and caring. He didn't care if his other arm was holding the both of us up. He just wanted me to be safe and not so tired. I don't know how he did it.

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These pictures of us hanging on the side of the boat shows the photographer in Sakari. She's just like her momma. I didn't tell her to take these but even during a rescue, she's continuing to get photo's of the events. 

The ride seemed forever long...wow, did we really go that far? I guess this proves it's easy to get too far out when you aren't paying as much attention and busy looking at your surroundings...UNDER WATER.

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We came to one of the coves and the pirate dinghy driver said "I will let you out here. You should be able to climb out from here yes?"  It was one of the first coves we had came to and we said "yes, we should be able to get out here...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!" I wish I had had money on me at that time because I probably would have gave him every last bit of what I had for that rescue boat ride. I was that grateful. 

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We let go of the boat and swam up to the cove and climbed the rocks out to safety. I never felt so happy to see land again.

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There was a small sandy area upon getting out of the water and then there were a bunch of rocks to climb. Up we went.  Sakari was still taking pictures. 

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Again, I ask Sakari if she was ok and she said "yes". I ask if she was going to be able to walk back to the beach and she said "yes, I'm fine". I mean if I have to go get the car, I will. 

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We began our journey back. 

We finally made it back to our palapa and rested for awhile. I kept asking if Sakari was ok and she kept saying she was fine. She looked fine...so I don't know what just happened because I can guarantee she wasn't "fine" when I ask her out there. She just wasn't. There was something she wasn't telling me or admitting and I knew it. 

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We had a few snacks and some pb&j sandwiches and watched some friends come and go. 

Mr Crabby

Sakari wanted to see if her eel friend was still in the rocks on the shore so she went over to have a look. Can you believe it was still there????

Here's a video from our snorkeling adventure before things got bad. 

I ask her if she wanted to go to a different beach...because we were so over this place at this point and she said yes. We took all of our things to the car and headed out. 

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