“So what you are saying to me is that you hold your breath…swim to the bottom of the ocean…into a dark cave…that is full of sharks…and you think that this is normal?”
I get this response quite a bit when people find out what I do for fun. Lately, my go-to activity when I don’t have a lot going on is to freedive down to visit my shark friends that live in a wreck found on the south shore of Oahu. Most people see this as an activity that combines several of our worst fears: drowning, the dark, claustrophobia, sharks, etc. For me, however it is my happy place. I feel comfortable there, and while I understand that people might think that this is weird, it brings up the question: what is “normal”, anyway?
I just finished reading the most recent Outside Television blog post by Laurenne Ross, where she writes about crashing at 75 mph while skiing. Certainly that isn’t “normal.” I will take a cave full of sharks over gravity any day. And speaking of gravity, each post by Majka Burhardt or Kim Havell about climbing or winter ski expeditions give me butterflies in my stomach just thinking about them.
The point is, that I think all of us “outdoorsy types” have a skewed sense of normalcy. One person’s nightmare is another person’s adventure and pushing ourselves into situations that are challenging is what ultimately keeps us going. We do it because we love it, and sometimes there is no explaining the things we love. While out of the ordinary for a lot of people, these challenges are a normal part of our lives, and I think that the other bloggers would agree that if going through life without doing the things you love is normal, then who wants to be “normal” anyway?
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Morgan Hoesterey is no stranger to audacious ocean challenges. In July 2008, with just eight months of paddling experience, she became the first woman to attempt and complete the legendary Molokai to Oahu paddleboard race solo on a standup paddleboard. Since opening the doors to women’s endurance racing, she has gone on to compete and place in the sport’s most prestigious events. This year she and fellow paddler Jenny Kalmbach became two of five people in the world to ever have standup paddled the entire Hawaiian Island Chain. The expedition, named Destination 3 Degrees aimed to raise awareness for plastics contamination in our oceans.
Currently, Morgan is a standup paddleboarder, surfer, freediver and photographer based in Honolulu Hawaii. She is sponsored by Joe Bark Paddleboards and Surfboards, Dakine, Quickblade Paddles, and Surf Stronger and is always on the lookout for her next big adventure.
For more about Morgan,
www.planetoceanphoto.com
www.facebook.com/morgan.hoesterey
www.destination3.com
About Morgan Hoesterey: Morgan Hoesterey is no stranger to audacious ocean challenges. In July 2008, with just eight months of paddling experience, she became the first woman to attempt and complete the legendary Molokai to Oahu paddleboard race solo on a standup paddleboard. Since opening the doors to women’s endurance racing, she has gone on to compete and place in the sport’s most prestigious events. This year she and fellow paddler Jenny Kalmbach became two of five people in the world to ever have standup paddled the entire Hawaiian Island Chain.
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