We were on a small yacht soaring across the North Sound in the Cayman Islands.
The water was so turquoise that it almost didn’t look real. I was sitting on the top deck with the warm, salty air whipping across my face.
I still remember the way my two-year-old felt in my arms. She felt light and tiny; even in her life vest.
We were debt-free and crossing adventures off our Bucket List.
We were going to spend the day snorkeling, observing the starfish at Starfish Point, and swimming with the stingrays.
We were with Captain Mario on his yacht. He is the owner and operator of Acquarius Sea Tours in Grand Cayman.
It was our first time in the islands and we were so excited for our long, peaceful day ahead.
We went snorkeling first and it was nothing short of incredible.
Mario had a little raft for Baby Girl. So, she and I floated out in the Sound and gently rolled up and down with every wave. She never has liked water splashed in her face so after a few waves sprayed her, she decided she would rather do something else.
I did the first thing that came to mind. I started singing Blessed Assurance to her.
So, there we were…me and Baby Girl floating, rolling, and quietly singing Blessed Assurance in the North Sound in the Cayman Islands while Timothy snorkeled and told us about all the beautiful fish swimming just beneath our toes.
It was gorgeous.
*Is this sounding magical? Because that’s what I’m going for.
After that, we were on our way to phase two of our adventure: swimming with the stingrays at Sting Ray City.
Y’all. It was amazing.
At first, I was nervous because there were stingrays EVERYWHERE but Mario showed us how to do the “stingray shuffle” so we wouldn’t step on one. After that, I felt a little more confident.
Then, I got in the water.
Stingrays were swarming around us. They would brush up against us and swim through our legs. It was the craziest thing I had ever experienced.
Mario helped Timothy hold one of the stingrays and he had his picture taken while kissing it.
I ran my hand across the top of a stingray but I wasn’t about to kiss one! I loved how smooth and soft it felt.
We finished the day with the starfish at Starfish Point, eating pizza, and drinking punch.
That’s the best part about taking a small tour on a small yacht; you aren’t shoulder to shoulder with 50 other people. There were only about 12 of us.
Plus, you don’t get pizza and punch on larger tours. 🙂
Moments like that remind me that our debt-free journey was worth it. I could never have enjoyed my time in the Cayman Islands if I knew I was going to return home more in debt than when I left.
The grass really is greener on the other side…because it’s debt-free grass.
If you’re ever in the Cayman Islands, you should definitely swim with the stingrays.
If you want to go with Captain Mario, you can find him here.
Happy swimming!
Lindsey
P.S. Are you beginning you debt-free journey? I have an entire article about How to Become Debt-Free. You won’t want to miss it.