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June, so soon!
Welcome to my little corner of the ocean, where diving and mindfulness come together in everyday life in Playa del Carmen. I share stories from beneath the surface, personal reflections, and simple ways to slow down and be present. Each month, you’ll also find updates on diving conditions, marine life, and what’s happening around town. More than anything, this is a space to reconnect—with the ocean, with yourself, and with the moment you’re in.
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Monthly Update
In May, I conducted an Underwater Meditation and Mindfulness course.
To be honest, it was a great learning experience.
Before, I've only done meditation dives with 1 person. Maximum 2 people - but only for a try-dive style meditation, not a full course.
Here is what I learned on my first multi-person Underwater Meditation course:
- Everybody WILL have different needs, and that's ok.
What I mean is that some people might be new to meditation, and others might meditate every day. But the course does not need to be changed due to someone's experience. An experienced meditator will still receive benefits from the course because, ultimately, underwater meditation is a new experience for everyone.
Similarly, regular meditation practitioners practice every day because they already understand the benefits of meditation. To assume they don't need as much attention as a newbie would be a disservice to their experience.
- Throw the extra weights in after the boat has settled.
Ok, this one is on me. Typically, I throw the extra weight belt overboard when the captain throws the anchor. This makes it very easy for me to find the belt, next to the anchor, at the start of the dive. Read why we use extra weights here. This works great, unless the anchor drags. Unfortunately, we spent the first 15 minutes of one of our dives looking for the weights we needed to actually conduct an underwater meditation.
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Lessons learned aside, the Underwater Meditation course was absolutely amazing. It was such a great way to share the love of the ocean with others. It allowed them time to go inward in ways they never before experienced and led to some amazing conversations.
The common themes were how breathing affects not just our buoyancy, but our entire nervous system. Then we talked about how our nervous system impacts the world around us. The close animal encounters we experienced, compared to the other dive groups that swam quickly through the reef, created a perfect example of how a calm nervous system, paired with mindful movement, impacts the world around you.
Ultimately, the weekend led to a greater sense of connection among divers, with the ocean, with each other, and with ourselves.
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Hammerheads in Unexpected Places
I believe the ocean sends presents. I think certain divers in certain moments are chosen to receive unexpected Gifts of the Ocean.
Sometimes these presents are favorable currents or conditions. And sometimes these presents are incredible animal encounters you can only dream of.
A little backstory: I have traveled to 2 countries already in hopes of seeing hammerhead sharks. I visited Sipadan, Malaysia, to witness the great hammerhead migration. We went on deep blue dives with no reference, just to see zero sharks. Then, I went to Coiba, Panama, during shark season to see them schooling as they made their way along the shark triangle from Galapagos to Socorro. We were blessed with 3 shy hammers surveying the reef, but still not the close encounters we were searching for.
Back to the present: Last week we had an offshore storm in Playa, causing big waves and bad visibility. We decided to try a different dive site we don't normally go to in hopes of better visibility. Luckily, our captain had the right idea, because we had great dive conditions underwater (the waves were still a little scary).
This site was new to me, so I followed the guide as we left the shallow reef shelf for the deeper bottom reef coverage. At the very end of the dive, a jack fish darted in front of us very quickly. Then, a large shape emerged from behind the reef structure. A petite 7-foot hammerhead swam right in front of us, chasing the jack. Together, they swam upward toward the surface. We watched until they were completely out of view.
The whole encounter was quick, but it was made so much sweeter because it was so unexpected.
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June in Playa
Dive Conditions
Air temps: 29-33 °C / 84-92 °F
Water temps: 29 °C / 84 °F
Waves: Medium
Current: Light to medium
Visibility: Medium
Animals in Season
Whale sharks have made their way to Cancun for the season. Stay tuned for my blog on ethical whale shark tours - coming next week!
June is a popular month to see juveniles and eggs, as it is spawning season for many species, so keep an eye out for the small things :)
Events
June is Pride month, and Playa del Carmen has lots of ways to celebrate. You can find events almost every day, but the main event is:
- June 28 – Pride March: A pride parade at the Poliforum celebrating members of the LGBT+ community.
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Marina's Mindful Moment
Before I close this newsletter, I hope to share a bit of much-needed mindfulness with everyone. Take a moment to reflect on this, or even pull out your journal if you feel so inclined:
You can either do this activity for 1 hour, or for 1 whole day.
1. Pick a color. Your favorite color, or one you don't think exists in your daily life. (example: orange)
2. Name the color every time you see it. (example: say "orange" every time you see orange)
3. Every time you say the color, take note of where your thoughts were during that moment. Were they focused on the task at hand? Were you thinking about what you're going to eat later? Were you busy winning an old argument in your head? If you can, write down your thoughts at the moment you noticed the color.
4. At the end of the time period, take a look at where your thoughts were. Notice if you tend to live more in past experiences, think towards the future, or exist mostly in the present moment.
This exercise is great because the color acts as a trigger to pull your mind back into the present moment. If you've ever practiced meditation, this is a common technique used to reduce distractions and return to the meditative mind. The real magic happens when we take that intention off the mat and bring it into daily life.
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If this message resonates, stick around for next month - where I'll share more diving stories, what it's like to live and dive Playa, and more.
For even more frequent updates, join the Facebook group.
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