I cannot seem to get used to this constant quest for security in which our societies seem to
confine themselves. We see precaution as a virtue while on the contrary it is mostly an
excuse for giving up, ultimate pretext to take no risks, attempt or undertake anything new,
in plain, not to live at all! It is for that matter one of the big issues around watersports,
because of its risky nature!
Patrice Franceschi has perfectly illustrated this, “No other choice: you must agree to
uncertainty, insecurity: it is the price to pay to regain part of our freedom” (from his essay
‘Et si l’aventure, c’etait l’esprit d’aventure’ – ‘What if adventure itself was the spirit of
adventure’).
In this adventurous state of mind, we embark on the ferry on our way overseas. For too long
I have dreamt of these islands (two thirds are inaccessible to non-Indian visitors) and I will
not let these warnings deter me.
“Two fingers to precaution! Indian ferry or not,
pirates or not, al Qa’ida or not, we are going...
or at least we are trying!”
Knowing when this ferry is leaving is not easy, but getting to know when it comes back is a
plain mystery: “When is the return?” I ask to the person in charge. He answers me by
bobbing his head in this typical Indian manner that always delights me, and that can mean
pretty much anything. “Monsoon starting, maybe no boat if bad weather,” he says after a
while.
Leaving without knowing when you’ll return has to be the true way of travelling. Gerard
Chaliand, traveler and poet, suggests an answer to this by saying, “The cultural wealth of
knowing the world, paid by physical risk, accepted insecurity and attachment to
independence, is priceless.” I share his set of values and count on them to elevate us above
this massive thirst for security.
But what was I finding at all corners of the world? Why do I always want to see further?
Over time I realize that the treasures of travelling are not the ones we think. We believe we
are on a quest for waves but we come back touched by one single image, a sound, and an
atmosphere. I am sitting on my SUP; Carine passes by me heading towards the peak. We’ve
been here long enough to have forgotten about what day it is. We are now used to watching
the wave peel in perfection, just for us. When the swell is big, the wave takes on a different
aspect, take off is impressive and the lip throws wide on shallow water.
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