Swimming with Jellyfish

A story by Cathy. L from 1963

Cathy had a life-changing adventure at age 19 at Audubon Camp on Hogs Island.

It was June 1963. I was nineteen. I had been given a scholarship to attend the Audubon Camp at Hog Island for a week. It turned out to be a WOW week!

Many amazing firsts. Here are a few: great blue herons in their nests then taking off over the treetops into the sky; seeing seals for the first time; three really great meals a day; counselors who could imitate the song of seemingly any bird; salt water everywhere, even in the shower. We searched tide pools and found all kinds of goodies I'd never seen before.

But the most memorable adventure was swimming off the dock with hundreds of jellyfish. They were beautiful, almost ethereal, with their umbrella-like bodies and their flowing delicate tentacles floating in the water around me. Often one of my limbs touched one of theirs and it tickled. I remember wondering what it felt like to them.

I had a wonderful week and was so grateful I was able attend. It opened my eyes to new vistas and was a positive influence in my life that I wish everyone could have.