What draws us to the sea? The pull is undeniable. It’s as strong as the undertow and as constant as the changing tide. The tumbling waves of the National Seashore of Cape Cod provided me with robust evidence of the attraction as we returned for our annual summer vacation.
One afternoon at Nauset Light beach in Eastham I looked up from my beach reading to notice a boy too young to walk, but not too old to feel the magnetic power of the sea. At low tide the surf had retreated enough to provide him a flat runway to his first taste of salt water. His parents shuffled close behind as he crawled his way toward the rumbling water.
As he got close enough to feel the chill of the 60 degree New England waters, his father would pick him up and bring him back to safe ground. The boy would smile. His father would lend a hand as he toddled on his feet. As soon as he was again on his own he would mobilize and return directly to the ocean.
A few miles away in the Town of Orleans Nauset Beach played host to a packed Independence week crowd. A healthy walk down the shoreline would inevitably lead to a sighting of seals. The seals were more than a marvel for beachgoers. They served as an appetizing sight for Great White sharks lurking off the shore.
The intrigue and danger of the star of the 1976 film “Jaws” made for great conversation under beach umbrellas. Until the shark was spotted drawing close enough to shore to force an evacuation. Yet, later in the day people had returned to the beach looking in the water for a glimpse of that tail fin. They may have feared becoming feed for the Great White, but they also felt compelled to take a look.
The sea offers the hope of the wide open unknown, a limitless future. That soon to be toddler feels an internal attraction that appears stronger than any warnings his parents might impose. It also carries a sense of mystery and danger, the wonder that comes about what’s underneath the surface.
The best way to seek understanding of the allure of the ocean – listen to the waves striking the shore. Over and over and over. They will continue to roll longer than we can imagine, an endless opportunity for discovery.
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