I was on my way to Cozumel, Mexico to do some drift diving and add some additional PADI certifications to my growing list.  Drift diving is where you jump off a perfectly good boat, and enjoy a wonderful ride provided by Mother Nature.  You are weightless (if your buoyancy is balanced properly) and ride along with the current effortlessly.  If you’re lucky, the boat finds you and picks you up when the ride is over (e.g., you’re running out of air!).

Many of the people on the plane to such dive destinations are fellow scuba divers.  However, there was an older couple sitting across the aisle from me and we struck up a conversation about the book she was reading, the weather, the island of Cozumel, and, eventually, scuba diving.  As it turned out, he has been scuba diving for years.

Naturally then, the conversation turned to the great drift diving on the west side of the island of Cozumel.  Stories were swapped.  After a few he said, “Hey, how do you like my hat?”  His question was the only segue he needed to launch into the story he was dying to tell me.

I said, “Now THAT is a truly fine hat.”  And it was.  And thus his story began.

It was a straw Panama hat in great shape that looked quite sporty on him.  The “Panama” hat is actually a misnomer as the hats originated in Ecuador and are still produced there. They were imported into Panama and became popular during the 19th century as they kept the head shielded from the sun and cool during the construction of the Panama Canal.  Even Teddy Roosevelt wore one during his visit to the Panama Canal.

However, my new-found friend’s story is more interesting.  Despite his apparent age, he is an avid scuba diver who dives frequently in Cozumel.   He was scuba diving along the reef and spotted something that didn’t belong… about 60-70 feet down.  He descended to investigate and, lo and behold, it was a Panama hat that likely blew off a tourist boat.  He picked it up and when he eventually came back to the surface, rinsed the salt water out of it and gave it a thorough cleaning.  He’s been wearing it ever since and, I suppose, has enjoyed telling the story many times over.

You meet the nicest people when you travel.

Travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer.