Diving in Rangiroa - A Trip Report

Bannerfish

Ever since reading “Travels”, by Michael Crichton of Jurassic Park fame, I’d been fascinated with Rangiroa Atoll. In his short essay entitled, “Sharks”, he thrillingly described diving in Tiputa Pass in Rangiroa. He described drifting rapidly through a school of sharks with his family, then ducking into a crevasse, only to submerge into another herd of surprised, Gray Reef Sharks. The family emerged shaken, but itching to do it all over again. I very much enjoyed reading the short essay at the time, but dismissed it as an impossible pipe dream for a broke college student. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine I’d repeat the same, thrilling dive. 

Fast-forward 20 years to present day. My husband and I decided to go to Rangiroa as part of a larger French Polynesian holiday. I was more excited about experiencing the paradise of Moorea and Bora Bora than I was about diving Rangiroa. Based on the lack of coverage of Rangiroa in American dive magazines, I had lowered expectations about diving in Rangiroa. However, Rangiroa far exceeded my expectations for diving. It was some of the most challenging, most thrilling dives I’ve ever done.

Titan Triggerfish

Thrilling Dive

“Are you guys comfortable with decompression diving?” our divemaster, Antoine asked us after introducing himself. “Deco diving” was precisely what I worried the most about diving in Rangiroa, not diving with sharks. After not having scuba dived in a year, the idea of diving in high current, being encumbered with an underwater camera, AND being at depth was a little daunting. (Decompression diving, for the uninitiated, is any scuba diving performed past the time limits prescribed by one’s dive computer, or dive tables. It requires additional skill and dive planning because it demands that divers stay at depth to off-gas before surfacing.)

I looked to my husband, Mark, and the young female French internist who would make up our small group and none seemed to object. Encouraged by our seeming confidence, the dive master recommended we dive the “Canyons”. We would enter the water outside of the lagoon, look around for dolphins and sharks, then enter one or two crevasses in the pass to escape the current. In the channels there would be a lot of life, Antoine said. We could then do our safety stop at the sand bar in the middle of the pass.

A mere minutes after gearing up, we back-rolled off the inflatable zodiac and plunged head-first into the blue. The water was so clear (the visibility was ~200’) that we could see tiny divers playing with a column of barracuda several stories above us. This betrayed to me that we were already quite deep. 

But we descended further. As we neared our 120’ max depth, I realized that swarming more than 30' below us were over a hundred Gray Reef Sharks. It was like a scene from a horror movie where the heroine turns on the lights only to see aliens swarming into the dark. Only here, the aliens were sharks. (Later on, I would learn that the sharks were circling into the current over and over again, where they found it easier to breath.)  

Christmas Tree Worms

Our visit with the sharks over, we approached the pass, a barren moonscape. I looked at my dive computer and noticed I only had 2 minutes of no-deco left. I hurriedly ascended a few feet above our group, but got swept further downstream. The current high up was much faster. I kicked as hard as I could to enter the crevasse, and to rejoin my group, and was conscious of my panting. I checked my air-I had blown through 500 psi. There was not enough time to worry about that, however. All around me were innumerable banner fish, surgeonfish, and butterfly fish taking shelter from the current and I swiveled around to take it all in.

Pretty soon it was time to kick off, and off we went. Despite my best efforts, I got blown off again on a much faster slipstream. Learning my lesson from earlier, I deflated my BCD in order to sink and hug the bottom as much as possible, and collided straight into the razor sharp hard coral. Like a rock-climber, I hung on for dear life with one hand. I could see Antoine more than 50 feet away, and I could see Mark furiously kicking to meet up with Antoine. I let go of my handhold and kicked towards them, but found myself getting swept further and further away. I arrested myself several times by grabbing onto whatever sharp coral or rock I could find with my available hand (my other hand was holding my camera), but using just one hand was simply not enough. Finally, Antoine swam over to come retrieve me and together we half-climbed, half-finned our way over to where my husband awaited. 

Decompression...

Eventually we managed to kick our way to the sandbar where the current had subsided. But there was a problem. Mark, who was already buddy-breathing at this point with the divemaster, showed us his wrist-mounted dive computer. He still had 30 minutes of decompression left. I checked my console. Although my computer said I was already in the clear (I have a far less conservative computer), my air was at a new low - 500 psi. I usually have the most air left out of everyone. I could only extrapolate how empty everyone else's tanks were. We were all running out of air and we still had a significant mandatory waiting period to go.

Giant Clam

Feelings of fury and grief washed over me, with tears almost welling out of my eyes. I had already watched Mark’s GoPro camera flood on one of our earlier dives, which had him reduced to lugging it like a useless appendage for the rest of the dive. I was already heartbroken for my husband’s disappointment. And now this? I feared that Mark would be traumatized, or even ashamed about being low on air, when in fact, it wasn’t his fault. (Mark has excellent air consumption, and all of us, even the divemaster was low on air.) I feared that our dive vacation was ruined.

Fifteen minutes of no-deco left. Our dive boat, having spotted our divemaster’s SMB (surface marker buoy), had parked itself above us. They had already finished picking up the other group and were just waiting for us to finish and board. The boat bobbed gently in the sunlight, so close, and yet so far. At this point, the divemaster asked that Mark breath from my octopus, since he was too low on air to continue buddy-breathing. I was down to 300 psi, nearly empty with 15 minutes left to go, but offered my octopus to my husband. I quieted myself, breathing as slowly and sparingly as possible. As we waited I watched blood rising slowly from my wounded hand, which was caused by my attempts to self-arrest in the current. Even at 10 feet of shallow water, the blood looked green.

Bloody Hand

Finally, it was time to surface with air still left. We had caused the rest of the divers on the boat to wait for us in the exposed sun for 30 minutes, so we probably looked quite ragged as we boarded the boat. One of the other French divers, an IT specialist, widened his eyes when he saw red blood running down my hand onto my wetsuit. It looked much worse than it actually was. A little antiseptic, and I was good to go. More importantly, Mark was equanimous about the situation. He realized his computer was being overly conservative and that he could have monitored his own depth better. And he didn’t let the flooded camera, a separate issue, cloud our vacation. Later on, while driving the van back to our hotel, Antoine apologized for taking us on such a “technical” dive. He hoped we weren’t too traumatized. “Are you kidding me?” I replied, “That was one of the funnest dives, ever! I will remember that dive for the rest of my life!”

Rangiroa of my Dreams

Later on, we would have amazing dive after amazing dive in Rangiroa. We encountered a school of spawning surgeonfish, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And we had a memorable 20 minute long play session with dolphins. After requesting to do the Canyons dive again, however, we were denied. Many of our dives were great, but I think our Canyons dive was the most memorable because I had experienced every emotion all on a single dive - excitement, and adrenaline, followed by physical pain, fury, grief, and finally relief.

It wasn’t until we had come home, and I had reread Michael Crichton’s tale,“Sharks” (now downloaded-my paperback was long gone), that I realized that the memorable dive that we had conducted was the very same dive he had written about in such exciting fashion, and that I had dreamed about doing 20 years earlier. 

Relaxing after Diving

Advice

If I could do it all again, I would do almost everything the same, including using the same dive operation. However, I would probably add a few tweaks. Here are my recommendations, and things I would do differently the next time around.

1. Get the Te Moana dive pass. This dive pass allowed us to dive throughout French Polynesia at a reduced bulk rate. 
2. Wear gloves. The current is so fast and so strong here that merely kicking won’t hack it. It is necessary to grab rocks or coral to arrest yourself in the current.
3. Monitor your depth and no-deco limits constantly. 
4. Be familiar with your dive computer’s graphical screen during a decompression protocol. 
5. Stay above the divemaster if possible - that is until you enter the pass, in which case, stay low to avoid the worst of the current. 
6. Stay as close to the sides of the pass where the current is slower as much as possible.
7. Do the incoming current dive. And if possible, do the “Canyons” dive. This was the thrilling dive that was described in Michael Crichton’s book, and which I described above.
8. Always do the sunset dive. The two sunset dives we did were easily some of the most exciting dives we conducted. They were also the most interesting from an animal behavior standpoint. We got to see thousands of surgeonfish spawning - a once in the lifetime opportunity. And the dolphins seem to be more interactive and playful at this time.
9. Add Fakarava. Most people will say that Fakarava is even sharkier than Rangiroa. 
10. Coincide your visit to Rangiroa with a sharkier moment, perhaps timed with the annual grouper spawning, or hammerheads. I think we came during a lull in shark activity.
11. Train with using an SMB (surface marker buoy). With the current being as fast and erratic as it is, it could be quite easy to get separated from the group.
12. Prioritize a GoPro over a larger camera setup. A big camera setup might get brushed up against the coral and get damaged. And caring for an expensive camera might impair your judgement and impede your dive safety.

Moral of the Story

Rangiroa is part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia, a far-ranging island chain that stretches the distance of Western Europe. Rangiroa is the most populated, and the 2nd largest coral atoll in the region. This coral ring encompasses a lagoon so large, that the Hawaiian island of Oahu would almost fit inside it’s lagoon. It is also precisely this atoll topography that makes it so dynamic to dive. There are only 2 relatively shallow boat passes, Tiputa and Avatoru Pass. During the tides, a large amount of water is forced through these shallow, relatively narrow passes, resulting in fast current, which brings nutrient rich water, which attracts massive amounts of marine life, including top predators, such as dolphins and sharks. 

Most American scuba divers will bypass Rangiroa in favor of other places: the Bahamas for sharks, and Cayman Islands for coral reef life. There are probably very good reasons for this. French is the most common language, and you have to be comfortable with that. Actually, I really enjoyed our company in Rangiroa, and perhaps this is why I enjoyed diving here so much. We met some very nice people who I keep in touch with to this day.

Allow me to make some observations about diving with primarily French and European people. There were just as many female divers as male divers, and not just from being part of a couple. I noticed there were solo divers, French families, and also female friends diving together as well. And maybe this is an unfair generalization, but the French divers were much younger than on the predominately American dive boats. No-one had any troubles getting on our inflatable dive boat, which is an awkward test of strength and coordination. And no one showed too much ego about their diving abilities, either.  

Rangiroa is probably not on most Americans’ scuba diving bucket lists. But that is probably okay. It leaves a more pristine reef for us who are in the know. And for those willing to go off the beaten path, it is one of the most dynamic places to scuba dive in the world. 



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How to Have a Luxury Experience Without an Overwater Bungalow in French Polynesia

One of the things I feel regret about is not staying in an overwater bungalow on our recent trip to French Polynesia. Places like Bora Bora are synonymous with overwater bungalows. It seems a little foolish in retrospect not to cross off this bucket item list after traveling to these islands at such great expense. 

Rather than spending money on luxurious digs, however, we spent it all on scuba diving in Rangiroa (part of French Polynesia). And I don't regret this decision because as it turns out, Rangiroa has some of the best scuba diving we've ever experienced. (I'll be writing more about the scuba diving in Rangiroa soon.) If I had spent the money for an overwater bungalow, I would have never ventured out. And I believe we got a more authentic poignant experience by going out more. And, as I constantly reminded my husband during our trip - we will someday come back again, and maybe we will do things a bit differently. 

Looking on with envy at the Sofitel overwater bungalows in Moorea 

In the meantime, I learned a few things about acquiring a luxury experience without actually having to stay in an overwater bungalow. Read on and enjoy:

Stay at an Inexpensive Beachside Hotel

Our bungalow in Moorea, Fare Tokoau, was chicly decorated, was right on the beach, and we could even see the lagoon from our bed. The best part, however, were the cats, dogs, lizards and chickens that visited us on our patio on a daily basis. The disadvantage was noise. We were wakened by roosters nightly, and the sound of the ocean waves was so loud, it sounded like a storm was constantly raging. These are things we probably would not have suffered at an expensive overwater bungalow.

Grab a Coffee at the Fancy Hotel 

Tourism is down in French Polynesia, so we were able to enter any luxury hotel without questioning. Sometimes we ordered breakfast, or a simple coffee at the hotel's beach bar, and we were able to enjoy the same vantage point as the overwater bungalow. 

Take a Swim in the Lagoon

Just because you aren't staying at an overwater bungalow doesn't mean you can't enjoy the same waters. The water is so calm in Bora Bora, that if you are a strong swimmer, you can share the same waters bordering the hotel.

Get the Same Views by Taking a Lagoon Tour

The main advantage of the more expensive overwater bungalows such as the Bora Bora Pearl, or the Intercontinental Thalasso, is that they are situated on private islands and overlook the lagoon towards the central mountain of Bora Bora. However, you can enjoy the same views by taking a lagoon tour. These tours take you around the central mountain of Bora Bora and so you can see all the same vantage points that the more expensive hotels have. We enjoyed this view during a Lagoon tour in Bora Born

Eat Dinner at an Overwater Restaurant

Creperie Toatea at the Hilton Moorea serves savory Alsatian crepes. It is located above lagoon waters that are spectacularly lit from beneath. As we ate, we saw black tip reef sharks, and even a stingray swim by beneath us.



Happy diners at Creperie Toatea

Eat at Bloody Mary's

Bloody Mary's is the original Tiki Bar. This famous establishment in Bora Bora is positively dripping with glamor. You can feel the history emanating from every corner, from the varnished tree stump stools down to the white sandy bottom floor. Celebrities used to come, and still come to party at this famous restaurant. Pictured above is the selection of the day. You choose what you want to eat, and then the chef grills it for you a la carte.

Shop for Pearls

I admit to contracting “pearl fever” when we set foot inside Tahiti Pearl Market, a second story no-frills institution in Paeete. You may have heard of Tahitian pearls, or black pearls as they are better known. These giant pearls, which are most commonly gray, are only cultivated in French Polynesia. My Chinese heritage came out in full force when we started to roll pearls around on satin covered trays. The way a pearl is graded is pretty well defined: the larger, the rounder, and the more blemish-free a pearl is, the higher the cost. But what isn’t graded is that ineffable life of a pearl, that thing that gives you shivers of excitement and what makes you go “ooh” and “ahhh”. These pearls were so lustrous they looked as reflective as a mirror, and were so colorful, ranging from pink to yellow to green, they wouldn't even register as pearls to the uneducated eye. Selecting and purchasing a pearl was really fun. I highly recommend the experience.

Take Time to Savor the Small Things

After traveling at great expense, sometimes the simplest things are the most memorable. Here’s a meal reflective of French Polynesia that you won't get in an overwater bungalow: everything is imported from France or Asia: cheese, sausage, and Malaysian shrimp chips. The only native thing is the fresh mango. And constantly constraining friendly kitty, Madeline, from consuming the entire meal will certainly be a memory that I will savor.

Afterward: My husband was so supportive of our housing decisions. While walking around the Bora Bora, we ran into some dilapidated overwater bungalows (Sofitel Marara, which is currently under repair), and we even encountered the abandoned Club Med. At the Sofitel, there was no beach to speak of, the bungalow itself was mere feet away from the mainland, and the water below was full of algae. My husband turned to me and asked: aren’t you glad we didn’t book one of these? We would have been so upset. I feel good that we spent less, had lowered expectations, and were pleasantly surprised. I tend to get very unhappy when I feel I spent too much one things. My experience in Rangiroa, where we spent the most on lodging, was an example of feeling ripped off, and I actually wrote a harsh review about it TripAdvisor. I'm glad that such heartbreak didn't happen to us with an overwater bungalow.

What to Bring, What Not to Bring, & What to Buy in French Polynesia

Stuff You Should Bring

1. Mosquito Spray. Bring or buy one can of mosquito spray for each person, for every week spent in French Polynesia. 
2. Swim goggles and swim cap. The lagoons are like swimming pools. Just jump in and go.

   

   The water is so calm, swimming in Bora Bora is like swimming in a pool. Definitely bring goggles if you want to see the fish while doing your "laps". Here I am at the Hotel Temanuata beach after swimming over to the overwater bungalows next door.

3. Snorkeling equipment. The snorkeling is some of the best I’ve ever seen.

   

   I saw some of the healthiest coral I've ever seen while snorkeling, so definitely bring snorkeling equipment

4. Gloves. If you are scuba diving in Rangiroa, the current is so fast, that it is sometimes recommended to climb across the coral bottom instead of kicking and wasting air. Because I wasn’t wearing gloves, my hands got torn by the sharp coral. I will be writing up a review of the diving in Rangiroa at a later date.
5. A beach towel. The medium-range hotels don’t offer beach towels. 
6. Your own pedicure (or nail polish). There were no manicurists in the smaller islands like Moorea and Rangiroa as far as I could tell. And it's always fun to sport a festive toenail color when you’re wearing flip flops all the time.
7. Your own instant coffee. There are no coffee shops in French Polynesia because coffee hasn’t caught on yet. All rooms come with an electric tea kettle. One of the favorite things we did in all of French Polynesia was to enjoy a cup of instant coffee on our patio.

   

   My husband and I enjoyed a cup of instant coffee every morning. Here we are on our patio in Moorea with one of Moorea's major agricultural products: pineapple.

8. Sunscreen. To be quite honest, I didn’t really use any. The sun isn’t that strong in French Polynesia and the native Tahitians themselves are really light-skinned as a result. But you may want to bring some if you are fair skinned.
9. Bathing suits. Mark and I basically shared a single suitcase for 2 weeks. We just wore bathing suits all the time.
10. One or two good dresses, or tops. Dinner is often communal at these mid-range pensions. It would be good to doff the bathing suit you’ve been wearing all day and put on something that makes you less crazy looking.
11. Books. Almost none of the hotels have TV’s, and the ones that do, only feature French shows. And free WiFi is not guaranteed. I ended reading 3.5 books while on my 2 week vacation.
12. A phone that is a good camera so you can show pictures you took to your your new friends at dinner. If your cell phone doesn’t have a good camera, your camera needs to have the ability to download directly to your cell phone or iPad.
13. Space in your luggage. We made the serious error of not leaving any room in our luggage and ran into weight problems at the airport. We bought famous Tahitian rum, and an assortment of fresh fruit jams, and “manoi” coconut oil as gifts for friends. 

Don’t Bring

1. High heels. Some restaurants, notably Bloody Mary’s, have sandy bottom floors. It would be difficult to walk in heels in this environment.

I designed and made this Pareo at the Intercontinental in Moorea

Buy

1. Pareu. This is a sarong-like piece of cloth that Tahitians traditionally used to wear. Buy one (every other store sells them), or even make one in French Polynesia.
2. Jewelry. Every other store is a jewelry store selling Tahiti's 3rd greatest export: Tahitian pearls. You can get a better selection, and for cheaper nowhere else in the world.
   

   

   You can shop for beautiful Tahitian Pearl jewelry to suit all budgets in French Polynesia

French Polynesia Slide Show Presentation

Here’s the slide show presentation that I made for planning our French Polynesia trip (we just recently got back). One of my coworkers’ husband made one for their South West USA trip, and I thought it was so remarkable that I had to copy it. 

I did 100% of the planning for the trip, so it was a good tool to help my husband understand what to expect on our vacation. It was probably good that I did, because once the vacation started, he barely knew what Island we were on. (He literally thought we were on Bora Bora when we were actually on Moorea.) It also helped to convey to my husband what my expectations were, i.e. what I was really looking forward to trying. That being said, we didn't micro-manage the trip to every last detail - we were quite flexible in how we spent our vacation. There were a lot of empty time periods left in the schedule to improvise. We didn’t actually stick to the highlighted plan 100% either, and actually stuck to it maybe 30-40%. Actual details of what we did are forthcoming.

I hope you enjoy the slides, and hopefully this can be helpful to others planning their French Polynesia trip.

Leviathan Wakes - A Review

"Leviathan Wakes"

(This book review is part of my effort to write down a few words after every book I read.) 

If you like science fiction, and love space opera in particular, then I highly recommend reading “Leviathan Wakes”. This is the first book in the 7-part “The Expanse” series by James S. A. Corey (a pseudonym for the writer duo, Daniel Abraham and Tyler Franck). And it is also the book upon which the first season of “The Expanse” TV show is based. I found the book just as riveting as the TV show and perhaps even more fast paced than the TV show. From what I understand, the show added sections from other books, such as what was happening on Earth, to show more facets of the space conflict, and to add more beef to the season.

In the story, people have dispersed across the solar system. Human tensions are high between Earth, Mars, and the Belt - the poor communities that dot the asteroid belt. The book starts out with two parallel stories. Miller, a detective, is assigned to find Julie Mao, a rebellious rich girl from Earth who has disappeared. At the same time, a motley crew of ice haulers lead by James Holden, have been flagged down mid delivery to investigate a distress call in deep space. Pretty soon, both story lines merge in a satisfying way and war threatens to breaks loose throughout the solar system.

Holden (R) and his partner are detectives hot on a case

The Motley Crew of the Rocinante

The book is a swashbuckling space opera in the best sense. There were plenty of epic space battles, and also plenty of exciting human shoot outs as well. There was a budding romance between Holden and Naomi, but more interestingly, a buddy romance between Holden and Miller as well. In one exciting sequence, both have been exposed to a deadly dose of radiation, but need to rely on each other to shoot through “vomit zombies” in order to reach their ship, where life-saving medications await. I also really appreciated the author’s visual imagination. There were some awe-inspiring space vistas, pulsing night clubs, all the way down to tightly cramped ships quarters reeking of unwashed bodies.

One of the co-authors of the book, Ty Franck was formerly George R. R. Martin’s assistant. George R. R. Martin, in case you didn’t know, is the author behind the “A Song of Ice and Fire” books (the basis for “the Game of Thrones” TV series). The first few drafts of “Leviathan Wakes” were developed under Martin’s watchful eye. As a result, I see a lot of influences from George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series on this book. Like in “A Song of Ice and Fire”, “Leviathan Wakes” has a complex plot line that really racks the reader’s brains to follow. There are feints and plot twists. The plot is revealed through characters’ points of view, who don’t always see the entire picture, so the reader is forced to put it all together themselves. I have seen the TV show, and I have read the first book, and I still struggle to fully grok the storyline and the different political interests. Another similarity with“A Song of Ice and Fire” series is that there are very strong, intelligent, fully fleshed female characters throughout. A final similarity is that the characters are not purely good or bad, especially in the case of Miller, the suicidal, broken cop who finds a hero’s purpose for the first time in his life in this novel. 

This book has brought me a much greater appreciation for the TV series as well. The actors who play Naomi, Amos, and Miller characters are spot on. I must give the actor who plays Miller special praise. Thomas James is much younger and much handsomer than the character he is supposed to play, who is supposed to be near 50 and possessing a “sad, basset hound face”. Just watch him in HBO’s “Hung” to see how classically handsome he can be. But in the TV series, the actor has managed to distort his features and embody Miller’s greasy qualities.

Finally, this book has some of the best space ship names ever.  The Rocinante, the Razorback, and Donnager are some of the quirkiest ship monikers I’ve ever heard. If ever I came to own a sail boat, I might have to name it The Rocinante for the way it rolls off the tongue.

Rolfing Massage - Session 2: The Feet

Correct foot alignment was the focus of my second Rolfing session

I just received my Rolfing Session 2. (This blog post is a continuation from when I received my first session.)

The timing of my massage session was horrible. I had gone from attending a stressful 4 hour phone conference, to racing off to work for a few hours. While at work, I became infuriated at one of my clueless coworkers who was working on my project behind my back. Before I knew it, it was time to leave work to drive to my massage appointment. During the 1 hour drive in horrible traffic, I tried to relax and calm down.

Walking into Kelly’s office, I explained that I was stressed because of the traffic, and that I was angry at my coworker who I felt might be trying to undermine me. She immediately asked me where I stored my stress. I answered my legs and shoulders. Ignoring my answer, she immediately went to work on my stomach, explaining that there was a network of fascia radiating from the belly. I was surprised when she bore her elbow directly down on my belly button. I thought that feeling my my pulse underneath her elbow would freak me out, and thoughts of rupturing my abdominal aorta passed through my brain, but instead I felt extremely curious. It was unlike any sensation I had ever felt. I could not tell if I was feeling intestinal pain or if I was feeling fascial pain. It surprised me too when she let off the pressure, asking me whether or not I had felt the release. According to Kelly, the fascia in my belly had suddenly released. Unfortunately, I was too wrapped up in all the other strange sensations to register it.

This rest of the session was focused on my feet and lower legs, which is traditionally what the Rolfing Session 2 is all about. As she explained to me, better alignment in my feet and legs results in better shock absorption when I’m walking, leading to less pain in my back. She said my ankles were tight and dedicated an hour plus on just my ankles, and the sides of my shins. She directed most of her effort on lengthening the inner side of my lower legs and feet, which seems counterintuitive at first since I thought I was rather flat footed. Per usual, I involuntarily yelped out in pain. But it began to make sense as the hour wore on what she was trying to do. Sitting at a chair is a good example. As you sit at a chair with knees at hip distance apart and feet parallel, do your arches reach the ground? Mine don’t. My feet tend to invert (see picture above) so that my outer soles touche, but my arches are raised. By lengthening my legs, my Rolfing massage therapist was trying to encourage a healthier walking stride and more supportive standing structure.

It wasn’t until a day later that I felt the changes more fully. My legs were feeling all tender from the painful massage. My inner shin and inner ankles felt less tight. I paid attention more to my walk, focusing on preventing my foot inversion. But the biggest change of all was in my belly. I felt a lot of the tension there had disappeared. Oddly, I didn’t know there was even tension in my belly until it was gone. I guess Kelly was right. I must store stress in my stomach. I will forever remember to breathe down into my belly when I am stressed, and will even try poking at my belly to relieve tension. 

(Epilogue: I gently confronted the coworker who had infuriated me the following day, and it turned out he wasn’t intentionally trying to undermine me at all. So all is well that ends well.)

Rolfing Massage - Session 1

So, I think I began my first Rolfing session. Last week, I met Rolfer, Kelly Armstadt for potentially the first session in the Rolfing 10-part series. This was the direct result of writing down some of my non-travel related bucket list items for the new year, which included experiencing Rolfing. (And I love me a list to cross off.)

Just in case you don’t know, Rolfing is a special type of massage therapy which focusses on myofascial release for lasting pain relief, and for radically restructuring bodies. After undergoing the regimented 10-part series, people’s posture, and general biomechanics are purportedly more aligned and more efficient. Search the internet for “Rolfing” and you will see an abundance of before-and-after pictures. It is also known for: (1) humiliating photos in one’s underwear (see left picture), and (2) being very, very painful due to the deep restructuring. Kelly reassured me, however, that she had stopped taking photos of patients long ago, and that she would be attentive to when the pain wasn’t being beneficial. 

Rolf Body Alignment Before-And-After

Massaging the rib cage

I undressed down to my bra and a pair of hot pants and stood in front of Kelly so that she could see how my body was aligned. As she viewed me from the front, side and behind, I felt surprisingly comfortable, albeit excited to explain to her why I was seeing her: I had some minor pain in my right lower back that nevertheless was limiting my mobility, and I had some concern about improving my body alignment so as to avoid hip problems as I got older. (My mother received hip replacement surgery for both hips.) I finally explained that I am just generally enthused and curious about learning about all forms of bodywork and experimenting on my own body. (I am also entertaining a career as a massage therapist or physical therapist in my retirement, although I didn’t tell Kelly that.)

She explained that she saw some forward pelvic tilt, and some arching of my upper back to compensate, which wasn’t news to me and was what made me want to see a Rolfer in the first place. But she also saw some right shoulder drop, and some flat footedness, which wasn’t something that I had really thought could be addressed with Rolfing. 

After laying down on her heated massage table, I was kind of half hoping that there would be some pain, because my belief is that there is no real improvement unless there is pain, and I wasn’t disappointed. She interspersed soothing strokes with strong pokes with her out-stretched fingers in so many weird places that I couldn’t help but involuntarily yell out in pain. Notably, she didn’t use any massage oil, I think, because fingers need to stick to the skin in order to shear and separate the myofascial tissues connecting skin to underlying muscle.

This first session was about opening the breath. What this means is getting massaged around your sternum and rib cage, which wasn’t as ticklish or invasive as you might think. Nevertheless, it made me nauseous and I asked Kelly to stop so that I could sit up. Kelly told me that my nausea was probably due to being unaccustomed to being opened up in that way. After a few sips of water, I felt better and was ready to continue. Here were the things that were most interesting (read: painful) to me in my first session:

1. Quadratus lumborum - this spot is better accessed from the side, and when she dug her thumb into this area, I yelped. As a part of my self care, I found a near analogue by lying on the ground and using the hooked end of my Therastick as a lever to poke around that area. You need extra leverage because this area is incredibly thick and stiff.
2. That spot on my wrist between the ulnar and radius bones in my fore arm. My left wrist had been in pain, and I hadn’t even addressed that with her. But she found that spot on her own and bore down on it. Afterwards my wrist felt much better,
3. The gluteus medius - this was so painful that it felt like she was bruising me rather than massaging me. But the pain is so worth it because you can feel your hip lengthen, and oddly you feel super sedated after being pushed down on this area.

After the session was done, I noticed a dramatic change in the way that I was feeling. And that feeling translated to how I stood. My pelvis was not as forward tilted and my torso also felt longer. I felt like my lower back pain was noticeably improved as well. Unfortunately, a week has passed, and most of the stiffness and pain came back, probably due to sitting a lot at my job, and also due to some of the emotional patterns that I continue to manifest in my body. I have a feeling that undergoing the Rolfing 10 part series, may not be sufficient. However, I will still proceed with the Rolfing, just to satisfy my own curiosity, and to continue learning about my own body and methods for self-care.