Nighttime in Mexico

The Yucatan is where the mystery of the jungle meets the magic of the ocean: bright green and sparkling blue meet the yellows, ochre and hot pink of the ceramics, embroideries and haciendas. I had the chance to travel to the Riviera Maya for the World Ocean Summit. After the greys and glass and metal of New York, the dazzling palette of the Yucatan gave me the impression of stepping back into the real world.

Of course, the first thing I sought out was the Sea, my dear old friend. Cozumel ranks in the top ten dive spots of the world owing to its unique reefs and biodiversity but, yet again, I would have to miss out on the experience... and give a night-dive a go instead.

I was terrified. It took me a while to calm down and let myself fall into the pitch-black water underneath me. I tried not to imagine creepy-crawly things (or curious sharks) underneath me as I swam towards the group, but once we started going underwater, torches lit, the sight took my breath away. If I'd thought the ocean couldn't look more magical... I was mistaken. The torches lit up the water and the shallow reefs and revealed a whole new world. I didn't have the right equipment so couldn't take pictures which did justice to the experience: especially when we turned off our lights and watched bioluminescent planktons illuminate around us like myriad fairy lights.

The end of my dive was graced with a huge, ancient turtle and some painful string jellyfish stings. I felt lighter, exhausted but exhilarated and imbued with that special feeling of being rejuvenated that you only feel after a dip in the ocean.