A woman went diving for sea urchins to try and save her sex life after her libido tanked following a breakup with her longtime boyfriend.
Jaime Lowe, a writer for New York Times Magazine, documented her unique journey as she ventured out to try and find her sex drive again.
As someone who used to love sex, Lowe said that quickly changed because of problems brought on by the pandemic, fear, and middle age.
But since the breakup, I haven’t dated. I didn’t want to be hurt, rejected, abandoned, she revealed.
I woke up alone, went to sleep alone, cooked alone. I was lonely. Something needed to change.
Thats when she turned to the spiny, circular seafood to help improve her libido and her unlike chastity of the fast few years.
Jaime Lowe, a writer for New York Times Magazine, documented her journey searching for sea urchins in a bid to help improve her low libido following a breakup with her longtime boyfriend. (pictured: stock image)
Lowe took on the new adventure and started diving for urchins, which are also considered an aphrodisiac, or a food that stimulates ones sex drive. (pictured: stock image)
Lowe took on the new adventure and started diving for urchins, which are also considered an aphrodisiac, or a food that stimulates ones sex drive.
She said that because the sea creature is rich in zinc, it benefits peoples sexual health.
Some say that’s because you’re eating the sex organs of another species — technically, their gonads, also called tongues, she added.
She explained that uni, often served in Japanese culture, is made of sea urchins.
Although shes had the popular dish before, she said at the time she wasnt a fan of it.
Instead, she decided it was better to go to the source and capture the sea urchins herself so she could crack open the still-living creature and slurp down its five orange tongues raw.
In order to get her sex life back on track she first had to learn how to dive, which the writer said gave her a lot of anxiety at first.
She recalled: I’d never done it before. Was I strong enough? Would I have a panic attack deep underwater? Would I get lost? Would I run out of air?
Although she had sea urchin, or uni, before, Lowe wanted to go to the source herself and capture the unique sea creatures. (pictured: stock image)
After months of learning how to dive, taking extensive online tests, getting open-water certified and diving 20 times before her adventure in the sea, Lowe became a certified diver in August.
According to her, the best sea urchins are found off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, in whats known as the Channel Islands.
The national park is filled with five islands and is home to about six sea urchin species, - the crowned urchin, heart urchin, purple sea urchin, red sea urchin, sand dollar and white sea urchin - according to Spanglers Scuba.
She soon took a boat out to the islands, dove into the clear, cold water below and became overcome with the physicality of the underwater world.
Lowe described how she instantly felt a difference once she reached the ocean floor, as both her mind and body were fully engaged, fully alive.
I was no longer alone, Lowe said.
Upon first glance, she said she was taken aback by the sight of the spiky seafood.
I could barely imagine touching them, she said, adding that during one of her dives an expert commercial fisherman, Stephanie Mutz, joined her.
Mutz helped Lowe ease into her new journey as she gave her a custom tool to capture the urchins, while also showing her how to properly spot the globe-shaped animals.
Soon enough Lowe was detaching urchins from coral with a tong-like tool and placing them in a netted bag.
After getting the hang of it, she started to specifically hunt down big red urchins before getting back on the boat and inspecting her finds.
After her experience, she said that weeks later she felt radiant even though the taste of the creature started to fade. (pictured: stock image)
Video showed one of the red urchins moving its tentacle-like spikes as it laid on the boat floor, with Lowe comparing it to an alien antennae.
With large orange gloves on, she carefully picked up one of the urchins, cracked it open with a tool, removed the animals mouth, and discovered the prize: five pulp tongues.
Lowe then scooped the insides into her mouth, saying the uni tasted custardy, sweet, briny and light.
It tasted of the ocean, the breeze, the kelp forest. It tasted, somehow, like California, she added.
A couple urchins later, Lowe said her mouth was dancing, while her skin was dyed red and punctured with spines.
Weeks later she still felt radiant even though the taste of the creature started to fade away.
Interestingly, she became intrigued with the act of diving, which made her feel like the ocean broke me open.
It made me aware of my body and of the mind-altering beauty around me, she said, adding that experience made her want to search again, not just for love, but in life.