Typically, the first thing out of Sadie's mouth after she opens her eyes in the morning is, "what are we going to do today?". That's the case on weekends, and especially true on holiday. There is no shortage of things to do - including nothing. The water is unbelievably clear. You would swear it's like a swimming pool. So we immediately got kitted out with snorkel gear. We are not divers. And we really weren't snorkelers until we came to Asia. The Maldives is uniquely suited to snorkeling. One can just walk off the beach straight into the water. Or head out into the ocean to a reef or two. We did it all. And every day started with a kayak jaunt around the island followed by snorkeling off the beach. When on vacation, I find it hard to wrap my head around creating a schedule. I thought that the whole point of vacation is NOT to have a schedule. However, I keep learning the hard way that you kind of have to commit at least partially, or you will find things booked up and miss out. |
The second day, Gary and I booked back-to-back spa appointments leaving someone with the kids at all times, of course. However, Nicholas decided he wanted to go off on the turtle snorkel excursion. The snorkel guides seemed happy to watch over him since Gary and I were 'busy'. He had a blast. And all the other families seemed appropriately horrified that his parents had ditched him for the spa. The guides took amazing care of him. However, it was not until the following day when we signed up for the coral reef excursion as a family that I, myself, became horrified that I let him go on his own. |
For the Coral Reef excursion, we boarded a boat that took us out 20 minutes into the ocean. Seemed simple enough. the boat got close enough to this remote coral garden to drop us and several other families straight into the water. It wasn't until that moment that I actually stepped off the boat that I realized holy crap it's the deep ocean. Jaws. Fish. Scary shit. Gary and Nicholas had already taken off. I turned around to wait for Sadie who had wisely accepted a life jacket. I panicked and swam back to the boat for one myself. I was overtaken with worry - we had never done this before (well, except for apparently Nicholas the day prior). Sadie and I both looked through our foggy masks and said "I'm scared" to each other at the same time. Luckily, Fahim, one of the guides, was right there and took us both by the hand. Had he not done that, I'm pretty sure we would have gotten back on the boat. But with Fahim, we both relaxed and let him show us the way. This is a photo of me and the kids, taken by Gary. Yup, just floating in the ocean. Notice no life jacket on Nick. So unbelievably proud of his strength and skill. |
It was so easy to let my thoughts take over and I felt like I was only one breath away from a total panic attack at so many points. The thing with snorkeling is that you're alone with your breath. Trying not to focus on it, yet focusing on it to keep it steady and strong. And, of course, make sure nothing goes up or down the wrong tube. As we let Fahim show us around, I was so thankful for him because he aptly pointed out things we surely would have missed. The views were incredible. Still scary. But incredible. I curse Jaws and the 70s every time I'm in an ocean. A funny thing happened though. Suddenly, I thought I heard music. Someone singing? I looked over and realized that it was Sadie singing through her snorkel "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera. I laughed and promptly surged my mask with salt water. I came up for air and asked her why she was singing. "Because the fish love it, mommy. Watch!". She never ceases to amaze me either. And it was the singing that kept her calm and enjoying the trip (in addition to a firm grip on Fahim's hand). It was an incredible trip. Yet also a bit sad. They say that much of the Maldives could be under water in another 20+ years. And while the fish are beautiful, the erosion of the coral is quite evident and attributed to global warming, etc. |
So, in a nutshell, we relaxed, we snorkeled, Nick started to learn how to surf, we went out on a boat to see dolphins, and just generally enjoyed quality family time. Who could ask for more. And the trip finished with a magical moment. As we were on the speedboat heading back to the airport, we suddenly came upon dolphins jumping and playing as if to escort us out of paradise and leave us with a warm "come back soon!". Now I know why everyone I know who has been to the Maldives, goes there over and over again. |