Maldives Part Three - Nice Place to Spend a Birthday!!

Someone turned 11 today - Happy Birthday Annie!!

It can be hard for kids to celebrate a birthday far away from home, wondering what kind of party they 'would have had' and which friends they 'would have invited'. Not that our little girl has anything to complain about. This water monkey gets to enjoy her special day in a place renowned for all things aquatic. So let's make this whole day a party!

We'll start with an early morning fishing trip - up at the crack of dawn and into the boat by 5:30 am to trawl the Indian Ocean.

...and it doesn't take long for her to land the first catch of the day (like only 5 minutes into the journey).

Okay - I'm done. Nap time.

It's just as well, as there is plenty of daylight ahead for her and lots still to do. Must try to meet some of the locals - even those below the surface.

Like Mr. Sea Turtle here - he swam off before we had time to enter the water but it was amazing to see such a large one lazily floating around the boat. Great birthday present!

She spent hours snorkelling that day - she seems to understand that we may not have a chance to experience waters like this again for a long time, and that we have a better chance of seeing the rare animals the longer we stay in the water.

No manta rays or sharks today, but we never get tired of the colourful fish.

As warm as bathwater - I hope she's able to enjoy the icy cold waters of BC when this trip is over. 

The good folks at Jupiter Sunrise made sure that our little princess didn't suffer the tragedy of a cake-less birthday. Thanks guys!

Actually quite impressive for a tiny island in the middle of the ocean.

The following morning was technically still her birthday (in Canada, at least) so we decided to continue the party with a dive trip. Will this fantastic day ever end?

I actually think the snorkelling here is spectacular enough to forgo the diving without any regrets. But because Annie put in all that effort to gain her diving certification last summer, and since we have a much better chance of seeing the larger fish and sharks at the greater depths, we decided that we shouldn't leave the Maldives without a diving adventure.

Good visibility today. She ended up seeing a white tipped reef shark, a sea turtle, a giant Napoleon fish, and plenty of amazing coral. Great diving.

Nice place to warm up after the dive. Not sure why, though. The dive computer said the water temperature was 30 degrees at the 15 meter depth. Crazy warm here.

I think it's midnight in Canada - your birthday is officially over, my dear. A special day in a special place with a special kid. Sorry you couldn't have Fresh Slice and a movie with your friends. Hopefully this will do.