The Maldives and Lagoona

 Waking up to John waking up.

 The outdoor dining area at the bow.

 Settling in to our routine.

 The captain at the helm.

 Underwater shots before the camera packed it in.

 Large clams with blue 'lips'.

 John.

One of the many sea slugs we saw.

Our first sunset.

Saturday, February 17^th.

We woke up at 6:30 as the morning light coming through the porthole woke John up. He vowed to block it up for tomorrow. Breakfast was served on the bow at 7:30. After the crew ate, we got underway and motored toward our first destination.

We went to an atoll, (which is a coral and sand island). Aman wanted to give us a snorkelling ‘test’, just to make sure everyone was comfortable doing it. We got our gear and jumped into the warm water and swam around looking at the fish. There were quite a few species of very colourful fish, some of which I had not seen before. The water was a beautiful turquoise colour and very clear. The reef however, was in trouble. Parts were bleached and/or dead but there were some parts, particularly in deeper water that seemed to be okay. We swam to the island and walked around there for a bit before going back to the boat. We all passed the test. We stayed there and had lunch, after which we sailed again for a couple of hours to another atoll where we anchored. While we sailed we relaxed on the boat and talked and watched the water as we moved on. At this atoll, Aman took us in the small boat to the far end where we jumped into the water. From there we could float with the current along the reef back to the boat. The reef here looked healthier and we saw lots of different corals and fish. John and I swam together and saw a few large sea slugs or sea cucumbers.

When we got to the boat we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. All the young ones played cards and John and I went up to the top deck and read. I started the book “I Contain Multitudes”. Then we were called for dinner. After that we worked on our photos and typed. The temperature is lovely, with a light wind and a gentle rocking of the boat. Great way to spend some time.