We have a new diver in the family!

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  Rangali Island, Maldives
Wednesday, January 3, 2007

Hi all
I am thinking that this is probably our last entry.  We have an action packed last day tomorrow and then we are off by 10AM the next day.  We will be traveling about 44 hours total to get home..No need to think of that now.....
We have continued to have a lovely, and very slow paced, adventure.  Liam has spent the last 2 days working on his Padi Junior Scuba Diver license.  Today he finished and passed.  This allows him to dive up to 12 meters and he must always be buddied up with the dive master or an instructor.  He was a real trooper to work on this, as it meant giving up time (2 days)playing around with his buddies.  He is very proud of himself.  Tomorrow Mike and I are going to do a dive with him.  It will be his first boat dive and his first dive where he is not practicing drills, but looking at things.  We are going to a place where manta rays come to get cleaned by other fish.  It is fairly shallow and apparently lots to see.  We are all looking forward to it.
Ellie and John, while Liam is busy, have been snorkeling.  Ellie saw some great fish and did a good job checking all the marine life out.  John went on a long snorkel with Mike today and they saw a huge school of parrot fish.  It was a little intimidating today as the shoreline was teeming with baby reef sharks.  Funny to watch them from the beach but not so  funny as you stand in the water knowing they are swimming by.
Ellie's swimming has improved tremendously.  She can now get herself across the pool about 20 meters.  She is diving in and touching the bottom. 
All the kids have made a couple nice friends and they are enjoying eating their lunch together at the restaurants as we parents watch from a distance.
Last night Mike and I went on a date to Ithaa, which is the world's only underwater restaurant.  It really was cool, as they protect this place and you can't go unless you are there for drinks, lunch or dinner.  We saw a huge sting ray swimming around, then a massive barracuda showed up, and schools of fish, moral eels and a puffer fish.  The meal was about 10 courses of delicious food and the atmosphere like no other.   We had a great time.  We just made arrangements for the boys and Granny to go have a drink there tomorrow which I am sure they will love.
Tonight was a very exciting evening....we went sunset fishing Maldivian style.  (That is literally a line, hook with bait, and a weight)  We began and nothing happened....and before we knew it Granny hooked a ok sized red snapper.  Then Ellie and I caught a snapper, and Liam caught a tiny one (he didn't care the size....we never figured out what it was as the guys helping had no english and we have even less maldivian)  Mike was next and then concern arose that John was the only one.  Well soon John started reeling in barracudas....three in a row and the last one very big and very ugly......at this point I am thinking about the fact that I am diving near t his spot tomorrow and not so glad there are so many barracudas.  Then Granny pulled in a huge reef runner....the best fish to eat!  Then the icing on the cake (and again knowing I am diving near this spot tomorrow) Liam pulls in....with a lot of help, 2 separate sharks.  Neither got in the boat, but we did get them to the surface and the second one was about 4 feet long!!!  There was lots of excitement.....barracuda boy and shark boy were thrilled.  They are frying them up for us to have for lunch tomorrow!
Tonight is Black Jack night at the bar and Mike has been hanging out with John and two of his buddies.  Apparently they had a blast and there were lots of laughs.
Well I guess the next time we will speak will be back in North America.  I hope you have all enjoyed hearing about our adventure.  We have loved hearing from all of you over these past few weeks.  I must admit, and I speak for all of us, we are certainly not ready to come home.  This has certainly been a fantastic trip which we will enjoy memories for a long time to come.
Cheers...and love to you all
all of us

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