Dolphins!!

Sorry I haven't really had the time to blog lately, one of the reasons being that I started diving a couple of weeks ago and I just love every second of it. 

But this I just had to share. i have this big grin on my face since 9:45 this morning when I was lucky enough to bump into 8 bottlenose dolphins on our dive. My instructor and myself were over excited and quite frankly I still am. 

I had never seen these amazing creatures in the wild before, so this was a truly amazing, amazing experience for me - the diver-newbie! 

Theses animals have to be some of the cutest! The dive today was only my 5th and I have seen so much!! here are a few pictures - editing takes quite some time as I have started just to film and then I select still images. Hubby got me a GoProHero3+ for my birthday and I absolutely love it! So all my underwater pics come from that camera now. 

Batfish - there is a little group of maybe 6-8 batfishes always at the same spot. they are so cute and so calm!

an underwater view - spot the black and white stripe clownfish! 

The Maldivian Clownfish - always a favorite! 

Just corals - the colours are amazing!! 

Don't know what he is called - but I like him!!

A little leaf fish - always around that coral formation. but today it was out so got a good shot

More corals

and a little starfish

 The Maldivian underwater world is just wonderful.

Crazy about snorkeling!

My 4 year old is absolutely crazy about snorkeling! I never would have imagined after a couple of months on the island that I would see this! The kids obviously get very close to all the staff on the island. This is her snorkeling teacher. Unlike Bali, where the locals do not swim, here the Maldivians are very good swimmers! Nahiz was telling me that even his mum has started swimming on a daily basis - "because it's good exercise for her, you know" he said. A lot of the staff here take a break for a swim around sunset or after work. Most play football though and are very excited about today's draw ( i was told yesterday that today was i very important day! and no it's not because it is also mother's day). 

Meet Nahiz! Pro snorkeler... 

And my little girl is going out to discover the amazing underwater world of the Maldives!... She was very excited because she finally met "Nemo". We have several anemones around the island in the house reef. I think they are happy small things. I am always happy when I see some when I am snorkeling.  If you want to read more about our cute little clownfish, the Amphiprion nigripes, follow this link to Maldivesdivetravel website. 

Our local Nemo - The Maldives Anemone fish

This was 2 days ago. Yesterday she went out again - 45minutes of snorkeling with Nihaz and one of the staff from the dive shop. She told me that A was talking about all the fishes she saw: oriental sweetlips, pufferfish, unicorn fish, etc. Very casually when they came and I asked her what she saw, my little girl replies: "1 turtle and 2 sharks, white tipped reef sharks"; she stops and goes on "and you know mummy, one was very very big". Some of the staff here ask her if she is not afraid and her expression to that is priceless: she simply cannot comprehend that anybody could be afraid of looking at all theses sea creatures. "No, I am a big girl". 

I love our life on our island. Who knows she might end up being Marine biologist.  

Our house reef!

First time I heard mentioning the "house reef" I had no clue what the guys from the dive shop were talking about! Then they started mentioning turtles, sharks and other exotic fish names and I understood they were referring to the coral reef that is around our small island! Talking about small island, I measured our little paradise on google earth and it is something like 250m long at the longest point and 200m at the largest point (or maybe the other way around) that is without the extension for the villas built on the water. So yes it is small. I think to snorkel around it, it probably takes around 2 hours. I haven't tried yet, but will soon I hope.

Of course diving here is the big hit, haven't been able to start yet, but just to snorkel is amazing. Here are a few pics of our amazing "house reef". It is home to I think 4 turtles, several white tipped reef shark - not dangerous and generally shy - and wow thousands of fishes: big, small, juveniles and babies! it's another world happening "down under". I am no fish expert, so if you see mistakes please do correct me!

So here we go! ... this is what i see, a couple of minutes of swimming from the shore!

Moorish Idols, Empress Angelfishes, Blue Surgeons, Butterfly fishes, Parrot fishes... just to name a few! 

Maldivian Anemone fish (our local Nemo!) and a family of Blue Stripe Snappers

Batfishes and a Oriental Sweet Lips in the background

A cute Porcupine Fish

Yellow Margin Triggerfish

A White Tipped Reef Shark - I was chasing it for a picture, but he is very camera shy! unfortunately visibility was not the best that day.

and finally one of our sea turtles! These pictures are taken on 2 occasions, but I think it's the same one...

and there are so many more! next time...