Two month of hard work to reach the next milestone in our project at work in front of us - and it was the last chance to take a week off. So Alan and me decided to buy a package holiday where we do not have anything to plan and care about. Galapagos? Thailand? No, a special offer from our travel agent: Reethi Rah Resort on the Maledives!

After an extensive journey on the boat we got to the island - and to our bungalow. It was very very nice, like in the story book: White sand, clear water and a own private small beach!

The first thing we did was a small snorkeling expedition on the house reef. We liked the underwater world that much that we both signed up for an introduction to scuba diving. And that was the beginning of a passion.

Very quickly we felt comfortable with the scuba gear and wanted more - more diving. Colorful corals, eagle rays, lobsters, an octopus, sea turtles, sharks, star fish and lots of other creatures of this surreal seeming world were around our divers group. There are no words to describe this great experience. Just try it yourself!

We almost spent all holiday long skimming through the 250 pages strong book, doing excercises and sitting a few exams at the PADI Dive Center to get the Open Water Diver license. It was definitely worth it and I am going to extend it as soon as possible.