May 23, 2025
We explored the Singapore airport a bit this morning and were surprised to stumble upon a Dunkin Donuts!
After a smooth four-hour flight to the Maldives, we hopped on a seaplane for a quick hop over to our hotel. The seaplane was tight, a few of us were nervous, but the ride went well—and the aerial views of the islands were absolutely breathtaking.
Once we arrived, we wasted no time jumping into both the pool and the Indian Ocean. The water was warm, calm, and crystal clear—perfect for a first dip.
At dinner a bunch of LARGE fruit bats were flying around. We heard about them, but seeing them caught us off guard.
After dinner, we sat outside and enjoyed some truly world-class stargazing. The night sky here is unreal.
May 24, 2025
After breakfast, we spent a few relaxing hours at the main pool. Then we headed to lunch, where we were lucky to spot a group of reef sharks gliding through the water nearby.
In the afternoon, we went snorkeling at the resort’s house reef. The variety of vibrant fish was amazing, though the reef itself—like so many in the Maldives—was bleached. It was a bit heartbreaking, and we tried to imagine how stunning it must have looked before.
Back at the villa, we took some time to relax and do some homeschool. Before dinner, Justin gave e-foiling a try while the kids had a blast zipping around with a SeaBob. Everyone loved it.
After dinner, we capped off the evening with a fun night swim at the villa. The kids were especially thrilled to be in the water without needing sunscreen.
May 25, 2025
This morning, Justin, Peyton, and Morgan set out in hopes of swimming with a whale shark. They’ve been spotted consistently over the past couple of weeks—but today, luck wasn’t on our side. After three hours of searching, no whale sharks appeared.
Still, the outing wasn’t a total loss. We met some great people, learned a lot about whale sharks, and spent a beautiful morning cruising through the Maldives. As a consolation stop, the crew took us to a stunning, colorful reef full with marine life. We spotted multiple beautiful schools fish, a leopard shark, a blacktip reef shark, and a few titan triggerfish. The guide was totally unfazed by the sharks, but when the titan triggerfish appeared, she warned us to keep ours eyes on those and move away—which definitely got the kids’ attention.
After returning to shore, we grabbed lunch and headed back to the villa. By then, we were all pretty wiped and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing—and sneaking in some much-needed naps.
At dinner we spotted a 8-10 more sharks swimming around the restaurant and saw a turtle on walk back to villa.
May 26, 2025
Justin was up bright and early to head out deep sea fishing with Peyton and Owen. They were treated to a beautiful sunrise, but luck wasn’t on their side (again) — no wahoo, tuna, or sailfish biting today.
Between the loud boat motor while trolling, choppy seas, and sticky humidity, Justin gained a new appreciation for the quiet and relaxing nature of bass fishing back in New Hampshire.
Meanwhile, Morgan and Natacha made the smarter call and opted for relaxing massages.
After lunch, we spent a good stretch at the pool before winding down back at the villa. We capped off the day with a beautiful dinner at sunset.
May 27, 2025
This morning, Peyton and Justin decided to skip the adventures and just enjoy a relaxing massage — a much-needed break.
Afterward, Peyton, Morgan, and Natacha headed out for another round on the SeaBobs. Peyton managed to pull off an underwater backflip, Morgan did a full twist, and Natacha had a blast — though she’s feeling it now!
Owen opted to skip the SeaBobs and he and Justin went to an early lunch at the underwater restaurant, where he especially loved watching the sharks swim by.
After an exciting round of table tennis we spent the afternoon unwinding at the villa and prepping for tomorrow’s travel day. Justin squeezed in a run around the resort — and he definitely underestimated how hot it would be.
We wrapped up with a lovely final dinner before starting to pack up.
May 28, 2025
After breakfast, we boarded the seaplane back to Malé—this time with seats closer to the cockpit, which gave us a fun new perspective.
The four-hour flight from Malé to Dubai was a little bumpy at times, but otherwise uneventful.
The Maldives lived up to the pictures—truly the clearest, bluest water we’ve ever seen. The constant presence of marine life: sharks, turtles, stingrays, manta rays, colorful fish, and crabs were always nearby, like we were swimming in an open aquarium. While we were a bit disappointed not to have better luck with whale sharks or deep sea fishing, we’ll always remember the stunning natural beauty and unique underwater world of this incredible place.
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