Before I forget, I wanted to make sure I posted about Martha's annual deep sea fishing trip with her buddies, Captain Bartolo, and first mate Gilberto. They left at 7 am & they put out five lines to see what they could catch. They trolled for about four hours and she succeeded or was very lucky in catching a 20 kg sailfish (it's quite the magnificent looking thing!) Note the top of the fish which is known as it's sail or fin which is amazing to look at. Normally kept folded when swimming, but the "sail" iwill be raised when it feels threatened or excited. Just so you know, the sailfish was a catch and release and was not hurt in any way. Marth also caught a mackeral that weighed approx. 10 pounds or so. She ... read more

Life wastes itself whilst we are preparing to live. Ralph Waldo Emerson Good morning everybody! I am lying on my oceanfront lounger, coffee in hand, and laptop on my lap typing you my blog. We are enjoying our last few days here. To say we don't want to go home is an under-understatement but one cannot be too greedy right?! I think summering on the shores of the Caribbean here or around Playa will be a yearly thing for us. Great fun, great food, R&R, culture and all around A plus experiences we've had. There are private oceanfront homes in Akumal that would be worth considering where it's very quiet and you are one with nature but close to all the amenities of Playa. Yesterday as you know by now from the videos we uploaded was ... read more

This video was captured by the guide today on Al and Lara's dive. And YES this is Lara and her dad swimming with whale sharks. They volunteered to be the first in the water. (Keep in mind there are hundreds of boats nearby with tourists waiting to be the first in the water!) Lara who just turned 13 and was ready, willing and excited to be swimming next to these beautiful creatures. This is as safe as swimming with dolphins despite the whale sharks size. We are always on the ball with our children's safety and this had no risk attached to it at all. (Read further blogs to see our comments) To say we are impressed with Lara is an understatement. She kept up with swimming with her dad who is a seasoned swimmer but ... read more

"A black cat that crosses your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere."~ Grouch Marx (Stay tuned for the black cat.) Al left at 8:30 am for his final dive. I waited and waited for him to get back (well...Ok, I didn't wait, I took the kids for hot cakes, then Marth & I did some shopping, and as I was walking by the restaurant in front of our condo, I was offered free canapes (I'll explain the free part later). I thought Al would be home by around 1:30 at the latest. When he didn't roll in by 3 PM I was verging on being a smidgen worried but knew he was with great divers. But there he was sauntering up the beach with his diving book in-hand and his "degree". I could tell ... read more

Examples of the fish, marine life I saw yesterday to help with the description of the last blog. Al... read more