Dolphins and whales for my birthday.

Happy birthday to me!

The best birthdays are activity-packed in my world, so we've scheduled diving, whale watching, and a night out. Let the fun begin!

The dive boat features mainly the same group as yesterday (Wendy/Frank, Ann/Jerry, Carol/Eddy) and some new folks whom I will refer to as The Flailers. You know the type. Our first dive is Swiss Cheese, and it is a completely different experience from yesterday. I practically need a machete to cut through the schools of fish, the coral is happy and bright, and we explore some exceptional swim-thrus. The Flailers even make it thru, with hardly any long term ecological damage to the reef. Wonderful, wonderful dive. Can the day get any better?

Why yes, it can! Our surface interval is spent on the beach in front of an old church, languishing in a homemade natural geothermal hot tub! When I dig my feet a bit too deep into the sand, I get a bit of a shock - HOT! It is absolutely the best surface interval I have ever had . .. well at least since last year, when Steve and I got married between dives on St. Lucia.

The next dive is The Abyss, another world-class site. Although the visability isn't the best, we do spot a wee seahorse and plenty of morays. I also notice minute caterpillar-like creatures in the coral, and other "small things," the likes of which I have never seen before. I regret that I know the names of nothing ... I have my own, made up names -- Big Eyed Pink Fish. Sideways Ugly Fish. You get the idea.

In the afternoon, we board a larger version of our dive boat for what will hopefully be a whale watching trip. Less than 15 minutes into the trip - success! A pair of Sperm Whales let us take a long look before giving a nice tail flip and dive. No worries, there are more whales over there. And over there! In all, we see 5 whales. To top off an already phenomenal day on the water, we are escorted back to shore by a huge pod of extra playful pink-bellied dophins. I might note here that dophins are quick little beasts, almost impossible to frame. I have dozens of photos of the water splashes created by them.

We strayed from Fodors for dinner, choosing La Maison on the recommendation of our diving friends. A real surprise was in store for us - we were served a wonderful French meal (with a custom vegetarian dish for me!). The superb waiter covered the entire restaurant with alacrity not often experienced in the Caribbean.

Thanks, Dominica for an A+ birthday!