Fiji had all the makings of a perfect trip—smooth flights, turquoise waters, soft white sand, a beautiful resort, and the magic of Christmas. But the day after we arrived, paradise surprised us with a seven-day tropical rainstorm. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much water fall from the sky for so many days in a row. Thankfully, we had iPads and Kanoodle to keep us entertained indoors.

We had chosen Fiji with one big goal in mind: our first family scuba diving adventure. All four of us had just become certified in November, and we couldn’t imagine a better place than Fiji to take our very first open water dive. Despite the storm, the dive boats were eager for business, and we were eager for adventure. The moment we slipped beneath the surface, the rain disappeared. Suddenly, we were in another world—calm, vibrant, and utterly magical.

Together, our wanderlust-filled family completed four unforgettable dives. That week, a lifelong love for scuba was born.

Thank you, Fiji, for sharing your waters and opening the door to a mesmerizing new world beneath the waves.

Things to remember: Our flight from SFO to Fiji (scheduled for ~10:00 pm and a glorious overnight rest on the flight) got cancelled while we were at SFO and rescheduled for the next morning so we had to get a hotel for the quick night by the airport, the boat transfer from Fiji (Nadi) to the resort island for over an hour on a small boat in gusty conditions in the dark, our first day with perfect weather and the epic sunburns, breakfast and the “Rocket Fuel” juice, the rain, the puddles, the umbrellas, the spa, endless time with Kanoodle, John and Johnny’s long games of catch with a football in the ocean in the storm, a headstand in the rain, our little bungalow, Johnny’s cushions on the floor, movies at night, the bucket to rinse off our feet, scuba diving with rain and waves sideways, the Survivor island, lots of “bula”, Charlotte’s shell collection, delicious lunches and dinners, more rain and more puddles, weaving leaves to make a bookmark, our last day with perfect weather, Johnny’s GoPro moments on the paddle board, Johnny forgetting his iPhone at the resort, Charlotte not getting a tan, paradise almost found.