By guest writer Hillary Bloom, a New York City human resources professional who is also an avid diver and watersports fan.

The Aqua Cat catamaran (a boat that balances on two hulls for stability) awaits the arrival of its new guests at Hurricane Hole Marina on Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas, soon to be off for a seven-night dive excursion.

The Aqua Cat, built in 2001, is a 103-foot luxury boat designed for dive trips and features 11 passenger cabins accommodating up to 24 guests. Each cabin includes a private bathroom, hairdryer, large windows and mini refrigerator. The boat itself also has an indoor dining/salon area, an alfresco (outdoor dining) deck, sun deck and bar, and a dive deck. Internet access (if it's working) is available when the boat is docked on Paradise Island.

“Welcome aboard. Now, watch your step as you climb aboard the Aqua Cat,” a crewmember told me as I awkwardly pulled myself up and across the ramp to get onto the boat. However, before I got to see my cabin and stow my belongings, I had to set up my dive gear and review the boat's basic rules. No sooner did I unpack and stow my clothes then the voice of Chef Jim came over the PA system welcoming us aboard and announcing that it was dinnertime.

Boarding is at 6:00 p.m. and Chef Jim serves dinner serves at 7:00 p.m. Don't worry if you arrive early, you can store your gear on the dive deck and choose from a variety of things to do: Use the marina pool, get a bite to eat, walk around Paradise Island, or take a taxi or ferry boat across to downtown Nassau to do some shopping.

After dinner, the Captain introduced his crew, conducted a thorough safety review, and asked for our C-cards (diver certification cards) and credit cards to get those details out the way. Then we were free to go ashore and enjoy Saturday night in Nassau/Paradise Island. The only caveat was to be back on board by 5:00 a.m. when the boat would be ready to sail to our first dive destination.

Chef Jim, a master at food preparation, not only tantalized our taste buds but also entertained us with his amusing and personalized announcements to come and eat. Breakfasts consisted of fresh fruits, juices, oatmeal, pancakes, French toast, eggs made to order, breakfast meats, assorted breads, and homemade muffins.

Lunches always included Chef Jim's homemade soups, which on any given day might be sweet potato, tomato basil, corn conch chowder, cream of mushroom, or roasted red pepper. Other lunch items included pizza, tacos, salads with homemade dressings, chicken and vegetable stir fry, sandwiches, and Italian chicken mozzarella. Assorted homemade cookies were available for dessert; chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, snickerdoodles and sugar cookies were some of the offerings.

Dinners each night started with salad with homemade dressings, and then there would be an entrée of steak, fish, shrimp, or lamb kebobs with vegetables and either rice or potatoes. For dessert, Chef Jim's tempting creations might be turnovers with fresh whipped cream, or chocolate cake, strawberry shortcake, or vanilla-chocolate banana bread-coconut pudding.

Page Two