After dinner the young German boat captain motioned to me.

“At midnight we will open a bottle of champagne to celebrate the new year – would you like to join us?”

“Sure, sounds fun. Thanks.”

“Just one thing – we’ll be doing it on the bottom.”

He laughed at my confused look.

Joy and I were in Thailand, celebrating New Years with a three-day diving trip to the Similan Islands, about 50 miles off the coast of Phuket. This was our live-aboard dive boat. Nothing fancy, but comfortable enough.

The sand on the Similan Islands is a blinding white – by far the whitest I’ve ever seen. And powdery – the grains are so fine that when you walk on it, it squeaks.  As fine as flour – it sticks stubbornly to wet skin. Large smooth granite boulders and tropical trees made a pleasing backdrop to the beaches.

I learned later that this kind of sand is actually made of fish poop. The fish eat the coral, digest it, and what’s left washes up to form the fine white beaches. Between dives, we explored the uninhabited islands.

The diving was exceptional.

At ten-to-midnight we descended to the bottom – about 60 feet. We sat in a circle, and the captain (pictured here) taught me how to drink champagne under water. Basically, you cover the opening with your thumb, put it to your lips, make a good lip-seal, then remove your thumb. When done, turn the bottle upside down so the air bubble prevents seawater from entering, cover with your thumb, and pass it on. Yes, it’s awkward as hell.

It was cheap champagne, and a little sea water got into it no matter how careful we were. It tasted terrible, actually, but it was memorable. I’ll tolerate a lot for a memory.