I asked what she did for a living. She said she was a software engineer working with SOA. I did not think about my plane ride much until I arrived in San Francisco to attend the SOA World Conference & Expo this past Monday and Tuesday. The first day of the conference as I walked into the hotel, guess who I saw? My friend who I met on the Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul. What a small world, isn't it? Her company was one of the sponsors of the event.

If this year you are craving a bit more excitement then beach bumming for your summer vacation, you may want to consider diving in some of the most breathtaking waters our country has to offer. Horizon Charters, based out of San Diego, is hosting dive adventure trips to the Southern Channel Islands.

'My desire is always to be here' sang Sir Paul McCartney in his tribute to the Mull of Kintyre, and the Western Highlands have inspired the same loyalty in many who have come to know and love this secluded coast. The Scottish landscape is a theatre where the hills themselves appear to move in the shifting light, one minute swathed in cloud, the next a misty veil of sunlight, and later against a piercing blue sky the brilliant sunshine bouncing off fresh snow on the hilltops.

Cruising the western coasts of the Americas, M/Y Absinthe accents rugged outdoorsmanship in her sporting offerings, yet is graced by furnishings and amenities fit for royalty: you!

The Highlands of Scotland might not be the most obvious place to take a yacht, but a combination of sea-canals and the largest body of water in the UK make it a surprisingly accessible destination for all but the largest yacht, with a history which still echoes today and some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world.

The long whip-like tail, large eye, silver sheen on its side, and the ease with which it glides through the water little well prepare you for your first thresher shark sighting.

For your next charter, how about being swept the length of the deck by a 60-ft. wave, struggling to put a reef in the mainsail in a Force 9 gale and then enjoying your supper of a freeze dried meal before strapping yourself into your bunk for no more than three hours sleep at a time? If this doesn?t appeal, try another perspective ? how about taking the biggest adventure of your life, breaking the boundaries of everything you thought you were capable of and experiencing the most natural and untamed edges of the world?

Over 1,000 islands make up the Maldive Republic; they lie scattered, jewel-like in the clear blue waters of the Indian Ocean, grouped in atolls each surrounded by its own lagoon. Twenty-six of these coral atolls stretch down almost to the Equator. Below the surface sea life is staggering, making scuba diving here some of the best in the world. Coral gardens are only bettered by the colors and patterns of the wide variety of fish that you encounter. However, below the water are just some of the better-known jewels in the Maldives crown ? the others are the outlying islands themselves.

Swimming into a small entrance tunnel at a depth of 26 meters, you ener one of the biggest oceanic limestone caves in the South Pacific Ocean. Fifty meters long, it's also 20 meters wide and 20 meters high. The cave is teeming with flashlight fishes, reef sharks and a two meter grouper.

When Jacques Yves Cousteau first visited Sipadan Island off Borneo, in the seventies, aboard the legendary Calypso, he was so impressed with its marine life, that he and his team of divers stayed on for six months to record its spectacular marine creatures.

It was just another day's diving in paradise for Dietmar Amon of Lissenung Island, except today he had a diver named Gadi, who wanted to see big sharks. 'I'll take you to see the silvertips at Silvertip Reef' said Dietmar.

Private adventure yachting is the ?end all be all? for discriminating travelers. It is a world that is continuously in transition as new global destinations and adventure possibilities are discovered. We?ll take you inside the luxury world of cage diving with Great White sharks and show you how to plan your personal National Geographic-style adventure in comfort aboard your own private yacht.

On the scene on the beautiful island of Antigua, YV&C editorial team inspected charter yachts of all sizes. The 43rd Annual Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting hosted more than 100 yachts in three marinas, including the newly refurbished Nelson's Dockyard. According to Afsaneh Franklin, show administrator, there were more than 550 attendees--charter brokers, agents, and press from all over the world.

In the Florida Keys, divers scavenge the reefs for lost galleon gold. You can join the hunt through centuries past aboard the 100ft Melimar.