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Nick, Aquarius, is certainly very at home in the water. What better way to get a great tan and sun kissed blonde highlights into your silky hair than to hang out on the beach with your shirt off?

Have you ever . . .

... had sunstroke ?

No , never . We live next to the beach so I've been round the sun all my life and I never worry about it. I don't even wear sunscreen and I still don't burn.

.... dyed your hair ?

I have it highlighted , but I don't think I'd ever dye it another colour. I don't really have to do that much to it as the sun really bleaches it in the summer.

So tell us about your new boat then...

"I keep the boat berthed on the canal next to my house that leads to the Florida coast. I fill the engine with petrol and just head out to sea. The Florida Keys are the greatest stretch of ocean in the world with lots of small islands you can stop off at. Many a time I've played football on the beach with my brothers and sisters. A lot of the time I go out on the boat alone. Being on my own, with just the silence of the sea, is such an escape from the constant screaming of fans on a Backstreet Boys tour. It's something I need to do - just to get away from it all. To me, the Florida Keys is paradise on Earth.

You've just turned 17 - isn't it dangerous to go out on a boat alone?

"My boat is a 400cc and can reach 130km per hour. For the people who don't master the engine it can be a very dangerous toy. But I know what I'm doing. The worst moment I've ever experienced at sea was the death of my dog, Booboo, last summer. I went out for the day on the boat with my family. We decided to leave Booboo at home because we would be back in a couple of hours. But Booboo escaped from the garden and tried to catch up with us when we were setting off to sea. He jumped in the water and got caught up in the propeller. He drowned. It was really sad and I cried a lot.

Do you ever take girls on board your boat?

Of course I do. We swim in the sea and play around, but I never try to kiss them. I know a lot of girls who are just friends. The way I prefer it. I don't really want to fall in love yet. I prefer to wait a little bit. To be honest, I've never really fallen in love. I've never felt this strong
sensation. Of course, in the past there have been girls who were important to me. I went out with this girl called Bryn for about a year. She used to be in the same musical as me. She was in love with another guy at the time.
I asked her out all the same and she accepted. But I'm still very young and I have lots of time for love. The day I find the girl of my dreams I would spoil her rotten.

Where would you take a girl on the first date?

To the beach. A beach has all the necessary elements - water, sky and more. It should be moonlight and the water should be calm and the waves too.
A perfect date right?

"I'm actually afraid of sharks. Once, I had the worst dream in the world which put me on the back of a cruise ship in the Bahamas. The water was crystal clear and I was leaning over the railing to see. This woman pulls up on a jet-ski and we begin to have a conversation. Suddenly, out of nowhere there's this 26-foot great white shark! You could see its shadow underneath her and I yelled at her to watch out and jump but it was too late. The shark grabbed her leg and pulled her under the surf. That was my worst dream ever!"

What's the most exotic thing you can cook?
Fish. I cook it on a pan. I have it just basically by itself - when I go to Florida Keys the fish is really beautiful.

What do you miss most when you're out on tour?
Nick: The tranquility. I live in a small town where they won't find me too easily. I'm not that much of a city person. They're too busy and crowded. I love the sea and live very close to it. I've just bought a boat and I plan to use it a lot!

"The number one fear I have, even though I'm a scuba diver and I've had a license for a long time…I could never stand sharks."

"The ocean does something to me that is unexplainable just being out there and realizing that I am alive" ( . . and dolphins like to kiss me a lot) - (Nick never said that part!)

Where's the best place you've ever traveled since being in the Backstreet Boys?

Nick: I don't know.. Australia was really nice. Spain was really nice.. Pretty much just places that have been on the beach. I like the ocean, so that's probably why I really like those places so much.

What's the most important thing in your life?
Backstreet Boys is the most important thing in my life. My life revolves around the group. We are very close - simply because we seem to spend so much time together. And my boat, of course. It's the best thing I ever bought. I can't wait to go out on it when I get home!"