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A wonderful place for good diving and great family holydays Location The Republic of Maldives are situated in the Indian Ocean, South of India and Sri Lanka, scattered across the equator 7° 6’ north to 0° 42’ south along the longitudes 72° 32’ to 73° 46’. The Approximately 200 islands are inhabited and 100 islands are reserved for tourist resorts. The Maldivian law forbids the combination of the two on one same island. Formation Millions of years ago, a great range of volcanoes rose from the floor of the Because their formation, the reefs remained almost intact after the 2004 tsunami. The same is true for most of the islands that were engulfed by the wave. The reefs suffered the most during the famous El Niño in 1998. First arrival At first, I had mixed emotions when flying over Maldives shifting between being moved at the sight of the overwhelming beauty of the green islands floating on the blue sea and feeling sadness at the thought that the Maldives inhabitants will be among the first victims of the ice melting due to global warming. All When we arrived to Male, Maldives' hometown or more exactly Home Island (Capital City – Maldivians call the island where they were born their ‘home island’), Cindy and Rob from "Maldives Scuba Tours" www.scubascuba.com greeted us with a huge smile and drove us to "Sea Spirit", the ship on which we would spend the whole week. Sea Spirit This beautiful 27-meter wooden ship built in the There is no diving deck from the ship. In the The Scuba Tours Company owns one more dive boat in the The Sea Spirit and Sea Queen have been built in order to be used as live-aboard which makes them comfortable for that use. Considered as mid-range ships size wise, they both look like many other Both, the Sea Spirit and Sea Queen, offer the Nitrox option. Approximately 50% of The dive masters Cindy, our tour guide and first dive master, used to be manager at Marks & Spencer's in the Rob, a great guy and our second dive master, is from Ali, my great friend and local dive master, could always find every single smallest critter you could ever dream to see in the sea. Food You probably know that we, the divers, love to eat. Sea Spirit belongs to a British company and I was happy about that before I went on the ship. I really don't want to hurt anyone, but English food is not one of my favorites. I supposed that the food on a British owned ship, prepared for a gentle British group would be genuine English. I was happy with that because I was thinking I would come back home very fit after eating only the salad at each meal. Unfortunately for me, I got a cold shower from my dietician when I got back after she measured the result! The cook was Sri Lankan and very skilled. I don't know how he did to guess, but he prepared all the food I love the most (except for the fish and the seafood that I prefer to see when I dive rather than on my plate). Wow, everything was succulent! Even if I deeply wanted, I couldn't succeed to go on a diet during that trip. As an example, here's the menu of just one meal: - Thai green chicken curry - Deviled shrimps - Potato curry - Dahl curry (lentils) - Mango chutney - Indians poppadums (kind of fried bread) - Grilled Basmati rice I'm getting hungry just by writing this menu and remembering the spicy taste… I used to wake up very early, while on the boat, much before everyone else did and had a chat with Thilak, our chef to get some of his recipes. Still, our chef respected the British group’s origins and once during the week, he prepared some fish & chips for them. Diving in I was first looking for a live-aboard with at least four dives a day, but it was impossible to find. All Currents can be very strong and the organization around the dives takes a long time. It includes getting to the dive spot, waiting for all the divers to get out of the water, and getting back to the boat…. For similar reasons, you can’t remain at the bottom for much more than one hour. By the way, the depth limit is 30 meters, in the Even if you wanted it, you couldn’t’ make a night dive every night because of the reef formation, the currents and the high waves making it more difficult for the dive boat to find you at the end the dive. Night dives are usually organized once or twice during the trip, only when the weather conditions permit and only at specific spots that are known to be safe. The most common type of dives in the Types of Dive Sites There are a number of different types of dive sites in the Kandus are channels or breaks in the reef which forms the atoll rim. The kandus allow the flow of water from the ocean into or out of the atoll. This nutrient rich water attracts many pelagic and schooling fish, sharks, rays and more, and often leads to a very exciting dive. However, strong currents can flow in these passes. It is important to follow the instructions of the Dive Masters as they are there to help you get the best out of your dive. A thila is the name given to a reef inside of the atoll or in the middle of a kandu. Many are small and can easily be circled in one dive, whilst others are quite large and need several dives in order to see everything. The top of thilas are usually found between 5 to 16 meters, with the bottom parts dropping off to the atoll plate. On many thilas the place to be to view the action is at the 'current point' which is the side of the thila hit by the current as it passes by. When currents are running, the easiest way to keep yourself in position is to use a reef hook since this causes no damage to the reef and allows you to effortlessly watch the action. A giri is similar to a thila but the top of it will only be just below the surface. These often make great night dives during which you can discover many small hidden creatures. Currents There are many currents and they are famous for their strength which makes the Climate Since The best time of the year to get there is generally during January to April. However; in February 2008 the rain was pouring non-stop for two weeks. Our trip took place in July, during the wet season (between April and October). The weather was not splendid but it was relatively OK and the diving was really good! This is also a good period to see pelagic. The dry season is between November and April. November and April are the transition months during which the waters are cooler than the rest of the year. Summary of the dive trip The dive week is a five and half dive trip (even if we dived seven days). When embarking on the boat the first day, we had some time to put our belongings in our rooms, get our equipment ready and rest a little bit after our long trip. We began our "safari" in the afternoon with a check dive at "Back Faru", close to the I understood very quickly what he said. We began the second day at The surge was quite strong and it was not easy to remain still, catch the reef with one hand and take pictures with the other. Moreover, I had the bad idea to dive with a shorty wetsuit and my knees and elbows really didn't appreciate it! If you had seen my wife's face after she saw my knees, when I got back home, you would understand why I would better have had a full wetsuit. We finished the second dive day with a dive at HP reef (thila) to see some small critters. I didn't understand why that reef's name was HP. Some people say it is called HP reef for ‘High Pressure’ as a lot of the time the current is very strong there. We timed it right when we went diving so the current was manageable! Up until that day, HP was for me only a huge computer company. The third day began badly because of the pouring rain and the rough wind. We couldn't dive at 7AM and we had to wait for the weather to calm down. We dived for the first time at 9AM at Himmafushi Kandu, in quiet waters, allowing us to see some schooling blue striped snappers. We were supposed to take the direction of Ari atoll but had to change our plans because of the weather since we couldn't get across. We stayed in the Male atoll and got to its Southern part. We dived at Embudhoo Express where we could see a Peacock mantis shrimp and some more small critters. We finished our dive day at Kuda Giri, a wreck dive. Many wrecks in the When we woke up in the fourth day, the sea was perfectly flat. The sky was cloudy but the weather was nice. We began our first dive at Cocoa Thila. The top of this thila was reaching 16 meters, making the dive quite deep. At 30 meters, we saw a sleeping nurse shark, schooling jacks, and schooling black and white snappers. At the end of the dive, we spotted two large green turtles swimming on the top of the thila. We continued our trip to the Southern point of Male atoll and got to the Hathi Kolhu dive spot, well known for its population of blue/yellow and black ribbon eels, yellow leaf fishes and mantis shrimps. The next dive was at Heart Thila; it is called like that because of the way it looks. We could see some small critters like anemone shrimps, porcelain crabs, and much more, This was the only day we did four dives. The last dive on that day was a night dive, the only one we did at night during the week. We did it at the same spot. We could see there among many other species some spider crabs and juvenile parrot fish On the fifth day in the morning, we could appreciate the splendid sunrise over We called our second dive at Lhosfushi channel, the "washing machine". It was the dive we had the strongest current of the entire trip. That would have been an ideal site to have used a reef hook on the corner. No way to stay still, the only way was to drift with the current. There were a couple of white tips, jacks, a huge group of bannerfish, but the current was so strong that it was pretty hard to appreciate anything except the stream. Yet, I had an unusual experience, I wanted to know which one is stronger, my head or the reef and I found out! In fact, while I looked up to take a picture of some jacks I hit with my head on the reef as I was drifting. It was not such a great experience as you can easily imagine… The third dive was much quieter at Gaathu Giri. We saw some small species, like seastar shrimp, yellow pipefish, clams, and many more. The sixth day was our last full dive day. We began with a dive at Dhighu Thila, a very large thila with the top at 10 to12 meters depth. We saw six eagle rays schooling, yellow pufferfish, some nice and huge anemones. The second dive at Miyaru Faru corner (Miyaru means shark but we haven't seen any of them there). The reef was really nice but the water was greenish. During the third dive at Banana Reef (again named like that because of the way it looks), we had no current at all. However, we had beautiful scenery, even if the water was greenish. We saw some huge grouper, napoleon fish, and huge schools of tiny glassfish. At the end of the dive, we took the road to Himmafushi (close to I the morning of the seventh day, those who had no night flight could dive again at the manta spot, as a farewell dive. It's really moving to see from so close those splendid creatures moving slowly. At the end of the dive, we rinsed all our equipment and we went to spend the afternoon in Male city. Diving equipment advice As on most of the worldwide live-aboards, you should bring your own gear. Water temperature is warm all year long ranging between 28-30 degrees centigrade. I'd suggest not taking a wet suit that is too heavy, 2 or 3 mm should be fine. Currents can be very strong and reefs are harsh. I am highly recommending a full wetsuit instead of a short one to keep your knees and elbows safe. Good buoyancy control is vital. It's also important to have an SMB safety sausage to be seen by the boat before surfacing. Dive alert is recommended. Because of the strong currents, reef hook can be useful in some situations. It's generally available for purchase on-board at $30. Keep in mind that most of the airline companies flying to and from Underwater Photographers No problem if you have light equipment like point and shoot camera. At the back of the boat, there are two large containers which are always filled with fresh water for camera rinsing. If you’re an SLR user with a lot of equipment and, like me, you refuse to take the risk to send any part of it in your suitcase, you should have a large photo bag but not too bulky so that no one will look at it from too close. Mine looks bulky because of the built-in trolley so I had some problems to get into the flights with it but after explaining gently to the stewards that it's expensive camera equipment, they let me in. Since the entire camera equipment bag is too heavy for airplanes regulations, I use a photo vest in which I transfer a large part of the equipment (lenses, flashes…) from my bag. It's a little heavy on the shoulder and I generally look like an alien when wearing my vest with my pockets full, but the most important is that it's discreet and that's the key to traveling with your UW camera equipment. Be ready, the bulky camera kit doesn't help in the water against the current. Lanyard might be a good option to secure the camera. Reef hook might help you at current points, but if you want to get really close to the action, it won't help you and you will have to catch the reef with one hand and take a picture with the other. Very wide-angle or fish-eye lens will be the best choice for the manta cleaning station because you will see the mantas from very close! The staff gave us the cameras after we jumped into the water and took them back at the end of the dive. I attached my camera flash arms together using a double end bolt snap so that it was easier for the staff (and for me) to carry all the kit. They even got so used to it that once, when I forgot to attach the arms at the end of a dive, they could not figure out how to pull the camera out anymore. When I noticed the problem I rapidly attached the arms and the staff guy was relievedJ. Choose the lenses you will take with you in function of the wide variety of micro life and the many wide types of scenery, Sea Spirit is not equipped with a photo table since there is no dive deck at the back of the boat. I usually took care of my kick on one of the lounge's tables and Cindy reserved me a place on the ground where I could leave it when not in use. If you like to have the sun in your underwater pictures, you might want to choose a less cloudy period of the year than the one I chose. I was there in July. January to April should be the perfect months, but as you know, it's also a question of luck. Video clips made by Ran Ton during our stay in the Manta Clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-wmSaG58Q8 Diving Clip http://www.youtube.com/user/RanT1026 Additional things you should know Visa A 30-day tourist visa is issued to all tourists upon arrival. Tourists are required to have a confirmed booking at a resort, hotel or safari vessel for immigration clearance. Visa extensions may be obtained from the department of Immigration and Emigration in Male. Electricity Most of the boats provide 220V. Because of the historical British influence in the There is a place in the lounge where it's possible to recharge all the batteries. It's forbidden to recharge in the room because of overheating reasons. Currency Maldives Rufiyaa has a constant rate compared to the $US 1 US Dollar = 12.960 The $US can be used everywhere. It’s better to use the Dollars than to change them into Rufiyaa. Just be sure to keep the exchange rate in mind. Phone and internet There is a wireless connection available all over the There are two methods to do this: Method 1: Get an account via SMS using Dhiraagu Mobile. Send an SMS to 414 with a keyword as detailed below, or just send a blank SMS to 414 to receive they keyword syntax. Method 2: A prepaid voucher can be purchased from a wireless zone prepaid card dealer on the island. Dhiraagu Wireless Zone Service Cost Validity Period Registration Fee Half hour access Rf 10 1 day NA Two hour access Rf 30 5 days NA Ten hour access Rf 140 10 days NA Thirty hour access Rf 350 30 days NA Sixty hour access Rf 590 60 days NA Unlimited access Rf 95 1 day NA It’s not recommended to use your own (non-Maldivian) mobile phone with the Sun Be aware that the |
