I left you in my last posting with the kiss of the Maldivian sun, and I am now happy to continue with our adventure.
We were all grinning end to end after that exhilarating dive and were determined to go back for more. So we discussed with the dive guide and decided to stick around. Since we had the whole afternoon ahead of us, we figured it maybe a good idea to see if we can have some luck with Whale Sharks. There was another dive boat in the same area and obviously with the same idea. So the two boats slowly headed up and down to look for the gentle giant. With mask, snorkel and fins in hands, we all waited at the stern of the boat. A few of our divers got into the speed boat to scout around, one of them even put his mask and snorkel on and stuck his head in the water as the speed boat searched for the giant. That was a sight to behold!
After a good 30 minutes of anticipation, finally the signal was given...the divers from the other dive boats all jumped into the water and we quickly jumped in after them. There he was at a depth of around 35 feet, the "baby" whale shark at roughly 12feet long was swaying in the water. With our snorkel and fins securely in place, we dove in after him. It was a hard work out but we managed to come very close to this gentle giant with beautiful white spotted pattern on his back. The Maldivian sun was gently caressing his back and the white spots looked like they were dancing in unison.
We had a well-earned lunch after that little expedition. In the late afternoon we were ready for our last dive of the day. From the start of this dive something just didn't seem right. The dive guide did not give any dive briefing. We didn't have a clue what the site was liked and we didn't know what was the maximum depth or time of our dive. The only warning he gave was beware of "very strong" current. There were 10 of us getting ready to go in with one newly certified diver. As soon as we got into the water we were already taken by the current. We quickly went to 50feet and waited for the group to gather. The new diver could not manage to make it down so one of the diver stayed behind with him. The real excitement then began...
"Very strong" seemed like an understatement. The current was literally carrying us on the "fast lane" of the highway. And this was not your usual Mid-West highway either. There were many "uphills and downhills" where we were being "dragged down" to 90feet then "tossed up" to 60feet. This carried on for a bit and any of us with a camera or video didn't even have the strength to try to capture this moment. We were all too busy clinging on and protecting ourselves from being "tossed" against the rocks and corals! After an "exciting" 30minutes ride, we finally hit a spot where the current has decided to take a break. Our dive guide finally decided to communicate with us by giving us a signal to stop our dive and get ready to go up.
As we slowly emerged from the water, the Maldivian sun once again greeted us and this time we were all especially glad to receive his "kiss"!
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Maldives Adventure
After a long flight with an hour layover in Bangkok, our group of 14 divers arrived in Male just past mid-night local time. We quickly collected our bags and headed straight to the jetty to catch our water-taxi to our "home" for the next 5 days. It's a live-aboard boat painted in brilliant white.
It wasn't the best start since our tour-leader had to wrestle with the dive guide to make sure he takes us down to South Ari Atoll to see Manta Rays and Whale Sharks. The dive guide "claimed" that they are not in season but we said we will take our chances! The next morning we did a "check-out" dive at 10am and the boat slowly cruised down south. That check-out dive was the first and last dive we had that 1st full day in the Maldives! That was definitely a crime!
After an early night, we all got up the next morning at 6am for our 1st dive at 6:30am! The dive guide took us down and the water was very pristine with immense life underwater. All our anxiety from the day before started to slowly dissipate. After a nice little breakfast we had a couple of hours of rest before we headed back into the water. With in the 1st 5 minutes of our dive we spotted a gracious Manta Ray gliding effortlessly in the deep blue. With all our energy we finned out to meet this gorgeous creature. We managed to get a few good shots and were quite pleased with this encounter. Our group started to move on again and after another 10 minutes we once again saw the shadow of that gracious creature. This time he was a bit more allusive and just gave us a little wave and left the scene. As we moved toward the shallow we saw ahead there were another group of divers congregated in a small circle like a prayer group. We rushed over to take a look and the most amazing scene appeared before our eyes. There were 4 Mantas of various sizes performing a choreographic dance in mid-water. We all knelt down in that circle and marvelled at their performance. They glided in circle and over our heads and as they swam over I could see their eyes and as if they could read my mind, they gave me a look to say that God has answered my prayer and they are here to impress upon me His Grace! I could feel tears rolling in my eyes but I held them back. I didn't want any distraction from my admiration of these creatures.
After a good 20 minutes, I reluctantly said good-bye to the Mantas and made my way up to the dive boat to greet the Maldivian sun.
Stay tune for Part II...
It wasn't the best start since our tour-leader had to wrestle with the dive guide to make sure he takes us down to South Ari Atoll to see Manta Rays and Whale Sharks. The dive guide "claimed" that they are not in season but we said we will take our chances! The next morning we did a "check-out" dive at 10am and the boat slowly cruised down south. That check-out dive was the first and last dive we had that 1st full day in the Maldives! That was definitely a crime!
After an early night, we all got up the next morning at 6am for our 1st dive at 6:30am! The dive guide took us down and the water was very pristine with immense life underwater. All our anxiety from the day before started to slowly dissipate. After a nice little breakfast we had a couple of hours of rest before we headed back into the water. With in the 1st 5 minutes of our dive we spotted a gracious Manta Ray gliding effortlessly in the deep blue. With all our energy we finned out to meet this gorgeous creature. We managed to get a few good shots and were quite pleased with this encounter. Our group started to move on again and after another 10 minutes we once again saw the shadow of that gracious creature. This time he was a bit more allusive and just gave us a little wave and left the scene. As we moved toward the shallow we saw ahead there were another group of divers congregated in a small circle like a prayer group. We rushed over to take a look and the most amazing scene appeared before our eyes. There were 4 Mantas of various sizes performing a choreographic dance in mid-water. We all knelt down in that circle and marvelled at their performance. They glided in circle and over our heads and as they swam over I could see their eyes and as if they could read my mind, they gave me a look to say that God has answered my prayer and they are here to impress upon me His Grace! I could feel tears rolling in my eyes but I held them back. I didn't want any distraction from my admiration of these creatures.
After a good 20 minutes, I reluctantly said good-bye to the Mantas and made my way up to the dive boat to greet the Maldivian sun.
Stay tune for Part II...
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