Maldives Adventure - Part II

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"!