Malediven-Trip März 2005Weitere Bilder: Malediven-Gallery |
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13.03.2005 - 20.03.2005
Flug, Tauchkreuzfahrt 7 Nächte all inklusive -> CHF 2391.-
It was snowy, cold and wet on March 12th, 2005 when we met at the Zurich
Airport, all with a smile, dive equipment bags and tickets in our hands. The
check-in was smooth. We had plenty of time for a beer and for buying basic needs
at the duty free stores before boarding Edelweiss No. 60 with destination Male,
Maldives (for shopping details ask Allan,
Matthias and Marius). The overnight
flight was excellent with nearly any turbulence and a friendly crew. The travel
had begun.
We were woken up by the smell of fresh coffee, a tasty breakfast and the
sight of the Maldives Islands through the airplane windows. Once at Male, we
were welcomed by sunshine, a temperature of over 30 °C and the
enthusiastic dive
guide from Manta Reisen: Pascal Wijnen. Male Airport is very conveniently placed
directly at the Harbour and we could walk directly from baggage claim to the
pier where a dhoni was already waiting to bring us to the Kamana. The Kamana is
a lovely boat where we were greeted by a cheerful captain, his team and a fruity
aperitif. We
occupied our cabins and
got ready to ride the turquoise blue waters
of the Indian Ocean towards our first goal: Bodu Hithi Thila.
Bodu Hithi Thila is located on the north west of North Male Atoll. As our
first dive of the trip, it served as a check dive and it allowed us to get to
know some of the common diving specialities at the Maldives: excellent
visibility, warm water temperature, much reef fauna and strong currents. We saw
white tip-, nurse- and grey reef sharks, giant morays, lion-, scorpion-,
porcupine-, parrot-, and surgeonfish, all kind of triggers as well as napoleons,
spotted rays and much more. Most of the diving was drift-diving and we got used
to jumping in one part of the reef and being picked up on the far side of it.
This was an interesting learning experience for some of us, but also an exciting
one. The relatively calm water at the surface made it rather easy to spot the
emerging divers from the boat. We
were all carrying balloons and the dhoni was
very quick in getting to us.
The next diving site was Maaya Thila, located in the inside of Ari Atoll North West of Maaya Fushi. Since it is far inside the Atoll, Maaya Thila is a well protected marine area. Here we saw our first hawksbill turtle of the safari, trumpet and surgeon fish and we once again enjoyed the company of white tip reef sharks and spotted sting rays.
Bodu Thila is located in the outer rim on the north east part of Ari Atoll. Bodu Thila has a spectacular underwater landscape with cliffs and overhangs along which coverings of large sea fans and black coral bushes can be admired. Here we saw a variety of marine life such as a large school of big-eye trevallies, humpback snappers, blue-dash fusiliers, morays, beautiful butterfly- and parrotfish, and the always full of character anemone/clown fish.
Maaya Thila (Night Dive): This dive was fantastic (if you doubt it, just ask Allan). The dive started at dusk and we saw daylight disappear underwater. Though the current was strong and at the end we had to hold on strongly to the rocks not to be swept away from the reef, the dive was worth every effort. We saw many hunting sharks and morays and a great variety of coral reef fauna: Tube corals (goldkelchkoralle), parrot-, damsel-, butterfly-, unicorn- and red tooth triggerfish. The reef was very much alive and just full of animals. There are few words to describe this one. It was just beautiful.
Bathalaa Maagaa Kanthila: Not the best dive of the week! I donated the first weigh belt to the Maldivian reefs while jumping into the water and could not get down. Marius and I heard it was a good dive with strong currents and sights of tuna, turtles, sharks and eagle rays.
Maalhoss Thila: On the west side of Ari Atoll, we found white tip reef sharks,
school of snapper fish, emperor fish, corals (soft and hard), gorgonians and a
grey turtle.
Panettone sits in the middle of Kallhahandhi Kandu and it is a wall with
overhangs and caves adorned with soft corals and sea fans. The site was quite
colourful and with the current we saw large fish such as tuna, sharks, and
napoleons. 
We also saw many Picasso trigger-, angel-, puffer-, scorpion and
butterfly fish.
Rangali Madivaru: This is a cleaning station for Manta Rays (I read that such
is the case only when the current is running, but if there is something we
cannot complain about in our trip is the lack of current…). The Mantas
definitely stole the show on this dive, but there were also sharks, leopard
morays, clown trigger fish, barracudas, tunas, a snapperfish school, napoleons
and we even saw a cute little spotted ray swimming against the current in the
middle of a school of fish. Certainly a sweet dive and not one to miss if you go
to the Maldives.
Kudarah Thila: This was a learning experience for me. The dive site has strong currents and is deep. Last off the boat in a very strong current, we saw the rest of the group disappearing over a ridge. We tried to catch up, but we could not. Near the reef, I hesitated briefly as to in which direction to go and we were immediately pushed away into the blue. After some efforts to get back to the reef we soon realised we were making no headway into the current and decided to abort the dive. Surfaced after 10 minutes. Apparently we missed several grey and white tip reef sharks…
Cocoa Corner is in on the south east region of South Male Atoll. This was a
ver
y interesting dive. We divided ourselves in two groups, one joining the outer
reef with strong turbid (washing-machine) currents and a cosier bunch doing the
inner reef, both groups reporting a positive experience. The group doing the
outer reef reported a roller coaster dive full of excitement and fun; sights of
sharks were also mentioned. The inner reef was amazing with just enough current
to let you slide along the reef but without the need to fight it. We could
peacefully admire fantastic colours, tons of small fish and funny turtles. One
turtle first hold on to Markus and then gently indicated Marius to get out of
her way by biting his mask. We also encountered Napoleon wrasses, tuna (I
believe a dog tooth one), a variety of fusiliers, blue fin & giant trevally,
turtles, Clark & Maldivian anemonefish, humpback snappers, giant & honeycomb
morays, oriental sweet lips, soldier fish and groupers.
Guraidhoo North (North Male Atoll): This dive was very gentle but still fun.
It started with a mild drift along the reef which allowed us to enjoy the fauna
in detail: giant leopard and brown morays, colourful triggers, a large napoleon
and a huge silver fish which after much d
ebate between Marius and Luca turned
out to be just a tuna after all :-). At the end of the dive, one enters a narrow
channel with a stronger but precise one-directional current. We held on to our
balloon and let ourselves ride at 6 m till the end of the channel. It was a very
enjoyable ride.
Guaraidhoo South (South Male Atoll): Familiar strong currents, many sharks, (both white tip and grey), morays, napoleons, tunas and triggers.
Miyaru Faru: Eagle and Manta sting rays. This was an absolutely impressive
dive. We dove straight down onto the corner of the reef and pretty much right on
top of a group of sharks. We descended rather quickly. I realized we were going
a bit too deep, but when I saw the amount of sharks we were swimming straight
into I got more worried about losing the group and made sure I stayed very close
to Pascal and Marius. As we got to the reef, we had to quickly hold on to the
rocks not to be swept away by the current. I saw Allan next to us holding onto a
rock which was slightly loose,
and then I realized a giant leopard moray was
underneath the rock. The moray took a brief look at us and at the stranger
shaking her house. Then she went back underneath. We all stayed there motionless
and contemplated the graceful sharks (around fourteen, at least) for a few
minutes. Soon, a group of ten sting rays approached from behind the reef and
swam right on top of us. They were swimming in formation, like a flock of flying
birds. It was remarkable. There were other animals, I am sure of that, but the
image of the sting ray formation and the sharks was so dominant and beautiful it
diluted everything else. It was an unforgettable sight.
Kuda Giri Wreck: It is a very pretty ten-year-old wreck, not very deep (one gets to the ship at 15 m) and covered with colourful corals. It houses many fish and other animals. For us, this was again a night dive which started at dusk. We got to see part of the wreck with some daylight before it dimmed out. The combination of light gave indeed a somewhat eerie quality to the site. It was my first wreck dive, so of course I found it particularly beautiful. The soft corals are lovely and there are pretty corinthians at ca. 5 metres. There are lots of glassfish in the holds of the sunken ship. We also found shrimps inside a funnel and a few lobsters hiding in the wreck. We saw titan- and other triggers, angel and lion fish, among others. After exploring the wreck, we approached the reef next to it which gave us a chance to extend the bottom time at shallower depth. The reef offers nice overhangs with white coral and yellow sponges. We also admired colourful caves home of many fish.
Embudho Express: South Male Atoll. This was our last dive and I think we all made the best out of it. Marius and I finally managed a nearly perfect dive with good buoyancy, good control of the current and a timely safety stop (the training and coaching by our fellow divers paid off). We encountered a pair of sting rays, titan trigger fish, several brown and leopard morays, many coral fish and a very pregnant shark (either that or she had a serious belly problem). The current strongly picks up as one starts ascending. Afterwards there is not much one can do, the current carries you till the end of the reef. Along the way, we found turtles feeding and parrotfish munching on the corals. We never saw them under water, but the dolphins were always with us. They were playing on the surface as we approached the dive site with the dhoni and we saw them again from the boat as we parted back to the Kamana. It was a nice farewell from them.
Overall, I had a wonderful time (and I believe so did everyone else). We had
perfect weather every day. Dolphins were often joining us playing on the surface
of the ocean as we rode the dhoni to and from the diving sites. Everyone on the
boat was great, all very friendly, patient and full of encouragement and
important tips for relatively novice
fellow divers. The different interests and
knowledge among the group members allowed for interesting conversations and an
intellectual exchange concerning the underwater fauna and star constellations.
Some brought useful handbooks where we could read about the flora and fauna we
had seen while diving. The boat and its crew were excellent and always very
helpful. The cook did an amazing job, producing consistently good food and
treating us at the end with a royal banquet. Perfect chili sauce, by the way.
There were no stomach problems or ear infections and apart from the lost weigh
belts, a computer watch and a pair of glasses donated to the Indian Ocean, there
were no incidents (o.k.
we still owe the hammers to Matthias). Allan and
Matthias did a fantastic organizational job, Peter assured a great fun
atmosphere and Pascal chose marvellous dive sites. Oh, and I think Katja and
Michelle broke some underwater records (they must have :-)). Thanks to everyone
for a wonderful holiday.
Now, when do we do it again?
June 2005, 
Annabelle
