2DiVE4 Maldives 07 Liveaboard Trip Report
by Keith Thompson

Trip report for Maldives live aboard in September 2007
We arrived in Male after the usual grind of a long haul flight in “cattle class” (I dream of business class for next time) to some typical Maldivian tropical weather.  Having stretched out the aging muscles and retrieved my dive kit (in one piece) I watched with amusement as most of our party had their booze confiscated after their luggage was scanned! It’s a dry country!! (well mostly)

After we exited the airport, we met with David, our dive guide for the week.  I asked about the weather for the week and received a “wry look” and news of prevailing westerly winds together with the usual thunderstorms.  After the 2006 Maldives trip I remembered that a most of the “big stuff” was on the western atolls and the fresh westerly meant that were confined to the eastern side of the islands.  The vis was reported as quite poor due to these weather conditions.  Having experienced a fantastic trip in 2006 I wondered if these conditions could live up to my expectations.  Retrospectively, I shouldn’t have worried!!
One of the great pleasures of arriving in the Maldives is the transfer to your boat.  Quite literally, straight out of the airport and on to the dive dony.  Last year we were treated to a vast pod of spinner dolphins around the boat. In 15 minutes the “sea Spirit” appeared at anchor.  I have some great memories from lasts years’ trip and wonder how the 2007 event will measure up.  It surely couldn’t be better?

Having unpacked we prepared for our check dive.  The group was quite varied in terms of experience so the check dive is always a must.  We were to dive on Banana reef.  The dive briefing showed a reef that looked like a peanut not a banana but hey ho, as long as it’s a great dive who cares?  Briefings are always comprehensive and give good indications of what you might see.  I remember last year at a reef called “fish head” we were briefed that a huge grey reef was often sighted there.  Right on cue, halfway though the dive he appeared (biggest grey reef I’ve ever seen!!)  This happened on a number of occasions giving confidence that the dive guides knew their stuff.

We boarded the dony and made our way out to sea.  Conditions were not great and the ride was a little bumpy.  Once in the water the vis turned out to be ok but not great.  My logbook for the dive reads 6 Napolians, huge Tuna, 2 Titan triggerfish and hunting Jacks.  Not a bad start for the week.

Check dive completed we made our way back to the boat for a great meal and a few drinks.  I admit I am a bit of a foody, and I remember how good the food was last year.  2007 did not disappoint. The carrots were just great !

After a few hours sleep the weekly routine of early starts seemed no problem even with the time difference.   We were briefed on our first dive as Lankan.  This dive is on a Manta feeding station and must be one of the top dives in the world bar none.  I simply cannot overstate just how good this dive is.  Although the vis is not great, the mantas are amazing and last years dives here were spectacular!!.

As we motored around the coast to Lankan the usual ocean swells gently rocked the dony and I wondered, could this be as good as last year?  Pete, my usual dive buddy and I spotted our first shark of the trip as we descended to 20 metres .  Two white tip reef sharks to start the dive and mantas on the cleaning station made this a great way to start our second day.  Several mantas followed by the usual close “fly bys” impressed us all, particularly those who had not seen this spectacle before.  The mantas here can be as much as 4.5mts wingspan and are majestic and graceful.  Many divers spend their diving careers never seeing, or maybe even glimpsing a manta. To see so many is a real privilege and never fails to impress.  Dive three was on Lankan with similar results.  One notable sighting was “butterfly” a huge pregnant female with distinctive markings.  This manta is well known on the cleaning station and due to birth any day.

Our next dive was on Occoboli Thila and yielded a huge Napolian and some nice yellow striped sweetlips.  The next few dives yielded numerous Turtles, several white tip reef sharks, some large Morays and some interesting currents!!  Currents in the Maldives can be ripping and require some planning and care, as you can travel long distances on these drifts.

Day four proved to be something of a revelation for a number of reasons.  Firstly, my buddy, Jenny and I (I dumped Pete for  this dive) were lucky enough to dive very close up and personal to about a dozen Grey Reef sharks.  The dive went something like this:
When we descended, a reasonable current was running with ok visibility.  Huge shoals of hunting Jacks and large solitary Tuna cruised the reef.  From my experiences last year these conditions shouted shark action so we were keeping a close eye out for Grey reefs.  After about 25 minutes only a few White tips had appeared and I thought we may be disappointed.  We were using our reef hooks and “hanging” in the current when I suggested we swim over to a ledge in the reef.  WE hooked on and right on cue, we were treated to about a dozen decent size Grey reefs who were curious and came close enough to cause a “twitchy bottom syndrome”, a well known condition experienced when diving up close with big sharks!!!!   Underneath the sharks cruised a squadron of eagle rays just to complete the experience.  After we surfaced, Jenny and I were both elated by the close proximity of such graceful and powerful predators.  It was simply awesome.  Pete was “pissed off” as this was only dive he did not buddy up with me!  Strangely, others in the group were very close to us, both in front and behind but only Jenny and I were lucky enough to experience the Grey reefs. I shot some nice atmospheric photos that will always remind me of this dive.

The day got better when we boarded Sea Spirit for breakfast.  In the distance, the unmistakable shape of a Humpback whale appeared.  It has long been an ambition of mine to swim with one of these wonderful creatures and as we boarded the dony, I though maybe my chance had come.  We followed him for over an hour and got tantalisingly close but sadly he wasn’t playing and my ambition remains unfulfilled.  We were treated to breaching Sailfish and Mantas on the surface to complete a stunning day.  Even the news of an earthquake in Sumatra and the slight possibility of a tsunami failed to spoil a perfect day.

The remaining dives yielded some great Honeycomb Morays, numerous White Tips, huge Napolians, many Turtles and just about every other reef dweller except the illusive “spotty”.  Whale Sharks have now eluded me twice in the Maldives so I will have to return again soon and hope for better luck.

For those of you who have never dived in the Maldives, I hope you are able to experience these amazing Islands one day.  I have twice now and can’t wait to return to some of the best diving in the world.

Socially, these live boards can be a great experience, if you have the right people.  Boats offer no where to hide if you don’t get along with your shipmates.  The 2007 group was just great.  No “nob heads” and every one seemed to get on well.  My thanks to you all for a memorable holiday.  Special thanks to Pete and Jenny for being great buddies, to Laurie for buying me lots of beer and generally being a  ghost”, to Tara and Henri for being great sports (looking forward to seeing the photos) to Austin for winning the arm wrestling competition with the crew after I lost 2 out of three, to Nikki for her technical prowess (lets see the video this time please!!), to Ann and Simon for their humour and the odd fag! To Suzann for her enthusiasm and fun and to Sarah for the red wine.

Keith Thompson