Experience The Maldives, Part Two
I awoke on time and went on deck with high expectations of what I would find underwater on the first dive. The others slept in a little longer than usual to deal with the travel and jet lag. I didn’t sleep well that first night but felt excited as if I was on an adrenaline rush. Steve Frink would later comment that he “experiences the same thing on a live-aboard where he usually has his best days and worst nights.“
The captain was motoring the boat to South Male Atoll where we would make our first 8 dives and spend the first part of the week. As we motored, the cobalt blue sea was flat calm and the sun was shining brightly. The diving dhoanis was following and in sight off the port rail. While underway, Jude, the cook, served a buffet style breakfast that was outstanding as were all the meals on this trip.
Our first dive was at Kuda Giri. Prior to the dive, Keith gave us a detailed briefing on what to expect and suggested weight adjustments to compensate for the 15-liter steel diving tanks. The main feature of this site was the wreck of a freighter sitting in 120 feet of water on a sand bottom. Its outstanding features were the propeller and wheelhouse, which made for interesting wide angle shots. Visibility was estimated to be 70 feet with no current. All in all, a very good first dive.
The following dives at South Male Atoll were made at Miyaru Faru, Gulhi Outside Reef, Miyru Faru, Medu Faru, Guraidoo Corner, Kuda Giri, and Kandooma Caves. During these dives, we encountered a wide variety of pelagic fish from whitetip sharks, a flight of eagle rays, sea turtles, hammerhead sharks, chevron barracuda, and a school of banner fish to mention a few. None of the big pelagics got close enough for a decent wide-angle shot but some of us did attempt some interesting silhouettes. Macro photo ops were also outstanding during these dives.
After diving Kandooma Caves, we began our run to Felidhoo Atoll, which was further south than South Male Atoll. The Maldivian live-aboard boats do not run at night to get to the next dive destination because of the danger of running aground. Hence, the run must be made during daylight hours, which impacts the number of dives that can be accomplished. The Madivaru 7 normal dive schedule calls for 4 daylight dives per day with no night dives. When Keith first informed us of the schedule, most of us were disappointed that we were not going to make the traditional 5 dives, which includes a night dive. Once we got into the daily routine, we quickly were all in agreement that 4 dives were all we could safety handle. The fast current at the kandus, coupled with the first 3 dives of the day being in excess of 100 feet, meant that we were pushing the limits of our physical endurance as well as maxing out our residual nitrogen.
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