I spent 2 incredible weeks diving in The Maldives with friends in 2015. For someone still at university at the time, this was extreme luxury.
“Hey, do you want to go to the Maldives in July?”
“What?”
“We have 1 space left on a trip to the Maldives, do you wanna come with?”
“I mean yeah obviously, but I’ll have to check that my parents are cool with it first but yeah, sure”
- How the conversation mid-lecture went and how I got invited to The Maldives
So, a conversation mid-lecture, a quick “I’m going to The Maldives is that ok?” with my parents and months of planning, we were all set. 8 of us flew from Manchester to Male, the Maldivian capital, via Abu Dhabi with Etihad Airways. The whole journey, including stop in Abu Dhabi, was approximately 17 hours. On arrival in Male, we passed through passport control and had our passports stamped (visa on arrival, maximum stay 30 days). We then hopped on a bus to a smaller airport terminal to take a seaplane to the resort. The flight took around 40 minutes and it was exhilarating to land on the water. The seaplane pulled up alongside a small pontoon where we waited for the resort Dhoni (traditional boat) to collect us and take us to the island.
Where we stayed: Reethi Beach
On arrival to the resort, we were greeted with fresh coconuts and hot, refreshing towels. Reethi Beach was a resort island located in the Baa Atoll. The island was made up of various water and beach villas, several restaurants and bars, a spa, a saltwater pool, and a dive centre. After checking in, we were taken to our accommodation.
We stayed in one of the Garden Villas. Set back from the beach, this beautiful room had all we needed for crashing out after a long day of diving. Very comfy beds, an open-air bathroom with rainfall shower, plenty of room to hang your dive stuff to dry, and a fridge that was restocked with fresh water every day.
Living on the island was awesome (this coming from someone who has lived on an island their entire life). Seeing small sharks swimming just off the beach in ankle-deep water (don’t worry, the sharks are totally harmless) and stingrays swimming around under the pier was just awesome. When we weren’t diving, we spent hours swimming with the sharks and stingrays, photographing them and the other reef life. Being able to literally walk out the front door of the villa and onto the beach and get straight to snorkelling coral reefs, amazing!
Diving
This was my first experience of boat diving and it was awesome! I had done my PADI Advanced Open Water just before going to The Maldives, and it was so worth it. I was able to go to far more dive sites and was better prepared for the dives. We dived from traditional Dhoni that had been set up to carry dive kit and around 20 passengers. On days we didn’t go out on the boat, we dived around the island using one of their entry points. The great thing about having the dive centre on the island was that
all our kit was kept there. We could go collect our kit and go diving around the island at any time as long as we signed in and out so they knew where we were. I really enjoyed diving in The Maldives and I’m still amazing by the variety of life we saw at the dive sites; guitarfish, moray eels, napoleon wrasse, pufferfish, stingrays, so many different types of reef fish, eagle rays, tuna and even a lone dolphin! The reefs were very healthy too and Reethi Beach’s resident Marine Biologist was actively conserving the reefs and adding artificial reef structures to enhance the reef diversity.
Must Visit Spot: Hanifaru Bay UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve
Hanifaru Bay is located in the Baa Atoll and is a vital feeding and breeding ground for Whale Sharks and Manta Rays. Diving is forbidden in the reserve, but you can snorkel. Snorkelling is tightly controlled; entry tickets are provided by your resort and time in the water is limited to a thrilling 45 minutes. There can only be a maximum of 80 snorkellers in the water at a time. The Manta Trust work within the area and monitor all marine traffic coming in and out of the bay. You can see Whale Sharks there all year round and the best time to see Mantas is May to November.
Cue the tears of joy… When we arrived to Hanifaru Bay, we got into our lifejackets (mandatory) and jumped into the water. The water was clear and we swam with the masses in the hopes of seeing something. Cameras at the ready, the water changed suddenly as plankton filled the surrounding water. From behind me came this enormous Manta Ray, swimming below me and flipping upside down, cyclone feeding. Then more came, as if from nowhere. Swimming and flipping and feeding on plankton, putting on a real show. In the time we were snorkelling, we saw around 30 Manta Rays. I cried with joy when I got back on the boat and even now, I still get a bit teary when I think about that AMAZING experience.
To get so close to Manta Rays in their natural environment is unbelievable! Visiting Hanifaru Bay is an unforgettable experience and you should definitely visit Hanifaru Bay if you are around the Baa Atoll.
Thanks for reading!
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