MY Sheena Tour Male – Filitheyo 14. – 21.10.2018

Dive No. 1 – Fish Factory

Check dive at fish factory was a nice and easy dive with about 15 stingrays swimming close to divers for the whole dive. Plenty of big and small moray eels, some lion fishes and scorpion fishes. there were also some tunas hunting the school of fussiliers. 

Dive No. 1 Banana Reef

Dive No. 2 Kandooma Thila

Dive No. 3 Guraidhoo Manta Poin

Banana reef was with a medium incoming current,  white tip reef sharks along with couple of napoleons were at the reef front. Plenty of snappers and a big school of blue line snappers were at the huge overhang. At the very end of the dive we met an octopus standing on top of a coral. Was a nice dive. 

With a mild to medium outgoing current, kandooma thila was awesome. A group of five or seven eaglerays along with five grey reef sharks were at up current. A huge school of big eyed travellies and some giant travellies were also seen. Many reef fishes like sweetlips, snappers, surgeon fishes, butterfly fishes and so much of fussiliers were hanging at the reef front. At the end of the reef were more than 15 sharks hanging in the current. Towards to the end of the dive we had a friendly turtle checking us out. 

Last dive of the day at manta point we had no luck seeing any manta, but were some napoleons, moray eels, scorpion fishes, and the reef full of fishes.

Dive No. 1 Kandooma Thila

Dive No. 2 13 Eagle Rays

Dive No. 3 Alimatha Jetty

As we had out going current in the morning, we jumped again to kandooma thila, current was mild and was an easy dive with few grey reef sharks, eagle rays and some huge dogtooth tunas. Up on the top reef was a green turtle and a hawksbill turtle, a school of barracudas and couple more grey reef sharks cruising. 

For the second dive we cruise to the west side of vaavu atoll. Dive in to 13 eagle rays. We got a surprise by a huge Ornate eagleray swimming very slowly on the bottom. Couple of grey reef sharks were at the deep canyon and plenty of fish at the reef as we finish the dive. 

Night dive at alimatha is always a highlight. Jumped in at sunset on top of five big nurse sharks who just kept circling around us and also playing with the sand. More nurse sharks were seen as we drift along the sandy valley. Some sting rays were swimming around divers. And at one point we had some massive jack fishes hunting the small bait fishes. At the very end of the dive we had clouds of nurse sharks swimming on top of our heads. 

Dive No. 1 Miyaru Kandu

Dive No. 2 Rakeedhoo Kandu

Dive No. 3 White Tip Station

At Miyaru kandu with mild to medium outgoing current, we hooked on to the platue. There were about ten or more grey reef sharks, few white tip reef sharks just cruising in the current. Some tunas and a school of big eyed travellies. A huge manta ray came and stood right in front of us. Couple more white tip reef sharks were seen at the safety stop. 

Rakeedhoo kandu was with a mild outgoing current. Two big grey reef sharks were hovering in the blue. A family of five napoleons were at the corner. While waiting at the reef edge we got surrounded by a big school of travellies and it was awesome to look into the blue where the overhangs full of blue soft corals hanging from the ceiling. 

Last dive of the day at white tip station, we had a few barracudas, white tip reef sharks, one big grey reef shark, a huge napoleon and a massive grouper at a cave inside the channel. 

Dive No. 1 Happy Corner

Dive No. 2 Mantas & More

Dive No. 3 Sharks Tongue

Happy corner with a medium out going current, we had more than a few sharks who were curious towards divers, coming so close to us. Hundreds of yellowfin barracudas and travellies, napoleons and a massive napoleon through out the dive. 

We were very lucky to see six Manta rays getting cleaned at the cleaning station. Two big grey reef sharks were also at the cleaning station. Some baby white tip reef sharks were resting on the floor. A huge green turtle was sleeping under a rock on the top reef. 

Sharks tongue was cool. There were more than ten sharks resting in the sandy bottom. Few hawksbill turtles, some lobsters were seen. It was great to swim among the massive school of fussiliers along the reef. 

Dive No. 1 Mantas & More

Dive No. 2 Simply The Best

Dive No. 3 Kingdom of fish

Dive No. 4 Fenboa House Reef

Mantas and more was with no manta this time. But “more” were still there. Few grey reef sharks, a sting ray swimming gently along the bottom. Many white tip reef sharks were seen. We counted four turtles on the top reef as we came up for safety stop. 

Simply the best with almost no current, we had a nice and relaxing dive swimming around this beautiful thila. There were many long nose hawk fishes in the black coral bushes, a big potato grouper was laying in side an overhang. It had its mouth wide open so the cleaner wrasses can get inside to clean its mouth and gills. A very small blotchy sting ray was resting right beside the big grouper. Also there were some nudibranches, flat worms, sea slugs and lobsters to see. Safety stop on the top reef fully grown with hard corals were awesome. 

Kingdom of fish was full of different kinds of fussiliers. They kept coming up and down right in front of the thila. A school of seven eagle rays were cruising infront of us. Couple of white tip reef sharks and plenty of tunas were seen as well. 

Night dive at fenboa house reef was an easy relax dive drifting along the lively hard corals. So many glowing eyes (shrimps) were on the reef. Many different species of star fishes, lots of porcupine fishes, sleeping parrot fishes and a turtle sleeping was cool to see. 

Dive No. 1 Western Highlights

Dive No. 2 Filitheyo Outside

Western highlight was with a medium to strong incoming current. There were plenty of fussiliers at the reef front. Many tunas and some giant travellies were on the hunt. Few white tip reef sharks were cruising as well. Apart from the fishes, the beautifully grown hard corals and the black coral bushes all over the reef slop was amazing. 

At filitheyo outside, we had couple of white tip reef sharks, a family of big and small napoleons, few giant barracudas, three nurse sharks and so many bat fishes were with us as we came up for the safety stop.

Over all we had a great tour this week.