12 Tage Tour – Tauchen Leserreise – Male – Filitheyo

It’s a new season and another season for the Sheena . We are staring from Male (Kaafu Atoll) and exploring all the way towards Hondafushi (Haa Dhaal Atoll).

During this tour we will be exploring the following northern atolls – Kaafu Atoll, Baa
Atoll, Lhaviyani Atoll, Noonu Atoll, Shaviyani Atoll and Haa Dhaal Atoll.

Today our tour starts with 10 guests on boat 9 from Germany and 1 from Canada.

They all will be arriving into Male where we will pick them up from the airport and take them to their home for the next 12 days.

Once arrived on boat they were provided with a welcome drink and a welcome briefing and later shown their cabins which later followed upon with a light breakfast. After a little rest the ring the bell for the first dive briefing which is later followed on with a Dhoni briefing and the check dive where the guests could check all their equipment and make sure they are weighted properly. They are also divided into two groups with Ved and Hampeck leading each group.

Dive 1 – Kurumba House reef ( Kaafu Atoll) ( Check dive)
Back from the check dive tea and coffee was prepared and then Ved gave a current briefing where he explains how to dive in the current and the difference between a  kandu, a thila and a giri.

Later after dessert a general boat briefing about the full boat was given and then we presented to the guests the itinerary we had for the next 12 days. At the end we had  a crew introduction where the guests are introduced to the crew which ended with a huge round of applause.

Soon later the guests started to head towards their cabin to get the must needed rest and prepare themselves for the next 12days of adventure.

Dive 2 – Fish Tank (Kaafu Atoll)
Crossing to Baa Atoll
Dive 3 – Kihaadu Thila (Baa Atoll)

Today the plan was to do 2 dives one dive in Fish tank near the fish factory and then start our crossing towards baa atoll where we do our second dive in Kihaadu Thila as a night dive.

Dive 4 – Dhonfanu Thila (Baa Atoll)
Dive 5 – Dhonfanu bodu aga (Baa Atoll)
Dive 6 – Dharavandhoo manta point (Baa Atoll)

Today the plan was to do 3 dives some of the highlights on Dohnfanu Thila were a big school of barracudas, some snappers, fusiliers and a beautiful and colourful  flatworm. While on the last dive at Dharavandhoo Manta Point we went looking for mantas and were not disappointed we had 3 mantas and 3 dolphins. Good Dive

Dive 7 – Kihaadu thila(Baa Atoll)
Dive 8 – Felivaru Kandu (Lhaviyani Atoll)
Dive 9 – Felivaru Kandu & Shipwreck (Lhaviyani Atoll)

Todays all 3 dives were special in some way starting with the first dive with a long wall full of soft coral , a school of barracuda, some dogtooth tuna and a nurse shark hiding under a rock. While the 2nd and the 3rd was a Channel/Shipwreck dive where had some grey reef sharks, some Silver tips, and at the shipwreck we had a massive nurse shark hiding inside the wreck.

Dive 10 – Shipwreck (Lhaviyani Atoll)
Dive 11 – Nakolhu Giri (Lhaviyani Atoll)
Dive 12 – Huruelhi Giri (Lhaviyani Atoll)

As the weather was not our ally today we restricted to some dive inside the atoll.But  some of the highlights on the Shipwreck dive were the shipwreck it self which was  massive and could was discovered for even more longer time.While at Nakolhu Giri at the end of the dive we had 3 Devil Rays.

Dive 13 – The wall (Lhaviyani Atoll)
Dive 14 – Kffc Kandu (Lhaviyani Atoll)
Dive 15 – Kffc Kandu (Lhaviyani Atoll)

As the weather improved a bit and currents woking in our favour we dived some on  the best channels that exist in Lhaviyani Atoll it was the Kffc Kandu a classic  channel full of big bad silvertips and grey reef sharks we would say there were around 30 – 40 sharks . Class Dives

Dive 16 – Shipwreck (Lhaviyani Atoll)
Dive 17 – Kuda Kandu (Lhaviyani Atoll)
Dive 18 – Madivaru Kandu(Lhaviyani Atoll)

Some highlights on todays dives were with the current being outgoing for the first dive on the ship wreck we had some snappers, a massive green turtle, a marble ray and some nape loan causing around. While on the channel dives we had some Silver tips and some grey reef sharks and at the end of the dive inside the channel we had nurse shark and a massive Marble ray.

Dive 19 -Tinga Giri (Lhaviyani Atoll)
Dive 20 – Christmas Rock (Noonu Atoll)
Dive 21 – Loafushi Outreef (Noonu Atoll)

With the sun finally upon us we chose to continue our crossing towards the north. With some highlights of the day being Christmas rock. A thila staring at a depth of 16m and going down to 26m. It was full of coral life like Staghorn Coral, massive Gorgonian Fan Coral. Around the thila there were big schools of fish like the Five Line Snappers, Fusiliers, Barracudas and 2 Hawksbill turtles chilling.

Dive 22 – Mivaru Thila (Noonu Atoll)
Dive 23 – Firvn Baidhu Thila (Shaviyani Atoll)
Dive 24 – Maroshi Thila ( Shaviyani Atoll)

The plan today was to continue our crossing more towards the north. Amongst the 3  thilas the first dive and the third dive were memorable. The first dive the divers saw big schools of barracuda , jackfish and when the dive was about to end we had a leopard shark cruising around. The third dive at Maroshi Thila was even mere  memorable. The thila started at 16m and went all the way down to 30m + around the thila were some overhangs which were filled with soft coral but the real highlight on the dive was 4 guitar sharks chilling on the sand waiting to be found. While on the top of the reef there was big school of barracudas and jack fish.

Dive 25 – Naain Faaru Corner( Shaviyani Atoll)
Dive 26 – Maroshi Thila (Shaviyani Atoll)
Dive 27 – Sirru Fen Fushi Thila Manta Point (Shaviyani Atoll)

Today the plan was to experiment and see if at Maroshi Thila would the guitar shark be there but there weren’t any but still loads of fish. Then later we tried looking for mantas at an unexplored dive site told to us by a local legend. But there weren’t any Mantas but just a big school of tunas and five line snappers. Overall good day.

Dive 28 – Feydhu Beyru (Shaviyani Atoll)
Dive 29 – Keylakunu Thila (Haa Dhaal Atoll)
Dive 30 – Finey Thila (Haa Dhaal Atoll)

Today we went looking for something no one has every known or heard of a thila  which was practically in the middle of nothing. But with of state of the art  technology and fish finder we found this place called Keylakunu Thila. This particular thila starts at 18m and the size would be 40×20 with some big blocks and overhangs. On the top of the thila there was stag – horn which practically covered the thila .The highlights of the dive were that we had everything. 15 grey reef sharks, 3 eagle ray, 1 leopard shark, 1 guitar shark, a school of barracudas, five line snappers and a manta ray.

Dive 31 – Theefaridhoo Thila(Haa Dhaal Atoll)
Dive 32 – Hondaafushi House Reef ( Haa Dhaal Atoll)

The plan today was to do 2 dives and later take the guests towards the resort island Hondaafushi to have some cocktails and show them the dive centre from Werner  Lau. The highlight of today dive was Theefaridhoo Thila . A thila starting at 15m and has 2 massive rocks breaking of from the reef which was full of soft coral which made the dive site look like a coral garden.

Today is the day we say goodbye with heavy heart as all our guests will heading back home. A memorable 12 days of complete fun and some awesome diving. Until next  time keep diving and happy bubbles.