14 Days Tour – Filitheyo – Filitheyo

We are starting for this 14 days tour from Filitheyo (Faafu Atoll) and coming back to towards Filitheyo (Faafu Atoll).
During this trip we will be visiting the following atolls – Faafu Atoll , Meemu Atoll, Thaa Atoll, Laamu Atoll , Gaafu Alifu Atoll and ending our trip in Faafu Atoll.

Our guests arrive and are greeted by our welcoming crew. During the dinner we discuss our route and procedures.

Dive 1 – One Way Ticket ( Check Dive ) Faafu Atoll)
Dive 2 – Western Highlight ( Meemu Atoll)
Dive 3 – White-Tip Station ( Meemu Atoll)

We start our day with a check dive on the nearby reef One way ticket. The outside of the Faru thatbarriers Filitheyo airport.
This drift dive provided a beautiful manta encounter, a friendly hawksbill turtle and curious whitetip reef shark.

After crossing towards Meemu atoll, we do our second dive on Western Highlight. This thila on outgoing current was great fun. A School of eagle ray’s staying the group on the starting point where we spent good amount of our dive time, then we moved around the thila and found a big white-tip reef shark and some napoleon wrasse. With tuna dogtooth mostly and one yellowfin on our safety stop.

Our third dive on White-tip station on outgoing current. We made a quick visit to to the cave in the channel a upwelling of clean water surrounds it with many big eye jacks. The drop off gave us a chance to see some grey reef-sharks

Dive 4 – Happy Corner ( Meemu Atoll )
Dive 5 – Manta’s And More (Meemu Atoll)
Dive 6 – Valley of the rays (Meemu Atoll)

Our first dive for the day at Happy Corner and crossing the channel to the Lucky Reef side of this channel. As we cross we spot many grey reef sharks and some eagle ray’s.
Lucky reef side had the grey reef sharks and white-tip reef sharks coming very close in shallow water. This faru has many over hangs filled with grouper and a few blocks on the sand that serve as cleaning station where grey reefs get cleaned by schools of jack fish.

Second dive of the day is Manta’s and more. Great dive site with a strong oceanic current in our favour we made a long comfortable drift to the corner and had many eagle ray’s along the way. As we watch the grey reef and white-tip reef sharks a massive bull shark joins the dive.

The third dive of the day at Valley of the Ray. No luck with manta’s today.
Our group made up for this with underwater antics.

Dive 7 – Valley of the rays (Meemu Atoll)
Dive 8 – Beauty and the Beast ( Thaa Atoll)
Dive 9 – No Name Kandu ( Thaa Atoll)

We try our luck again at Valley of the Ray. The start was quiet some stingrays and a moray eel swimming around the cleaning station. At the end of the dive we have seen about 5 manta ray’s.

We made the crossing to the Thaa atoll.
Our next dive at Beauty and the Beast, provides us eagle rays and many grey reef sharks all in one picture.

Our last dive of the day is at No Name Kandu. This narrow channel provides a great funnel of current. Grey reef sharks on the drop off and curious white-tip reef sharks on the foot of the faru.

Dive 10 – Dhiyamigili Outside ( Thaa Atoll)
Dive 11 – Jack Fish Channel ( Laamu Atoll)
Dive 12 – Dolphin Kandu (Laamu Atoll)

The first dive of the day, we go to Dhiyamimigili outside looking for hammerhead sharks. We did not manage to find any but managed a good drift dive spotting two big mobula ray’s, white-tip reef sharks and some macro life.

After a crossing we reach the Thaa atoll, for our second dive of the day we did Jackfish channel. This channel was filled with grey reef sharks and a few eagle rays made an appearance, jack fish schooling made for beautiful bigger picture amongst so many sharks.

The final dive of our day is at Dolphin Kandu.This channel was a treat with good oceanic current. Spotting of big napoleon wrasse and plenty sharks.

Dive 13 – Sharks and Rays ( Laamu Atoll)
Dive 14 – Hithadhoo Outside ( Laamu Atoll)
—- Crossing—-

We start with a dive at Sharks and ray’s. This dive site had a big lone stingray swimming quite close to our divers. With many grey reef and white-tip reef sharks.

Our final dive of the day is at Hithadhoo outside. This site was jam packed with grey reef sharks and two young silver-tip sharks coming very close.

Afterwards we make the massive crossing of 7 hours and arrive in the Gaafu Alifu atoll.

Dive 15 – Viligili Kandu ( Gaafu Alifu Atoll)
Dive 16 – Koodhoo Kandu (Gaafu Alifu Atoll)
Dive 17 – Kuredhoo Kandu ( Gaafu Alifu Atoll)

Our first dive in the Gaafu Alifu atoll is at Viligili Kandu. This channel filled with grey reefs schooling in huge numbers occasionally a pair moves to a cleaning station just passed the drop off allowing form some close encounters as we multi profile the dive to extend bottom time.

The second dive of the day is at Koodhoo Kandu. This great channel was a good crossing with many grey reefs and white-tip reef sharks. Two turtles also came past.

Our final dive of the day is at Kuredhoo kandu south. A very strong incoming current made for a nice hook in and drift. Many sharks and some eagle rays.

Dive 18 – Nilandhoo Kandu ( Gaafu Alifu Atoll)
Dive 19 – Vodamola Kandu ( Gaafu Alifu Atoll)
Dive 20 – Maarehaa Kandu ( Gaafu Alifu Atoll)

Our first dive was at Nilandhoo Kandu. Mild current made for a relaxed dive that did not lack sharks and some smaller sightings such as two octopus, and some eagle ray’s flying overhead. Our second dive we did at Vodamola Kandu.
This channel with medium current allows us to see most of the reef at a nice pace and find some sleeping stingrays and nurse shark in the channel. We also saw schooling grey reef and some white-tip reef sharks.

The last dive of our day at Maarehaa Kandu was an amazing site with even more  schooling grey reefs. This site left us thinking we have to return.

Dive 21 – Maarehaa Kandu ( Gaafu Alifu Atoll)
Dive 22 – Maarehaa Kandu ( Gaafu Alifu Atoll)
Dive 23 – Viligili Kandu ( ( Gaafu Alifu Atoll)

We did two more dives at Maarehaa Kandu. The first was just as the previous day stunning, with massive giant trevallys and grey reefs hunting. Our second dive was with a strong outgoing current. Giving a different feel to this great site.

After this we change direction and start heading back north.

Our final dive for the the day was at Viligili Kandu. Some other dive groups had the same idea, but good group management allowed every one a shark filled dive. Many schooling grey reef sharks and both white-tip and grey reef at the cleaning blocks. Also a large milk fish and some massive rainbow runner as far as pelagic fish go.

Dive 24 – Viligili Kandu ( Gaafu Alifu Atoll)
Dive 25 – Eke Faru Corner ( Gaafu Alifu Atoll)
—- Crossing —-

Our day starts with a dive at Viligili Kandu. Grey reef sharks, white-reef sharks and big napoleon wrasse. Very good visibility on the incoming current.

The second dive of the day is at Eke Faru corner. Medium current made for a good drift, as dolphins school at the surface we hear them the entire dive and see them quite close to us as we surfaced.

After this we cross from Gaafu Alifu to Laamu Atoll.

Dive 26 – Jack Fish Channel ( Laamu Atoll)
Dive 27 – Guraidhoo Corner ( Thaa Atoll)
Dive 28 – Beauty and the Beast ( Thaa Atoll)

Our first dive back in Laamu atoll is at Jack Fish Channel. Sharks and eagle rays on the drop off and good coral life inside the channel. We cross from Laamu to Thaa atoll.

The second dive of the day is at Guraidhoo corner. Visibility was not the best but we had a good dive with eagle rays, two turtles and some white-tip reef sharks.

Our last dive of the day is Beauty and the beast. Where we see a many grey reef sharks and white-tip reef sharks, octopus, flounder and torpedo ray.

Dive 29 – Olhugiri Kandu ( Thaa Atoll)
Dive 30 – Valley of the Rays (Meemu Atoll)
Dive 31 – Kingdom of Fish (Meemu Atoll)

We start our day diving at Olhugiri Kandu. We saw grey reef sharks, white-tip reef sharks and eagle rays. All with great visibility from the incoming current.

After that we crossed from Thaa to Meemu atoll. We dived again at Valley of the Ray. Starting with 5 eagle ray’s and then manta rays for the rest of our 75 minute dive.

The last dive of the day is at Kingdom of fish. With a mild outgoing current we see a eagle ray, some sleepy white-tip reef sharks and a young silvertip shark.

This channel has lovely thila’s filled with beautiful soft corral.Later that night the boat was parked near the island of Fembo where the crew surprised the guests with a special dinner on the beach.

Dive 32 – Shark Point ( Meemu Atoll)
Dive 33 – Lucky Reef (Meemu Atoll)
Dive 34 – Happy Corner ( Meemu Atoll)

First dive of the day ws at Shark Point. This small channel had a good amount of sharks and excellent profile in the deep and shallow section of the left faru.

Our second dive was at Lucky reef. With outgoing current we where only able to dive one side of the channel so we did this one. It has has great overhangs, cleaning blocks for sharks and ray’s and even very good macro life.

The last dive site of the day is Happy Corner where we crossed to Lucky Reef. With medium incoming and oceanic current we had plenty sharks. Our guest Stephanie made her 300th dive on this one.

Dive 35 – Happy Corner (Meemu Atoll)
Dive 36 – Western Highlight (Meemu Atoll)

The final diving day on this great Sheena tour. We first dived Happy Corner to Lucky Reef to repeat the previous days great last dive.

Our last dive of the tour is at the Western Highlight. This great thila produced once again, with medium outgoing current. We managed to spot some eagle ray’s and many white-tip reef sharks with one big grey reef.

After diving is done we cross back to our starting point in Faafu atoll the island of Filitheyo, for happy hour at the sunset bar.

As another beautiful tour ends, with memories to be cherished for a long time to come. Until next time keep diving and peace.