2 week charter

Another day one on the famous MY Sheena.
After gathering all the guests at the VIP lounge of AAA Hotels at the Airport in Male we took the diving Dhony to Hulemale where the Sheena was anchored in a secured bay. A cold welcome drink and the famous asian smile warmed up our tired travellers from their journey.
After a quick cabin briefing our on board chef finished lunch for our 14 guest from Germany. In the evening our main guide Ved gave the on board briefing, introduced the crew and opened the discussion about the itinerary for the 2 weeks trip.
The first week will be spent in the amazing Ari Atoll before going over to a journey from Kaafu Atoll, over the Felidhe Atoll to to the Meemu Atoll and finally ending in the Faafu Atoll on Filitheyo Island.

Dive 1 – Kurumba House Reef
Dive 2 – Kuda Giri
Dive 3 – Kandooma Corner

A very “Gooooooood morning” through the hallway of the Sheena at 6:00 am is what divers love to hear as it presumes that diving is just around the corner. After the briefing at 6:20 we got on the diving dhoni to “Kurumba House reef” for our check dive this morning. Some black tip sharks, mixed with octopus, tuna and trivallis and a mobula at the safety stop were on the diving “menu” of this morning. Pretty awesome for a check dive where we just want to adjust our weights and look if the group and equipment is in shape like it should be.

After a short transfer from Kaafu north to Kaafu south our 2nd dive of the day was at “Kuda Giri”, where a massive Wreck is lying on ca. 22m – 30m of depth. Following the wreck discovery we went to the steep wall of the Giri to discover loads of Macro stuff on the same.

The last dive of the day at “Kandooma Corner” with plenty of current was just amazing.
Covering a distance of roughly 3-4 km with plenty of different fish, a friendly turtle and different kind of moray eels.

Dive 4 – Kandooma Thila (Kaafu South)
Dive 5 – Five Rocks (South Ari)

The time flies by and we are already on day 3 of our tour.
A dark and rainy morning, but as soon as we got under the water at “Kandooma Thila” the world was perfect again. A medium outgoing current let us slide along the massive, beautiful tila with eagle rays, plenty of schools of fish, some sharks and a massive green turtle.
Out of the water the Sheena started both engines to bring us over 5 hours to the South Ari and a dive site called “Five Rocks”. Not easy to locate in the middle of a huge channel this gem offered us a big amount of white tip sharks, narrow channels between the five underwater rocks and a very intact reef with amazing fan corals. Even though there were about 10 safari boats around we are all alone in our group down there and could enjoy it to the fullest before our well deserved deco-beer.

Dive 6 – Kudarah Thila (south Ari)
Dive 7 – Digurah Outreef (south Ari)
Dive 8 – Broken Rock (south Ari)

Waking up and kissed by the sun for three more dives in the south Ari Atoll. We started with a dive at “Kudarah Thila” with amazing huge schools of yellow, black and blue
Fusiliers or should I better say one huge school all over the Thila? Losing your buddy partner in such dense schools of fish can happen, but luckily everybody found back in this fish pan. In between the whole schools of fish we also found some octopus, a few white tip sharks, tunas and trevallis.
At 09:00 the Sheena and many other boats went on “mission whale shark” – searching the coast of Digurah up and down for whale sharks. Once all the boats, including the Sheena released their snorkelers in the water, but no whale shark this time. Approximately 30 minutes later the Sheena gang jumped in the water and got lucky. A roughly 10m whale shark swim underneath the group of divers along the reef. For 1-2 min the Sheena gang could follow the female coloss of whale shark until we couldn’t hold the speed anymore and the giant gently swam onwards. This encounter was just amazing for everybody onboard. For our last dive we went to “Broken Rock” with its beautiful fan corals, amazing overhangs and of course all the known fish of before. Most exciting on this dive site were 2 huge marble rays, a very big napoleon and some white tip sharks.

Dive 9 – Vilamendhoo Thila (South Ari)
Dive 10 – Fish head (North Ari)
Dive 11 – Bathala Thila (North Ari)
Dive 12 – Maaya Thila (North Ari)

Happy Halloween on the Sheena – some weird creatures in black suits with massive big eyes (mask) and oversized feet (mask) going to scare the fish today. First we going to trick or treat them at a dive site called “Vilamendhoo Thila” a massive Thila on medium depth with plenty of fish. After our first session of scaring fish we cross to the north Ari Atoll for our next dive at “Fish head” where we found all kinds of underwater world: turtles, octopus, eagle rays, grey reef shark, white tip sharks and again big schools of Fusiliers. For our third dive of the day we just went around the corner to “Bathala Thila” with a few very cute and tiny white tip sharks, a black-white banded moray eel and loads of fish schools. Scary halloween days on the Sheena end with a night dive at “Maaya Thila” and a feather-tale ray who joined the Sheena gang, throwing around boulders and scaring away all the white tip sharks around – spooky.

Dive 13 – Maaya Thila (North Ari)
Dive 14 – Bathala Maagaa Kan Thila (North Ari)
Dive 15 – Madivaru Corner (North Ari)

After Halloween Party at Maaya Thila, after enjoying this dive site the night before in the dark we came back to see how it looks over day. We still found 4 disguised colleagues this morningthis octopuses are really hiding everywhere on this dive site and this morning we were even more lucky to see some big ass grey reef sharks as well, schools of barracuda, hunting trevallies and some more schools of fish rounded up this after halloween party dive.

For our second dive we went back close to Bathala for a dive at “Bathala Maagaa Kan Thila”. This massive Thila offered us a huge front of fish, some schools of eagle rays and a few grey reef sharks between many white tip sharks. Last, but not least we crossed over to Rasdoo for a dive at “Madivaru Corner”. Besides a massive Napoleon, which came super close, we could find some grey reef sharks, octopus and different schools of fish.

Dive 16 – Kuramathi Thila (North Ari)
Dive 17 – Giraavaru Corner (Kaafu North)
Dive 18 – Banana reef (Kaafu North)

Early mornings on the Sheena starting with great dives. Our first dive we made at “Kuramathi Thila” with 3 grey reef sharks, a nice napoleon and many other small stuff. After this we to the Kaafu Atoll for a dive at Giraavaru Corner to get a small taste of current and getting ready for the next week where we will rock the channels. A medium incoming current served us many schools of fish, different sharks and later in the channel a turtle which was very curious.
Back in Male we made our last dive at Banana reef before the well deserved deco-beer and a tour through the heart of male with the beautiful mosque, the president’s house and the nice artificial beach.

Dive 19 – Fish Factory (Kaafu North)
Dive 20 – Kandooma Thila (Kaafu South)
Dive 21 – Just like old times (Vaavu)

Another morning, another dive and this time at Fish Factory close to Male. Besides a huge Napoleon, we saw dozens of Moray eels in different shapes, colours and  sizes sometimes even up to 6 of them shared a hole together. After a short drive from Kaafu north to Kaafu south we arrived at the famous “Kandooma Thila”. This Thila is best with outgoing current and we got lucky and had a medium outgoing current. Directly after getting on the first 2 rocks we saw a huge school of ca. 12 eagle rays staying in front of the current with us and 4 grey reef sharks joined us. After this we drifted back to the mid
of the Thila to find 8 more, even bigger grey reef sharks going back and forth in the current.

Then guide Ved went for the poker and went down to the cleaning station at 32m and we gut lucky as hell. There were ca. 50 grey reef sharks circling around for a few minutes where we had to raise up before the deco time. All in all the most amazing dive so far!
Our last dive was at a channel called “Just like old times”. We made the crossing even though it was slightly deep, but therefore we could see 3 grey reef and some very big white tip sharks, a bunch of lobster and a massive nurse shark.

Dive 22 – 13 eagle rays (Vaavu)
Dive 23 – Alimatha Uthuru Kandu (Vaavu)
Dive 24 – Alimatha Uthuru Kandu (Vaavu)
Dive 25 – Alimatha House reef (Vaavu)

Morning exercise at 13 eagle rays, but in the end we had only 1 eagly ray, 1 feather-tail ray, a mantis shrimp and the famous lanabüba (Langnasenbüschelbarsch) or long hawk nose fish in english. For our second dive we went to Alimatha Uthuru Kandu with a very small outgoing/nearly no current so we decided to cross this channel. At the edge we saw a couple of grey reef sharks, a black Stingray swimming in the blue, the obligatory napoleon and many schools of fish. For the night dive we went to “Almitha House reef” – for the ones who have been more words it was fantastic as always: Nurse sharks, giant trevallies, stingrays and even black tip sharks circling around us and even “touch us” even if they are not allowed to. The underwater creatures surely saw more divers, than we divers saw sharks so they aren’t afraid of us at all and come for a close cuddle at all the time.

Dive 26 – Alimatha Uthuru Kandu (Vaavu)
Dive 27 – Golden Wall (Vaavu)
Dive 28 – Fotteyo (Vaavu)

A peaceful morning in the maldives – flat water, a warm ray of sunshine over the sea and a very chilled dive at “Alimatha Uthuru Kandu”. With a small outgoing current again there were plenty of underwater life waking up with us. Schools of jacks, trevallies and barracudas welcomed us this morning as well as a friendly octopus and a turtle which was following us for 20 minutes. Also the eagle rays and the sharks were active and swam up and down at the edge of the channel. Shortly after a little transfer within the Vaavu Atoll we reached Golden Wall. We drifted in the outgoing current along this wall and the name is true. We saw 2 schools of big sized Mobolas – the first group of 16 Mobolas and a second group consisting of 7 Mobolas.
Last, but not least we went to Fotteyo – the stunning dive site with a massive wall down to 80-100 m with loads of overhangs and swim throughs and a sandy plateau and of course an enormous amount of marine life: eagle rays, grey reef and white tip sharks, trevallies, barracudas and all the others.

Dive 29 – Fotteyo (Vaavu)
Dive 30 – Rakhedoo Corner (Vaavu)
Dive 31 – Happy corner (Meemu)

“Jump, jump, jump” the words of our main guide Ved this morning when jumping in the blue from our diving Dhoni for another dive at Fotteyo. The dive site gave his best like always to pleasure the divers from the Sheena. On our second dive at Rakhedoo Corner we saw some massive Napoleons and a really big mobula at the end of the dive.
After the second dive we went for a crossing over to Meemu Atoll for the last dive at the famous happy corner. This dive site is famous for the enormous amount of grey reef sharks, which you can see here regularly.

Dive 32 – Happy Corner (Meemu)
Dive 33 – White Tip Station (Meemu)
Dive 34 – Manta’s and more (Meemu)

Happy days start with a dive at “Happy Corner” for our lovely guests on the Sheena. Blue skies, flat sea and a small current made it a promising dive which it was. We saw plenty of schools of fish, some grey reef sharks and a lovely hawksbill turtle was staying with us at the edge of the channel. For the next dive we went to “white tip station” and even it is called white tip station we saw grey reef and even three silver tip sharks, when we were hooked in at the edge of the reef with a medium incoming current. We also saw the biggest barracuda of the trip so far and like always many schools of fish. Also the last dive site didn’t honour is name, but was still super amazing. Manta’s and more didn’t offer us Manta’s, but therefore an eagle ray and plenty of sharks- just another stunning dive on the Sheena.

Dive 35 – Manta’s and more (Meemu)
Dive 36 – Medhufushi Thila (Meemu)
Dive 37 – Fembo House Reef (Meemu)

Two days to go and another dive at manta’s and more and same like yesterday many, many sharks, but no manta, but therefore again a huge, beautiful hawksbill turtle and some leopard shark swimming by.
For the next dive we went to beautiful Medhufushi Thila and we saw plenty of schools of fish and many macro marine life at this place. A nice variety to all the past shark dives, especially for our photographers.

Dive 38 – Western Highlights (Meemu)

A last time “Goooooooood morning” at 6:00 am in the morning before the dive.

A cool – down dive at western highlights before heading to Filitheyo in the Faafu Atoll.
For the last time we saw some grey reef, silver tips and white tip sharks, beside eagle rays and plenty of schools of fish. The perfect last dive.
The rest of the day we celebrate a good time together on the Sheena before going to bed late and happy.

The day of the days – we cried together, we fight each other, we dove with each other, we
made memories and finally we made new friends. 14 days with 14 guest, 7 crew and 2 dive guides had many adventures, new experiences and dives of course. Everything  comes to an end and we saying thank you, good bye and see you next time in the name of all the crew, dive guides and in the name of the company of Werner Lau.