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Diving
The currents in the Indian Ocean are strong, which means that
driftdiving is very common. The divers usually just follow the current
along the reef and are picked up by the boat after the dive. This means
that you can actually spend a whole dive almost without swimming.
Depending on several different matters (e.g. time of the day, weather,
location...) the current varies from almost none to very strong. One of my big favourite driftdives in the Maldives is the Embudu Express. This channel is situated in the northern part of South Male Atoll, facing the resort island Embudu Village. You start the dive from a boat on the outer part of the reef where you rapidly have to descend to the top-reef at about 8 meters. When you come down you better find a piece of dead coral to hold on to, otherwise you will quickly be washed away by the strong current. Holding to the coral you wait for your buddy and then start "climbing" downwards to about 30 meter. Always holding to dead parts of coral and being very careful not to damage the reef and not to grab to a scorpion- or stonefish. If you thought the current was strong before you will soon realise it is getting much stronger the closer you get to the channel. After a while you will arrive at the corner of the channel and now the adventure really begins. You will find yourself, desperately fighting the current, but at the same time tou will be astonished by the immense quantity of big fishes circling in the water. You will se tunas, jacks, napoleons, barracudas, sharks, rays and maybe even manta-rays. Keep an eye on your diving-computer and air-consumption, because time
flies down here and much to soon you will have to start the ascent. Just
let go from whatever you are holding to and let the current take you
away, into the channel. It feels like flying in the water!
On the Embudu Express you actually see three different reef-profiles
during one single dive. In a normal outer reef you will find the top-reef more or less at sea-level. The reef then slopes down to about 30 meters where you will find the first terrace. The slope then continues to between 2.000 and 4.000 meters. In the slope you will usually find overhangs and small caves. Sometimes the slope is more or less vertical. When diving a outer-reef of course your major attention is towards the rich life on the actual reef, but do not forget to check out into the blue once and a while. You will often be able to see big fishes as tunas and sharks.
The chance of meeting "big game" is even bigger in the corner - the edge of the opening into the atoll. The usually strong current in this part of the reef often attract predators looking for food. The channel - which connects the open ocean with the atoll lagoon - is often not deeper than between 30 an 50 meter. The current is usually quite strong and the chances of meeting sharks, etc. is big. Sometimes one finds small, independent, reefs in the middle of a channel. They are called thilas (5) and are popular among divers because they often have cleaning stations which bring in all kinds of pelagic fishes, at times even the huge whale-shark. The top of a thila is usually at about 10 meters. Inner-reefs (6) are perfect when the weather does not permit diving outside the atoll. The barrier-reef effectively calms the sea. On the inner-reefs the marine life is not so abundant as in the other parts but you will meet a lot of different fishes anyway. Diving is never boring in the Maldives! Finally. A house-reef (7) is just a reef surrounding an island, e.g.
your own resort island (8). SOME NICE DIVESITES(North Male AtollBarracuda Giri (1)
A giri is more or less the same thing as a thila. Here you will most probably meet barracudas, bat-fishes, white-tip reef-sharks and huge schools of sweetlips. Rainbow Reef (2)
The channel is between the islands Himmafushi and Girifushi and it is considered to be one of the best dive-sites in North Male Atoll. Notice the colourful soft corals. This is a perfect site for a perfect drift-dive. Bodu Banana (3)
Big napoleons and sharks are very common. Also good for drift-diving. Manta Point (4)
Lots of plankton but no guarantee of mantas. A lot of sharks though. Hannas Reef (5)
Start the dive at 28 meters and admire the beautiful soft corals and sea-anemones. Lions Head (6)
Former a shark-feeding site. I never dived here without meeting a lot
of grey reef-sharks. And they are big too.
Two different wrecks on the same dive-site. Do I need to say more? Yes. Friendly and curious bat-fishes. Gavifaru Kandu (2)
Napoleons, turtles, bat-fishes! You name it. Kuredu Caves (3)
Small caves where you can find lobsters and turtles. Big schools of curious bat-fishes. Kuredu Express (4)
Lots of grey reef sharks and white-tip reef-sharks. The current varies but never gets as strong as in Embudu Express. Bodu Giri (5)
Perfect for macro- and close-up photography. Kanihoura Corner (6)
A lot of predators as well as big schools of banner-fishes. Fushivaru Out, Corner, Thila (7)
One of my big favourites in Lhaviyani-atoll. Cleaning station with all you desire and more to it! Do not miss it!
Who am I? The Maldives Diving The life on the coral-reef Picture Galleries ©Thomas von Seth / All rights reserved |
