Diving experiences of Ruud & Odette
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Maldives, Ari Atol & South Male Atol September 1997 |
| One week on an island and one week on a boat. That’s what I call living well ! Imagine…two weeks of nothing more than a t-shirt, shorts and bare feet. There’s one disadvantage: after two weeks your shoes won’t fit. Our destination: Ari Beach Resort, a hotel island on the south-eastern point of the Ari Atoll. Here we would stay three days, followed by a week on a liveaboard (or, as they call it here: a safari boat) and four more days on Ari Beach Resort. |
| The Maldives in the Indian Ocean are what you expect from paradise: white beaches, palm trees, blazing sun (even in the monsoon period, the "rainy season" of September), warm water (at least: warm sea water for our hotel room didn’t have warm water), rest, relaxed atmosphere and of course a magnificent underwater life. As said before: first a couple of days on Ari Beach Resort or Dhidofinolhu island, one of the larger islands. Here large means 300 meters by 1400 meters (approx. 900 by 4200 feet). You’ll have to be able to entertain yourself, because there is no blooming nightlife, there are no shops or terraces on the waterfront/boulevard (and that’s probably for the best too). But if you come prepared, you’ll have the holiday of a lifetime. |
| We have been diving with Eurodivers, originally a Swiss organization, who strictly abide by the rules. In case of a Padi OWD-certificate that means that you absolutely won’t descend below 20 meters (65 feet), and for higher certifications (even if you’re at instructor level) you’ll have to stick to the legal (on the Maldives) 30 meters (100 feet). Breaking these rules means being expelled from diving altogether! Diving with a computer and a surface balloon is compulsory and if you don’t own them, you can rent them on the spot. Without these: no diving. Your maximum depth will be read from your computer, so it’s no use cheating. Safety first. The boat dives are made by dhoni, a local type of vessel, which has an unexpected balance and comfort. You can count on mantas (especially if there’s plenty of plankton in the water), lush corals, napoleon fish, morays, turtles, nudibranches… the complete contents of Helmut Debelius’s Tropical Fish Guide Indian Ocean will pass your mask! |
| After a couple of days on Ari Beach we were picked up for our liveaboard with the Catain Conti’s "Blue Dolphin" (if you don’t have your own equipment, mention it while booking and a set will be waiting for you on the boat). The Blue Dolphin has a dhoni sailing with it for diving and for storing all diving equipment. All your gear (excluding photo or video equipment) will stay on board of the dhoni. A daily rinse with fresh water (liquid gold, it costs US $ 20 per cubic meter) is out of the question. Especially your wetsuit will have a …. smell to it after a week ! The Blue Dolphin can handle about twelve passengers. We were only four… with a staff of eight. Pure decadence. Depending on weather conditions and your personal need you’ll be diving at least twice a day. The biggest advantage of a liveaboard is being able to dive in more remote (and less ferquented) areas. A big "DO". |
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| Try and convince your captain to go diving at Maaya Tila in Ari Atoll. SHARK DIVE !!! We made three dives here with more than twenty white tip reef sharks and some seven or eight grey reef sharks, who were surrounding us. Bingo! The night dive here was more than impressive: diving with hunting white tips (and they’re everywhere, above, next to, under, in front of and behind you), who use your beam of light to trap their prey. Spectacular. Another dive, which is worthwhile, is a wreck dive on the Maldivian Victory, which sunk right next to the runway of the international airport of Hulhule (Male, North Male atoll) some fifteen years ago. The visibility is not always good, due to strong currents, but the wreck more than makes up for that. There are still bottles lying around, an ironing machine, an old transistor radio and the captain’s bathing room is still mostly intact. At the end of our week liveaboard, final station Male in our case, we were transported back to Ari Beach Resort for some more relaxed diving, enjoying the sun, the food and the complete freedom before returning home. |
| Tip: arrange to be taken to Ari Beach Resort (or any other remote island) by helicopter or waterplane. Trust us: it’s really worth the extra money. Not only is it more comfortable (two to three hours of banging on the big waves in a very small speedboat is not only tiring, but it’s very painful indeed), but you’ll be there sooner and you’ll have a wonderful view of the atolls, who seem to float around like croutons in a blue "soup". Very special. |
 1998 Bonaire, Dutch Antilles |
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