Kategorie: News
Great Atolls, great diving
It's official! Certainly not least due to the massive worldwide protest of conservation organizations, us scuba divers and of course the change.org petition, the Maldivian government has changed its mind. Yesterday it was announced that they will not consider allowing shark fishing in Maldivian territorial waters again.
But can you travel to the Maldives at this time? You can! The negative PCR test makes it possible. Of course, one should follow the usual hygiene rules in the tropical island state, just as in the rest of the world. We visited some atolls...
Report by Sibylle Gerlinger
In the past, the dhonis chugged from Male Airport in all directions, but today the seaplanes take off like busy bumblebees and drop off their maximum of fifteen guests safely and quickly directly in front of the islands. Wearing a mask is also compulsory in the airtaxi, but you can finally take it off at the latest when you check in on the island. The balancing act between safety and comfort of their guests is up to the resort management on site. So whether or not to wear the protection at the buffet is a hotel decision. However, hygiene dispensers and thermometer stations in front of restaurants are standard almost everywhere. Some islands even offer a free PCR test at the end of the vacation for those traveling home.
The tropical atmosphere alone, the warm air and the turquoise lagoons on the white beach are balm for body, mind and soul, especially during this time. And at the latest during the dive, we have left the world up there behind us for a while.
The Ari Atoll is not only one of the largest, but also still one of the most popular atolls in the Maldives. Diving is mostly done at so-called "Thilas", often circular reefs in the interior of the atoll, whose roofs lie about five to ten meters below the surface, like Maalho's Thila, where the delicate coral polyps thrive with all their colorfulness in breaches and overhangs. On the outer edge of Kuda Rah Thila, however, gray reef sharks usually patrol the blue water. There is less current between the reef blocks, yet there are magnificent red fan corals. The entire reef is covered in huge schools of blue-striped snappers.
Off Machafushi Island lies the wreck of the Kudhimaa, sunk especially for divers in 1998. The fifty meter long steel ship is extremely well covered with vegetation and is the habitat of countless fish and invertebrates. It is especially suitable as an exciting target for night dives. Already in 2009 the southern edge of the atoll was declared South Ari Marine Park, and since 2019 rangers are now also responsible for the protected zone. The special thing here is the large number of whale sharks that can be found all year round. Most dive centers offer snorkeling trips to the area.
Hotel recommendation:
Lily Beach Resort & Spa, Prodivers Dive Center.
Lily Beach on the island of Huvahendhoo, which is densely overgrown with old trees, not only impresses with its well-designed grounds, but also with its excellent cuisine. The meals in the main restaurant are offered as an all-inclusive buffet, and there are also three specialty restaurants and bars. A free PCR test is included with a minimum five-night stay. The Prodivers team manages the base professionally and is happy to accommodate customer requests.
Further north is the small and elongated Lhaviyani Atoll, whose resorts are located on islands at the edge of the atoll. So diving is often on outer reefs and in channels, although there are wonderful sites in the interior as well. One of them is called Anemone Thila. The round reef is completely covered with anemones, inhabited by Clark's and Maldivian clownfish. If you've ever wanted to photograph closed anemones in purple, orange or green, this is the place for you! The best channels and most exciting sites are in the north of Lhaviyani Atoll. Densely covered drop-offs, such as Kuredu Caves, Kuredu Express or Peak often promise current and big fish. Eagle rays, large sand rays and various reef shark species are among them. The highlight of the atoll is Fushivaru Kandu. In this channel on the west side of the island chain is a thila that serves as a cleaning station for manta rays. Even outside the season from October to March you can meet the gentle giants here with a little luck.
Hotel recommendations:
Innahura Maldives on the southern edge of the atoll is a new resort with a young ambience and has a very large and beautiful swimming lagoon but no house reef. All accommodations are beach bungalows. The Prodivers dive center lives up to its usual high standard and operates all dive sites on the atoll.
Kuredu Island Resort& Spa is one of the largest resort islands in the Maldives and even has a golf course. The Prodivers not only operate their headquarters here, but also what is currently the only decompression chamber in the country. Their services include rebreather and scooter dives.
Hurawalhi Island Resort & Spa is a luxury resort that meets even the most demanding requirements. The star of the resort is the "5.8," the world's largest, all-glass underwater restaurant. Edouard Deplus is the French chef responsible for all restaurants of the resort, as well as for the neighboring island "Kudadoo Maldives Private Island". The Prodivers dive center offers, among other things, "Fluo night dives", night dives with special light and mask filters that bring out the fluorescent colors of the UW fauna. Also for non-photographers!
The Raa Atoll belongs to the atolls which were developed relatively late. It is located in the west of the country and is characterized by absolutely virgin dive sites with almost lush and tremendously colorful vegetation. Spots like Beriyan Kuda Thila, Sola or Anemone Thila enchant with their untouched nature and richness of species. In addition to large shoals, one regularly encounters sharks, various species of rays, Napoleon wrasse and turtles. Also lovers of macrofauna get their money's worth. Several manta cleaner stations cover both the time of the north-east monsoon (November to April), as well as the south-west monsoon (May to October), so that the enchanting giant rays can be found all year round.
Hotel recommendation:
Brennia Kottefaru Maldives Resort didn't open until early 2020 and is not yet fully completed. A lot of love has been put into the landscaping of the formerly uninhabited island; pathways and bungalows are framed by colorful flowering bougainvilleas. The spa is the heart of the resort, treatments take place in individual cottages, which were built in the separate spa garden. The German-speaking dive center is under the proven management of Petra Hellmann, Ocean Dimensions. There is no house reef, but it takes just two minutes to drive out to the nearest first-class dive sites.
South of Raa Atoll is Baa Atoll. Due to its enormous biodiversity, it was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2011, the only atoll in the Maldives to date. Baa Atoll is also home to the famous Hanifaru Bay. Due to ocean currents and wind, plankton accumulates in this protected lagoon during the south-west monsoon in such large quantities that manta rays and whale sharks regularly appear there to "eat big". The lagoon is protected by rangers during the season and only snorkeling is allowed. On some days between May and October, up to a hundred manta rays can be observed in the bay. In addition, the atoll's dive sites await with colorful, densely vegetated drop-offs, overhangs and breaches. Fish abundance and species diversity are immense.
Hotel recommendation:
Kihaa Maldives is an upscale resort. The Ocean Dimensions dive center is under the management of Maldives expert Marc Zaalberg, who has not lost his passion in more than 20 years. Kihaa captivates above all by its location in the immediate vicinity of Hanifaru Bay.
More Informationen:
www.lilybeachmaldives.com
www.innahura.com
www.hurawalhi.com
www.kudadoo.com
www.kuredu.com
www.brennia.com
www.kihaamaldives.com
www.prodivers.com
www.oceandimensions.com
An honest word
On some reefs, especially in South Ari Atoll, we noticed broken reefs with bleached corals and anemones. Especially at house reefs in the interior of the atolls you can experience disastrous moments, which can only partly be explained by the El Niños of the last years. However, it must also be said that the atolls have always differed in terms of their fauna and coral cover.
Atolls where diving is mainly done on outer reefs and channels, like Lhaviyani Atoll, look much better. The two western atolls (Baa and Raa) had fantastic coral cover, both hard and soft corals.
In general, however, our impression is that probably the hotel islands with their enormously high water consumption and pollutant input by the many people over the years do much more permanent damage to the reefs. An ecosystem like these fragile atoll landscapes are simply not made for such expansive tourism.
(c) All pictures by Sibylle Gerlinger and Gerald Nowak