DISCOVER A HIDDEN TREASURE
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NOTE 01
NOTE 02
MALDIVES
RESORTS OF MALDIVES
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Mysterious depths containing a richness of abundant that the mind fails to imagine its bounty. Exuberant fish of assorted colors dancing around brilliant corals hard and soft magnificent creatures of the deep graciously gliding to the rhythm of nature. Clear warm waters unfolding an enchanting realm.
The Maldives, every divers dream!
A Brief ____________________ back up
Maldives is one of the great diving centers in the world with all the perfect ingredients. Desert islands, Warm and Crystal Clear Waters, Thriving Coral Reefs and an Unlimited variety of Marine Life. It's turquoise lagoons and magnificent coral drop-offs make it an ideal place to begin to appreciate the beauties of this quiet and slow moving "inner universe". The most striking impression is the sheer number and variety of fish, all with beautiful patterns and marvelous colors.
There are well over a thousand species of fish, more than half of which are seen regularly on the reefs. At first, the swirling confusion of fish is overwhelming, but with careful observation you can begin to identify the different species, the groupers, fusiliers, sweetlips, butterflyfish, angelfish, surgeonfish, parrotfish, and puffers. Then there are the unforgettable encounters with sharks, mantarays and moray eels.
It takes longer to appreciate the different species of coral, but is equally worth the effort. Maldives is one of the world's richest coral areas, comparable only with the Philippines and Australia's Great Barrier Reef. There are more than 200 different species of hard coral alone, but it is the shapes that they form which make them so amazing, caverns, fans, shafts, canyons and boulders.
In the clear, sunlit water they form a kaleidoscope of color enhanced by myriad fish moving in and out of the nooks and crannies of the reef. So beautiful is this underwater world that at first it's difficult to know where to look. Many divers are inclined to drift or flip from patch to patch on the reef, looking forever more breathtaking shapes and colors. If you want to unravel the reef's secrets, however, you should remain in one place. Travelling fast over the reef is like "flying over the Amazon forest instead of walking through it".
Physical conditions ____________________ back up
The year-round temperature in the waters of Maldives is a constant 20°-30°C (68°-86°F), with the lagoons often reaching 32°C (90°F). The calmest seas and bluest skies are from May to November, when the winds are north-westerly and the currents outside the atolls run west to east at an average of twenty four meters (80 feet) a minute. The roughest seas are experienced during June, and sometimes in October or early November, when strong winds blow from the north east and currents run east to west at thirty meters (100 feet) a minute.
The best underwater visibility occurs towards the end of the north west monsoon, from March to April, when forty meters (130 feet) is normal. On some occasions it is possible to see seventy meters (230 feet) down the coral edge. But in April, when plankton begins to bloom, the visibility is reduced to about twenty meters (66 feet). Nonetheless, this is possibly the most interesting time on the eastern side of the atolls, for the plankton rich waters attract manta rays and whale sharks. Local visibility is also affected by the rise and fall of the tide, incoming tides bring clear water, while the falling tide is filled with plankton and sediments.
To appreciate the full beauty of the corals and fish, bear in mind the effects of water on sunlight. Because of the refraction of light through water, objects seem closer and larger than they really are. Colors also change. As the diver descends deeper more light is filtered out by water, absorbing different colors at different rates.
Within the first five meters (16 feet) all reds disappear and red coral appears black. Orange appears black within ten meters (32 feet), yellow will be completely absorbed by twenty meters (66 feet) and green by twenty five meters (82 feet). The last color to go is blue. It therefore makes sense to take a torch on any dive to bring out the true colors of the marine environment.
Scuba diving ____________________ back up
With such amazing coral reefs and wide variety of marine life, it's not surprising that Maldives has become top of the list of the world's great diving destinations. Most resort islands run well equipped diving centers with excellent instructors who know their patch in Maldives like the backs of their hands. The schools offer "resort courses": three lessons that show what it's like to dive in tepid, crystal clear waters off iridescent reefs surrounded by schools of fish. To obtain a professional qualification like the PADI Open Water Course, which enables the holder to obtain air tanks and dive anywhere in the world, takes about twelve dives, along with a written and practical examination. Any able bodied person should pass it without too much effort.
The minimum skills necessary to undertake a diving course are:-
Swim 200 meters (656 feet) without swimming aids.
Swim at least twelve meters (40 feet) underwater.
Tread water for at least five minutes.
Float with a minimum amount of movement for at least five minutes.
Dive to a depth of three meters (I0 feet), recover a two kilo (4.2 pound) object, and return to the surface.
Wilderness diving ____________________ back up
Because Maldives is so popular as a diving centre, there is no "Wilderness Diving" near the resort islands. As many as 1,000 people ten per cent of the tourist population dive each day and many sites, which are shared by several resorts which become over crowded.
At Banana Reef near Bandos Island Resort; for example, up to sixty divers a day goes down. This means the thud of boats can sometimes be heard overhead and on some parts of the reef divers suddenly appear like a shoal of sharks. If a few stingrays are discovered lying in the sand of a little cave, over eager spectators jostle each other with cameras, disturbing the fish and damaging the coral.
It is particularly upsetting for the quiet diver who does not want to impress his friends with his feats but simply wishes to enjoy the privilege of underwater life.
The best way to experience a "Wilderness Dive" is to hire a Yacht Dhoni and head off with an experienced skipper, "keyolhu" (as they call in dhivehi) to the outer atolls. There, off real desert islands, you will find coral reefs that have remained undisturbed for centuries.
Night diving ____________________ back up
Diving in Maldivian waters at night with lights is unsurpassed. When the sun sets, corals open up and extend their flower-like tentacles, spiders and shrimps leave their tubular sponges to search for food and moray eels, along with the other nocturnal predators, prowl the deep, dark depths. But visibility, excellent by day, is reduced to the narrow tunnel of light from your torch and bumping into a shark hunting by moonlight may be unnerving.
Shark feeding ____________________ back up
One of the great attractions of Maldives for divers used to be the shark feeds, first made famous by a German photographer named Herwath Voightmann on Bandos Island Resort. The fashion caught on and soon five locations became popular. The house reef on Bandos, Lion's Head in the Vaadhoo Channel, Banana Split near Furana; Full Moon Beach Resort, Rasfaree near Nakatchafushi Resort and Fish Hole in Alifu Atoll. Voightmann dressed up as an underwater superman fed sharks mouth to mouth. A more notorious human "shark" who turned up in the archipelago was Richard Harley, a lawyer who staged a diving accident in the Bahamas after being convicted of taking over US,000 in bribes. Interpol at last caught up with him, yes, you guessed it, feeding sharks!
The knack is to feed large fish, so when the food is in the shark's mouth, there's no room for heads or hands. But tuna sends sharks into a feeding frenzy and it's preferable to use different fish. It is still possible to see a shark feed, but the event is becoming rarer for several reasons. Firstly, there is the danger. Secondly, there is the damage done to the sharks themselves, touching a shark can harm its protective body covering, making it prone to infection. Finally, feeding changes a shark's natural behavior, not only making it a lazy feeder but training it to associate divers with food. With the growing ecological awareness among divers in recent years, shark feeding is now discouraged. It is better to observe the underwater world in Maldives as it is, without human interference, particularly as it is one of the last underwater "Wilderness". In keeping with this spirit, the Maldivian government officially discourages the so called "Shark Circuses", and Herwath Voightmann has moved on.
Diving Philosophy ____________________ back up
The best way to appreciate the underwater world of Maldives is to go slowly, conserving energy and looking around carefully. Nothing compares with a slow drift along a reef edge, the gentle current carrying the buoyant diver along, an honorary fish among fish, a harmless observer of the environment. There is so much unearthly beauty that afterwards many divers find it difficult to remember the exact details of all they have seen. They just recall a sense of deep contentment and peace.
Humans, of course, are land animals. If evolutionists are right, all life began in water, so it is no surprise that many feel at home once they have learned basic underwater survival. Many establish relationships with the fish. Dolphins are famous for offering life changing experiences, but even moray eels, with their doleful eyes, impart a certain knowledge and mutual empathy. Dolphins tend to keep to themselves in Maldives, some diving instructors are emphatic that they have communicated with turtles.
Restrictions and Dangers ____________________ back up
Maldives maintains a maximum diving depth of forty meters (131 feet), but some resorts have introduced their own limit thirty meters (98 feet). To go deeper, especially in clear warm water is a constant temptation. It is fatally easy to succumb to an excess of nitrogen in the blood, which induces the "Raptures of the Deep". The overwhelming sense of well being and power leads the most experience diver to lose all caution and care. In such happy-go-lucky-state, divers have been known to offer the regulator of their supply to a passing fish. The feeling elation is soon followed by confusion. Each year, experienced divers and even instructors the world over disappears, drawn ever deeper by the lure of the ocean.
Famous Shipwrecks ____________________ back up
There have been hundreds of shipwrecks in the Maldives throughout the centuries but of all the recorded wrecks, six stand out above all others. They are:-
The Corbin
The Hayston
The Ravestein
Persia Merchant
Prazer E Allegria
Guraidhoo Wreck
THE CORBIN ____________________ back up list of Shipwrecks
The Corbin was a French ship of 400 tons, which set sail from St Malo with the Croissant on May 18, 1601, in search of trade with the east. Plagued by misfortune and ill discipline, the Corbin was destined for disaster and met its end on Goidhoo, or Horsburgh Atoll, on July 2, 1602. It was carrying a cargo of silver and attempted salvage at the time of loss was unsuccessful because of deep water.
At the start of the journey, a bad omen occurred when the mast broke and the crew threatened to jump ship. Sickness and desertions threatened the expedition before the ship had even begun to cross the Indian Ocean. The stifling heat had destroyed many provisions, the water was putrid, fish and meat had gone bad and were full of big worms, butter had turned to oil, and scurvy was rampant. A short stay of 15 days at Malailli, one of the Comoros islands, vastly improved the health of the crew before they crossed the Indian Ocean. On July 1, some reefs and islands were sighted which were correctly recognized as the Maldives by the English pilot. The night was supposed to be spent beating about, but the Corbin was virtually left to herself. During the night the captain was ill and in his bunk, the mate and second mate were drunk and the watch was asleep. In the early hours of the morning of July 2, the ship struck the reef.
Of the 40 or so survivors, one band of 12 men stole a boat and made it to India. Only four of the remainder survived the five-year captivity. One of them was Francois Pyrard, who wrote about his adventures when he returned. It wasn't until February 1607, when an expedition from Chittagong invaded the capital, that Pyrard and his three remaining companions were taken to India and eventually returned to France. Ironically, it was the excellent cannon on board the Corbin that the raiding party was after, which eventually freed the captives. The treatment of Pyrard and his companions by the Maldivians was uncharacteristically cruel but their fate was largely determined by their conduct in the days following the wreck of the Corbin. All the silver and the most precious merchandise were stowed at the bottom of the ship which, after running onto the reef was under water and irretrievable. What remained of the silver was hidden in their waistbands.
During their first night on Fulhadhoo, they hid their waistbands for fear they should be searched by the islanders. At length, the sailors obtained little to eat and were dying of hunger, so they unearthed the coins and offered money for food, which they received. In turn, the natives would give nothing except for money and before long the coins started to run out.
Pyrard wrote:
Those who had money, and who by this means could obtain food, filled their bellies without discretion; and being in a country where the air is very unhealthy for all strangers, even for those of a similar climate, they fell ill, and died one after another, nay more, in place of receiving aid and consolation from their fellows, those who were without money and in great need came and stripped them, and took their money before they were dead, the healthy who survived fought with one another who should have it, and banded themselves two against two, and finally messmate against messmate, with so little charity, that they would see their comrades and fellow countrymen die before their eyes without giving them any assistance or succour. I have never seen a sight so pitiable and deplorable.
Pyrard was taken with two other crewmembers to another island, Fehendhoo. Unlike the others, they had no belts of money and although this caused some trouble at first, they found they were better off with nothing, as little by little, the natives gave them some food. News of the wreck and the money reached Male and commissioners were sent to Fulhadhoo to secure the wreck on behalf of the sultan. All merchandise and money from shipwrecks automatically became the property of the sultan and Maldivians were prohibited from selling anything to the shipwreck victims. When the commissioner arrived at Fulhadhoo, he demanded to know who had the money from the vessel. To get hold of it, he arrested all the inhabitants, even the women, and had their thumbs put into cleftsticks and squeezed and bound with iron clasps, to see if they would confess. The villagers on the island of Pyrard's captivity were in no trouble when it was proved they had taken nothing, for which they were grateful. Pyrard took great pains to learn their language and by doing so was able to largely determine his own destiny and obtain an insight into Maldivian society never before seen by a westerner, on which he wrote extensively.
Pyrard wrote:
I have remarked that nothing served me so much, or so conciliated the goodwill of the people, the lords, and even the king, as to have a knowledge of their language, and that was the reason why I was always preferred to my companions, and more esteemed than they.
The wreck of the Corbin may have passed unnoticed through history were it not for the historical accounts left by Francois Pyrard. His account of the wreck and ensuing captivity makes compelling reading and his description of life in the islands and the customs of the people make his book a valuable source of reference for historians and students of Maldivian history and culture.
THE HAYSTON ____________________ back up list of Shipwrecks
The Hayston, a three-masted English vessel commanded by Captain Sartorius, set out from Isle-de-France (nowadays Mauritius) for Calcutta on July 1, 1819. For several days bad weather had prevented them from taking any observations and on July 20 at 8pm, some reefs were noticed in the gloomy darkness. There was little time to tack and the ship struck the reef on Maamakunudhoo Atoll on the north west of the Maldives. Within a quarter of an hour, there was seven feet of water in the hold and the ship's crew were at the mercy of the elements.
Next morning the sailors discovered they had run on to an enormous reef, as far as the eye could see, which turned out to be covered with water on the high tide. A small islet was seen by telescope 25 km away which they called the "Isle of Hope". On the 22nd, three sailors tried to reach this isle by raft but were never seen again.
On the 24th, every sailor was employed in building a raft large enough to carry them all, but when it was nearly completed the Lascar sailors cut the rope and sailed away. One man who tried to reach them, was threatened with an axe.
The long boat was taken out from the ship but was damaged on the reef and went adrift with a woman and her two daughters and three men, who were never heard of again. Then the barge was launched and it was not long before she capsized and split on the reef.
A Maldivian sailing boat was seen and appeared to be heading in their direction, so an officer, Schultz, and some crew gave chase in a dinghy. After several hours rowing, they found they were separated by the boat by a big reef and it passed by without noticing the castaways.
Two more sailors, Serang and his brother, were separated from the remaining survivors when a raft on which they were paddling between the reef and the shipwreck, was caught in the current and drifted away to the south east. In another accident, a rope was stretched between the reef and the ship and a young boy died trying to return to the ship.
Finally, on the 26th some sailors embarked on the small dinghy and sailed for the Isle of Hope. They were discovered by fishermen from the island of Makunudhoo and the remaining passengers were rescued. The survivors arrived in Male on August 4 and were treated with much hospitality.
On August 10, Serang and his brother arrived in Male'. After drifting away on their raft, they spent three nights and four days out at sea and passed eleven islands before they landed on an uninhabited island. They were both very weak and survived on coconuts before being rescued by a passing fishing boat. They were conducted to the island where the fishermen lived and were treated with much kindness.
On August 14, the six Lascars who stole the large raft, arrived at Male'. They resorted to lies to explain the infamy of their behaviour, claiming the raft had been broken, had gone adrift and the current had carried them away. Despite their treachery, they were treated equally by the sultan.
The wreck of the Hayston is noted for the humanity of the Maldivians and generosity of the sultan. In all cases, the castaways were well provided for and the sultan would not allow them to pay for anything in his country.
Officer Schultz wrote:
Let the Christians blush thinking that, though they profess a religion that enjoin the most tender charity, you turned out, in our minds, to be, as it were, superiors to them in the practice of virtue and humanity.
THE RAVESTEIN ____________________ back up list of Shipwrecks
The 800 ton Dutch East Indiaman Ravestein was sailing to Jakarta from the Netherlands with a valuable cargo of gold and silver when it ran aground at Madhuveri Island in Mulaku Atoll on May 8, 1726. At the time of loss, nine chests of silver and one chest of gold were recovered. The captain, Antony Klink, sent the rest of the crew to Male', while he remained for one month at the island near where the vessel was lost. The arrogant conduct of Klink tested the patience of the Maldivians, in particular, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar II (1720 - 50 AD). In a letter sent to the Dutch Governor of Ceylon, the sultan said Klink did nothing but complain bitterly of the inhabitants of the islands.
The Sultan wrote:
He [the captain] expected them to work like European sailors, not taking into consideration the fact that they are only wretched creatures who look upon the smallest service extracted from them as a grievous oppression. You are well aware gentlemen, of the nature of the islanders.
When the captain arrived in Male' on June 13, he demanded from the sultan 50 men and four large boats to save the property of the company. The sultan was outraged by this extraordinary demand and gave no answer and, in any case, was not prepared to send boats to the site as the vessel was cast away on a place to which a small boat can approach only with difficulty, as the seas were rough and the surf dangerous.
The Dutch were invited to return in the calmer months to attempt further recovery and the crew of the shipwrecked Ravestein were returned to Ceylon with the gold and silver chests and other goods recovered from the wreck.
PERSIA MERCHANT ____________________ back up list of Shipwrecks
One night in August 1658, five months after her departure from England, the Persia Merchant was wrecked on Maamakunudhoo Atoll, while en route to Bengal. On board were eight chests of silver and probably gold from West Africa. Salvage was attempted at the time of loss but was unsuccessful.
Many were drowned, but the 50 survivors were well treated by the islanders and after one month they were given a good boat in which they sailed to Sri Lanka. Among the survivors were Captain Roger Williams and the mariner-captain Roger Middleton, who wrote an account of his adventures to his family after reaching India.
Middleton said the ship filled with water quickly, leaving the survivors with nothing and within four hours she had broken into pieces. One of the boats sunk under the ship, leaving just one other to rescue the victims. The survivors found their way by boat and broken pieces of the ship to an uninhabited island south of Makunudhoo, but without food, drink or arms.
Maldives is one of the great diving centers in the world with all the perfect ingredients. Desert islands, Warm and Crystal Clear Waters, Thriving Coral Reefs and an Unlimited variety of Marine Life. It's turquoise lagoons and magnificent coral drop-offs make it an ideal place to begin to appreciate the beauties of this quiet and slow moving "inner universe". The most striking impression is the sheer number and variety of fish, all with beautiful patterns and marvelous colors.
There are well over a thousand species of fish, more than half of which are seen regularly on the reefs. At first, the swirling confusion of fish is overwhelming, but with careful observation you can begin to identify the different species, the groupers, fusiliers, sweetlips, butterflyfish, angelfish, surgeonfish, parrotfish, and puffers. Then there are the unforgettable encounters with sharks, mantarays and moray eels.
It takes longer to appreciate the different species of coral, but is equally worth the effort. Maldives is one of the world's richest coral areas, comparable only with the Philippines and Australia's Great Barrier Reef. There are more than 200 different species of hard coral alone, but it is the shapes that they form which make them so amazing, caverns, fans, shafts, canyons and boulders.
In the clear, sunlit water they form a kaleidoscope of color enhanced by myriad fish moving in and out of the nooks and crannies of the reef. So beautiful is this underwater world that at first it's difficult to know where to look. Many divers are inclined to drift or flip from patch to patch on the reef, looking forever more breathtaking shapes and colors. If you want to unravel the reef's secrets, however, you should remain in one place. Travelling fast over the reef is like "flying over the Amazon forest instead of walking through it".
Physical conditions ____________________ back up
The year-round temperature in the waters of Maldives is a constant 20°-30°C (68°-86°F), with the lagoons often reaching 32°C (90°F). The calmest seas and bluest skies are from May to November, when the winds are north-westerly and the currents outside the atolls run west to east at an average of twenty four meters (80 feet) a minute. The roughest seas are experienced during June, and sometimes in October or early November, when strong winds blow from the north east and currents run east to west at thirty meters (100 feet) a minute.
The best underwater visibility occurs towards the end of the north west monsoon, from March to April, when forty meters (130 feet) is normal. On some occasions it is possible to see seventy meters (230 feet) down the coral edge. But in April, when plankton begins to bloom, the visibility is reduced to about twenty meters (66 feet). Nonetheless, this is possibly the most interesting time on the eastern side of the atolls, for the plankton rich waters attract manta rays and whale sharks. Local visibility is also affected by the rise and fall of the tide, incoming tides bring clear water, while the falling tide is filled with plankton and sediments.
To appreciate the full beauty of the corals and fish, bear in mind the effects of water on sunlight. Because of the refraction of light through water, objects seem closer and larger than they really are. Colors also change. As the diver descends deeper more light is filtered out by water, absorbing different colors at different rates.
Within the first five meters (16 feet) all reds disappear and red coral appears black. Orange appears black within ten meters (32 feet), yellow will be completely absorbed by twenty meters (66 feet) and green by twenty five meters (82 feet). The last color to go is blue. It therefore makes sense to take a torch on any dive to bring out the true colors of the marine environment.
Scuba diving ____________________ back up
With such amazing coral reefs and wide variety of marine life, it's not surprising that Maldives has become top of the list of the world's great diving destinations. Most resort islands run well equipped diving centers with excellent instructors who know their patch in Maldives like the backs of their hands. The schools offer "resort courses": three lessons that show what it's like to dive in tepid, crystal clear waters off iridescent reefs surrounded by schools of fish. To obtain a professional qualification like the PADI Open Water Course, which enables the holder to obtain air tanks and dive anywhere in the world, takes about twelve dives, along with a written and practical examination. Any able bodied person should pass it without too much effort.
The minimum skills necessary to undertake a diving course are:-
Swim 200 meters (656 feet) without swimming aids.
Swim at least twelve meters (40 feet) underwater.
Tread water for at least five minutes.
Float with a minimum amount of movement for at least five minutes.
Dive to a depth of three meters (I0 feet), recover a two kilo (4.2 pound) object, and return to the surface.
Wilderness diving ____________________ back up
Because Maldives is so popular as a diving centre, there is no "Wilderness Diving" near the resort islands. As many as 1,000 people ten per cent of the tourist population dive each day and many sites, which are shared by several resorts which become over crowded.
At Banana Reef near Bandos Island Resort; for example, up to sixty divers a day goes down. This means the thud of boats can sometimes be heard overhead and on some parts of the reef divers suddenly appear like a shoal of sharks. If a few stingrays are discovered lying in the sand of a little cave, over eager spectators jostle each other with cameras, disturbing the fish and damaging the coral.
It is particularly upsetting for the quiet diver who does not want to impress his friends with his feats but simply wishes to enjoy the privilege of underwater life.
The best way to experience a "Wilderness Dive" is to hire a Yacht Dhoni and head off with an experienced skipper, "keyolhu" (as they call in dhivehi) to the outer atolls. There, off real desert islands, you will find coral reefs that have remained undisturbed for centuries.
Night diving ____________________ back up
Diving in Maldivian waters at night with lights is unsurpassed. When the sun sets, corals open up and extend their flower-like tentacles, spiders and shrimps leave their tubular sponges to search for food and moray eels, along with the other nocturnal predators, prowl the deep, dark depths. But visibility, excellent by day, is reduced to the narrow tunnel of light from your torch and bumping into a shark hunting by moonlight may be unnerving.
Shark feeding ____________________ back up
One of the great attractions of Maldives for divers used to be the shark feeds, first made famous by a German photographer named Herwath Voightmann on Bandos Island Resort. The fashion caught on and soon five locations became popular. The house reef on Bandos, Lion's Head in the Vaadhoo Channel, Banana Split near Furana; Full Moon Beach Resort, Rasfaree near Nakatchafushi Resort and Fish Hole in Alifu Atoll. Voightmann dressed up as an underwater superman fed sharks mouth to mouth. A more notorious human "shark" who turned up in the archipelago was Richard Harley, a lawyer who staged a diving accident in the Bahamas after being convicted of taking over US,000 in bribes. Interpol at last caught up with him, yes, you guessed it, feeding sharks!
The knack is to feed large fish, so when the food is in the shark's mouth, there's no room for heads or hands. But tuna sends sharks into a feeding frenzy and it's preferable to use different fish. It is still possible to see a shark feed, but the event is becoming rarer for several reasons. Firstly, there is the danger. Secondly, there is the damage done to the sharks themselves, touching a shark can harm its protective body covering, making it prone to infection. Finally, feeding changes a shark's natural behavior, not only making it a lazy feeder but training it to associate divers with food. With the growing ecological awareness among divers in recent years, shark feeding is now discouraged. It is better to observe the underwater world in Maldives as it is, without human interference, particularly as it is one of the last underwater "Wilderness". In keeping with this spirit, the Maldivian government officially discourages the so called "Shark Circuses", and Herwath Voightmann has moved on.
Diving Philosophy ____________________ back up
The best way to appreciate the underwater world of Maldives is to go slowly, conserving energy and looking around carefully. Nothing compares with a slow drift along a reef edge, the gentle current carrying the buoyant diver along, an honorary fish among fish, a harmless observer of the environment. There is so much unearthly beauty that afterwards many divers find it difficult to remember the exact details of all they have seen. They just recall a sense of deep contentment and peace.
Humans, of course, are land animals. If evolutionists are right, all life began in water, so it is no surprise that many feel at home once they have learned basic underwater survival. Many establish relationships with the fish. Dolphins are famous for offering life changing experiences, but even moray eels, with their doleful eyes, impart a certain knowledge and mutual empathy. Dolphins tend to keep to themselves in Maldives, some diving instructors are emphatic that they have communicated with turtles.
Restrictions and Dangers ____________________ back up
Maldives maintains a maximum diving depth of forty meters (131 feet), but some resorts have introduced their own limit thirty meters (98 feet). To go deeper, especially in clear warm water is a constant temptation. It is fatally easy to succumb to an excess of nitrogen in the blood, which induces the "Raptures of the Deep". The overwhelming sense of well being and power leads the most experience diver to lose all caution and care. In such happy-go-lucky-state, divers have been known to offer the regulator of their supply to a passing fish. The feeling elation is soon followed by confusion. Each year, experienced divers and even instructors the world over disappears, drawn ever deeper by the lure of the ocean.
Famous Shipwrecks ____________________ back up
There have been hundreds of shipwrecks in the Maldives throughout the centuries but of all the recorded wrecks, six stand out above all others. They are:-
The Corbin
The Hayston
The Ravestein
Persia Merchant
Prazer E Allegria
Guraidhoo Wreck
THE CORBIN ____________________ back up list of Shipwrecks
The Corbin was a French ship of 400 tons, which set sail from St Malo with the Croissant on May 18, 1601, in search of trade with the east. Plagued by misfortune and ill discipline, the Corbin was destined for disaster and met its end on Goidhoo, or Horsburgh Atoll, on July 2, 1602. It was carrying a cargo of silver and attempted salvage at the time of loss was unsuccessful because of deep water.
At the start of the journey, a bad omen occurred when the mast broke and the crew threatened to jump ship. Sickness and desertions threatened the expedition before the ship had even begun to cross the Indian Ocean. The stifling heat had destroyed many provisions, the water was putrid, fish and meat had gone bad and were full of big worms, butter had turned to oil, and scurvy was rampant. A short stay of 15 days at Malailli, one of the Comoros islands, vastly improved the health of the crew before they crossed the Indian Ocean. On July 1, some reefs and islands were sighted which were correctly recognized as the Maldives by the English pilot. The night was supposed to be spent beating about, but the Corbin was virtually left to herself. During the night the captain was ill and in his bunk, the mate and second mate were drunk and the watch was asleep. In the early hours of the morning of July 2, the ship struck the reef.
Of the 40 or so survivors, one band of 12 men stole a boat and made it to India. Only four of the remainder survived the five-year captivity. One of them was Francois Pyrard, who wrote about his adventures when he returned. It wasn't until February 1607, when an expedition from Chittagong invaded the capital, that Pyrard and his three remaining companions were taken to India and eventually returned to France. Ironically, it was the excellent cannon on board the Corbin that the raiding party was after, which eventually freed the captives. The treatment of Pyrard and his companions by the Maldivians was uncharacteristically cruel but their fate was largely determined by their conduct in the days following the wreck of the Corbin. All the silver and the most precious merchandise were stowed at the bottom of the ship which, after running onto the reef was under water and irretrievable. What remained of the silver was hidden in their waistbands.
During their first night on Fulhadhoo, they hid their waistbands for fear they should be searched by the islanders. At length, the sailors obtained little to eat and were dying of hunger, so they unearthed the coins and offered money for food, which they received. In turn, the natives would give nothing except for money and before long the coins started to run out.
Pyrard wrote:
Those who had money, and who by this means could obtain food, filled their bellies without discretion; and being in a country where the air is very unhealthy for all strangers, even for those of a similar climate, they fell ill, and died one after another, nay more, in place of receiving aid and consolation from their fellows, those who were without money and in great need came and stripped them, and took their money before they were dead, the healthy who survived fought with one another who should have it, and banded themselves two against two, and finally messmate against messmate, with so little charity, that they would see their comrades and fellow countrymen die before their eyes without giving them any assistance or succour. I have never seen a sight so pitiable and deplorable.
Pyrard was taken with two other crewmembers to another island, Fehendhoo. Unlike the others, they had no belts of money and although this caused some trouble at first, they found they were better off with nothing, as little by little, the natives gave them some food. News of the wreck and the money reached Male and commissioners were sent to Fulhadhoo to secure the wreck on behalf of the sultan. All merchandise and money from shipwrecks automatically became the property of the sultan and Maldivians were prohibited from selling anything to the shipwreck victims. When the commissioner arrived at Fulhadhoo, he demanded to know who had the money from the vessel. To get hold of it, he arrested all the inhabitants, even the women, and had their thumbs put into cleftsticks and squeezed and bound with iron clasps, to see if they would confess. The villagers on the island of Pyrard's captivity were in no trouble when it was proved they had taken nothing, for which they were grateful. Pyrard took great pains to learn their language and by doing so was able to largely determine his own destiny and obtain an insight into Maldivian society never before seen by a westerner, on which he wrote extensively.
Pyrard wrote:
I have remarked that nothing served me so much, or so conciliated the goodwill of the people, the lords, and even the king, as to have a knowledge of their language, and that was the reason why I was always preferred to my companions, and more esteemed than they.
The wreck of the Corbin may have passed unnoticed through history were it not for the historical accounts left by Francois Pyrard. His account of the wreck and ensuing captivity makes compelling reading and his description of life in the islands and the customs of the people make his book a valuable source of reference for historians and students of Maldivian history and culture.
THE HAYSTON ____________________ back up list of Shipwrecks
The Hayston, a three-masted English vessel commanded by Captain Sartorius, set out from Isle-de-France (nowadays Mauritius) for Calcutta on July 1, 1819. For several days bad weather had prevented them from taking any observations and on July 20 at 8pm, some reefs were noticed in the gloomy darkness. There was little time to tack and the ship struck the reef on Maamakunudhoo Atoll on the north west of the Maldives. Within a quarter of an hour, there was seven feet of water in the hold and the ship's crew were at the mercy of the elements.
Next morning the sailors discovered they had run on to an enormous reef, as far as the eye could see, which turned out to be covered with water on the high tide. A small islet was seen by telescope 25 km away which they called the "Isle of Hope". On the 22nd, three sailors tried to reach this isle by raft but were never seen again.
On the 24th, every sailor was employed in building a raft large enough to carry them all, but when it was nearly completed the Lascar sailors cut the rope and sailed away. One man who tried to reach them, was threatened with an axe.
The long boat was taken out from the ship but was damaged on the reef and went adrift with a woman and her two daughters and three men, who were never heard of again. Then the barge was launched and it was not long before she capsized and split on the reef.
A Maldivian sailing boat was seen and appeared to be heading in their direction, so an officer, Schultz, and some crew gave chase in a dinghy. After several hours rowing, they found they were separated by the boat by a big reef and it passed by without noticing the castaways.
Two more sailors, Serang and his brother, were separated from the remaining survivors when a raft on which they were paddling between the reef and the shipwreck, was caught in the current and drifted away to the south east. In another accident, a rope was stretched between the reef and the ship and a young boy died trying to return to the ship.
Finally, on the 26th some sailors embarked on the small dinghy and sailed for the Isle of Hope. They were discovered by fishermen from the island of Makunudhoo and the remaining passengers were rescued. The survivors arrived in Male on August 4 and were treated with much hospitality.
On August 10, Serang and his brother arrived in Male'. After drifting away on their raft, they spent three nights and four days out at sea and passed eleven islands before they landed on an uninhabited island. They were both very weak and survived on coconuts before being rescued by a passing fishing boat. They were conducted to the island where the fishermen lived and were treated with much kindness.
On August 14, the six Lascars who stole the large raft, arrived at Male'. They resorted to lies to explain the infamy of their behaviour, claiming the raft had been broken, had gone adrift and the current had carried them away. Despite their treachery, they were treated equally by the sultan.
The wreck of the Hayston is noted for the humanity of the Maldivians and generosity of the sultan. In all cases, the castaways were well provided for and the sultan would not allow them to pay for anything in his country.
Officer Schultz wrote:
Let the Christians blush thinking that, though they profess a religion that enjoin the most tender charity, you turned out, in our minds, to be, as it were, superiors to them in the practice of virtue and humanity.
THE RAVESTEIN ____________________ back up list of Shipwrecks
The 800 ton Dutch East Indiaman Ravestein was sailing to Jakarta from the Netherlands with a valuable cargo of gold and silver when it ran aground at Madhuveri Island in Mulaku Atoll on May 8, 1726. At the time of loss, nine chests of silver and one chest of gold were recovered. The captain, Antony Klink, sent the rest of the crew to Male', while he remained for one month at the island near where the vessel was lost. The arrogant conduct of Klink tested the patience of the Maldivians, in particular, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar II (1720 - 50 AD). In a letter sent to the Dutch Governor of Ceylon, the sultan said Klink did nothing but complain bitterly of the inhabitants of the islands.
The Sultan wrote:
He [the captain] expected them to work like European sailors, not taking into consideration the fact that they are only wretched creatures who look upon the smallest service extracted from them as a grievous oppression. You are well aware gentlemen, of the nature of the islanders.
When the captain arrived in Male' on June 13, he demanded from the sultan 50 men and four large boats to save the property of the company. The sultan was outraged by this extraordinary demand and gave no answer and, in any case, was not prepared to send boats to the site as the vessel was cast away on a place to which a small boat can approach only with difficulty, as the seas were rough and the surf dangerous.
The Dutch were invited to return in the calmer months to attempt further recovery and the crew of the shipwrecked Ravestein were returned to Ceylon with the gold and silver chests and other goods recovered from the wreck.
PERSIA MERCHANT ____________________ back up list of Shipwrecks
One night in August 1658, five months after her departure from England, the Persia Merchant was wrecked on Maamakunudhoo Atoll, while en route to Bengal. On board were eight chests of silver and probably gold from West Africa. Salvage was attempted at the time of loss but was unsuccessful.
Many were drowned, but the 50 survivors were well treated by the islanders and after one month they were given a good boat in which they sailed to Sri Lanka. Among the survivors were Captain Roger Williams and the mariner-captain Roger Middleton, who wrote an account of his adventures to his family after reaching India.
Middleton said the ship filled with water quickly, leaving the survivors with nothing and within four hours she had broken into pieces. One of the boats sunk under the ship, leaving just one other to rescue the victims. The survivors found their way by boat and broken pieces of the ship to an uninhabited island south of Makunudhoo, but without food, drink or arms.
Middleton wrote:
Being without food, wee ranged about the island. Wee found a well of watter, of which wee dranke like pigeons, lifting head and harts for soe greate a mercy. Thus drinking watter, by good providence wee found coker nutt trees, which is both food and rayment, soe wee went by the sea side and found little shell fish and the like, but wanting fire wee tooke sticks and rubbed them together untill they kindled, thus wee lived heare ten or twelve dayes, not knowing wheather it was better for us to be seen by the Neighbouring Islanders, for the ancient seamen sayd they would cutt our throats. Att last there arived three of their boats full of men, which wee dreaded but could not resist.
The stricken castaways were taken to the island of Kuburudhoo (South Thiladhunmathee) "where wee had fish and other good things, as hony and rice, on which wee,fedd likefarmers". For the price of a gold chain and a 100 dollars from one of the merchants, they obtained a vessel and sailed to Ceylon.
PRAZER E ALLEGRIA ____________________ back up list of Shipwrecks
The Prazer e Allegria left Lisbon, Portugal, on November 8, 1843 with 84 convicts and relief officers and others, bound for Goa, India. She reached the Cape of Good Hope with the loss of 29 convicts from scurvy and on March 16, 1844, the crew sighted several islands which the captain declared were the Maldives. With the current running at three miles an hour towards land, the captain continued on the same course.
Major de Quinhones, who was in charge of the convicts, said in a report of the disaster:
At about 4 o'clock in the evening the ship was so near land that we could see the people distinctly; and it was then that a little boat manned by blacks, and with an English jack fixed at the poop, came off from one of the islands. Approaching the ship one of the Moors pointed towards a channel which lies between three or four islands. The Captain hailed the Moors, and told them to come on board; but seeing the convicts they immediately departed through fear, lowering the jack. Thus we were committed to the current, which every moment drove us much nearer land, and upon a reef of coral which lies opposite the second island. The night was dark, and there was lightning; the breakers dashed incessantly on the sides of the ship, forcing her more on to the reef; at length the rudder broke, and the ship rested; but a large leak was sprung. All of us worked the pumps, but it was impossible to reduce the water.
The ship had struck the reef off Muli Island in Mulaku Atoll and on the morning of the 18th, the passengers and crew were transported to Muli Island without loss of life. On the following day the cock-boat, the long boat, and a hired boat from the villagers were dispatched in order to procure more provisions but all three boats were sunk by waves. Eleven lives were lost mostly convicts.
The 104 survivors remained on the island of Muli for five days before being transported to the "King's Island". It took seven days sailing by day only and stopping the night at islands to reach Male'. The captain hired two Katamarans to transport the survivors to Ceylon, among whom were two ladies and three children.
GURAIDHOO WRECK ____________________ back up list of Shipwrecks
In the 16th century, a Chinese ship with a cargo of porcelain and Chinese merchandise was wrecked near the island of Guraidhoo in South Male' Atoll. The story is best told by Pyrard, who visited the island in 1605.
Pyrard wrote:
I was at that island one day, and saw the mast and rudder of the ship that was lost there. 1 was told it was the richest ship conceivable. It had on board some 500 persons, men, women, and children, for the Indians take the greater part of their household to sea with them. These 500 persons were nigh all drowned, and there remained but a hundred saved. This ship came from Sunda (Indonesia), laden with all kinds of spices and other merchandise of China and Sunda. Judging merely from the mast of this vessel, I thought it the largest I had ever seen, for the mast was taller and thicker than those of the Portuguese carracks; and the king of the Maldives built a shed of the length of the mast to keep it as a curiosity. I saw also another mast and a top much larger than those of Portugal. Thus was I led to believe that in the Indies they build vessels larger and of better material than in Portugal or anywhere else in the world. The greatest ships come from the coast of Arabia, Persia, and Mogor, and some have as many as 2,000 persons on board.
Old folk on Guraidhoo still talk about a wooden ship believed to be wrecked on Medhu Faru near Guraidhoo centuries ago; however no visible remains are to be seen.
Popular Dive Sites ____________________ back up
Diving in the Maldives is organized in the most exemplary of fashions. Every tourist facility possesses a base of some sort for divers and, depending on the size of the island, of one or two boats at the divers' disposal. The bases are generally equipped to provide services for divers who are already certified and experienced. They also offer courses for beginners. A great deal of success has crowned the programs for advanced instruction for experienced divers. Participants in these teaching initiatives are introduced to a number of special techniques and a great variety of scuba activities, among which Night Diving, Ecological Navigation, Marine Biology, Drift Diving, Diving into Wrecks, Photography and Video are done.
Taking a Diving Cruise is certainly the best way to experience the allure of this marvelous archipelago, since it also allows one to explore the most unspoiled seabed's, which cannot be reached from the tourist villages. The boats used on these tours are comfortable wooden motor yachts of at least twenty meters (about sixty five feet) in length, with well ventilated double cabins, toilets with showers, and plenty of living room. This hotel boat, (yacht dhoni) capable of accommodating eight to twelve passengers, is followed by a support boat which equipped with a compressor, tanks, and weights makes it possible to do scuba diving in the safest and easiest way. In the Maldives, there are three categories of dives, They are: - The dives done inside the atolls, The dives done outside the atolls and The dives done inside the channels or passes.
It is possible, of course, to dive off any reef and discover the stunning world that waits underwater. There are over 100 dive sites recorded in Maldives. During the last two decades certain sites have become famous, some of the main ones, inevitably are close to the resort islands around Male'.
List of Popular Dive Sites House Reef
Banana Split
Barracuda Giri
Blue Lagoon
Coral Garden
Emboodhoo Wall
Emboodhoo Express
Hanna's Reef
Kandu Giri
Lion's Head
Maagiri
Maldives Victory Wreck
Manta Point
The Opera House
Paradise Rock
Rainbow Reef
Shallow Point
Vaadhoo
Vaadhoo Caves
Vaadhoo Coral
Paradise Pass
Vattaru Reef
Kureddu Express
House Reef ____________________ back up list of sites
In a typical dive, expect to see a couple of Moray eels (happy to be stroked), Lionfish and Scorpion fish (to be avoided) lying motionless on the coral, Blue-Harred Jacks, Groupers and an assortment of Surgeonfish, Butterflyfish and Angelfish. In deep water Triggerfish flap along, while Parrotfish can be seen excreting clouds of coral sand and occasionally a large, dignified Napoleon Wrasse appears out of the blue.
Banana Split ____________________ back up list of sites
Close to Furana (Full Moon Beach Resort) in North Male' Atoll, a popular spot with beginners. The twenty meter high (66-foot) cone like reef reaches to within three meters (10 feet) below the surface.
Barracuda Giri ____________________ back up list of sites
Barracuda Giri is a seamount that rises from the floor of the North Male' Atoll lagoon. Its great variety makes it one of the best dives within the fringing reef. The seamount is divided by a canyon and a huge pinnacle adorned with soft corals at the northern edge of the site. Not only barracuda can be seen there, but also whitetip reef sharks, jacks and tuna. Closer to the coral, lionfish, clownfish and triggerfish abound.
Blue Lagoon ____________________ back up list of sites
Blue lagoon is situated near a thin spur of reef that extends from the island of Girifushi, towards the inside of North Male' Atoll. On either side there are shallow areas with slight currents and hard corals. The sun reflecting on the white coral sand creates the effect of a "blue lagoon". The sand gently slopes down an island of coral eighteen meters (59 feet) deep. Multitudes of reef fish graze among the hard corals which form a series of rolling valleys and plateaux.
Coral Garden ____________________ back up list of sites
Coral Garden is near the same spur of reef as Blue Lagoon. There are two main areas of interest. A large mound of star coral at one end is home to many friendly eels, groupers, rock cod and stingray. Further towards Girifushi Island, the reef creates a protective bowl with a fantastic growth of delicate hard corals, some looking like fairytale castles, others like giant mushrooms.
Emboodhoo Wall ____________________ back up list of sites
Emboodhoo wall is in South Male' Atoll stretches from Vaadhoo to Emboodhoo Resort. It has at least five major diving sites that include sheer drop offs and magnificent caverns. These include the Canyon with its radiant yellow sponges on the walls and nurse sharks lying on the bottom in the current. A series of spectacular caverns with soft corals to the south is called the Devil's Lair. Further along is the Cathedral, a huge cavern eighty meters (262 feet) long and fifteen meters (49 feet) high with several alcoves. Running south, the fringing reef forms a series of colorful vertical walls divided by stretches of sloping reef that are called the Palisades. The section of reef stretching south to the mouth of the Emboodhoo Channel is called Fusilier Reef after the schools of fusiliers that congregate there to feed on the plankton brought in by currents along the channel. In turn they are prey for skipjack and yellowfin tuna which often arrive in large numbers.
Emboodhoo Express ____________________ back up list of sites
Emboodhoo Express is the name of the channel entering South Male' Atoll towards Emboodhoo Island Resort. During the winter monsoon the fast moving current carries divers at a rapid clip over two kilometers (1.25 miles) of unforgettable reef among eagle rays, tuna, Napoleon wrasses and schools of fusiliers. When the current is weak, the soft corals near the mouth of the channel can be explored. The Entrance lies between Furana (Full Moon Beach Resort) and Farukolhufushi (Club Med.) in North Male' Atoll on an undulating sea bed with several gullies and gradual drop offs. Many clownfish can be seen against a profusion of yellow and pink anemones.
Hanna's Reef ____________________ back up list of sites
Hanna's Reef lies about a kilometer west of Kandu Oiy Giri Island (formerly a poultry farm). It begins in just three meters (10 feet) of water at the top of a sandy slope that descends gently to a large mound with splendid soft corals, twenty seven meters (89 feet) below the surface. There are many small caves in the western reef wall, which is washed by the mild current.
Kandu Giri ____________________ back up list of sites
Kandu Giri is the outer reef near Kandu Oiy Giri Island (formerly a poultry farm), featuring flourishing soft corals and shoals of sweetlips, red bass, coral trout and grouper.
Lion's Head ____________________ back up list of sites
Lion's Head is the most famous of the shark feeding sites. It is named after a coral outcrop shaped like a lion's head that stare out into the Vaadhoo Channel and is part of the North Male' Atoll outer reef. The sharks are grey reef, a common species around Maldives. They are only one and a half to two meters (5-7 feet) long, but at any time as many as fifteen can emerge from a depth of about eighty meters (262 feet). The dead coral on the rough slope about twelve meters (39 feet) deep, where spectators sat and watched shark feeding shows the resulting degradation of the environment.
Maagiri ____________________ back up list of sites
Maagiri is located on the north-west of Furana (Full Moon Beach Resot) in North Male' Atoll, is a series of caves with wonderful fan shaped corals.
Maldive Victory Wreck ____________________ back up list of sites
Maldive Victory is the name of the 110 meter long (360 foot) freighter. The wreck of the Maldive Victory lies on the western side of the Airport Island of "Hulhule", precisely the first quarter of the southern side of the landing strip. The wreck lies parallel to the reef, on the sandy seabed at a depth of thirty five meters (115 feet), upright and with the bowsprit pointing north.
In the early morning hours of 13 February 1981, a Friday, this 3,500 ton freighter ran at full speed onto the southern tip of the Airport Island. Since it had not been built with watertight bulkheads, the ship sank in the space of about an hour even though the hole was fairly small. The sailors and the few passengers aboard managed to make their way to the landing strip, only about thirty meters (100 feet ) away, all were rescued and none were even injured. The freighter was only ten years old, and hailed from Singapore. The holds were full of merchandise, chiefly for the tourist facilities. Panic spread through the island when it became known that the long awaited foodstuffs and building materials were lying on the bottom of the ocean, and so a number of salvage teams quickly assembled, made up of mostly of local divers but also by diving instructors from nearby islands. They were successful in bringing a great deal of merchandise to the shore, but most of the goods had been ruined by contact with salt water, and the financial loss was enormous. Sea water, which exerted so much pressure at a depth of thirty five meters (one hundred fifteen feet), that corks were actually pushed back into the bottle, penetrated into thousands of bottles of wine and other types of liquor. Even two brand new automobiles, which had been loaded onto the deck, were turned into useless hulks. Even today, bits of scattered cargo are found in the hold of those 110 meter long (360 foot long) wreck.
The location of the wreck is marked by a buoy, to which boats can be moored. The powerful currents between Male' and "Hulhule" make it absolutely essential to use a line to dive and to return to the surface. Normally, one starts from main mast, which rises to a depth of just twelve meters (40 feet) beneath surface of the water. Once one reaches the deck, the superstructures serve as a shelter against the currents. The holds are wide open and one can easily swim into them. In the wheelhouse, there is nothing of particular interest, since all of the ship’s technical fittings and equipment such as the compass, helm, and even the ship board telegraph, which was a subject for the underwater photographers for some ten years’ time have disappeared. For those exploring the inner bulk heads, which can be reached down stairways and along wide corridors, we advise bringing a good flashlight and the assistance of a dive master, unless of course one knows the ship like back of ones’ hand.
Even just a few hours after the Maldive Victory sank, a great number of fish began to establish residence in and about the ship. For more than a decade now, the super structures have been patrolled by a large school of batfish, while a number of barracudas hover above the deck, those who swim around the wreck are provided with an escort of humphead wrasses. Large schools of fusliers dart through the water, as a foreshadowing of the fact in the pipes, the passageways, and nooks and crannies of this ship, one will encounter all of the animal species that can normally be found on reefs, and in grottoes and underwater caverns. During a number of dives, one will encounter a large sea turtle sleeping at the bowsprit of the Maldive Victory.
Dives to the Maldive Victory can be classified as advanced dives. The depth of twenty five meters (82 feet) on the deck is no particular problem, but great caution, planning, and experience are required in order to deal with the currents, which can be quite powerful at times. It is crucial to use lines along which to dive and to return to the surface.The wreck is one hundred ten meters (360 feet) in length, but one can plan one’s dive in accordance with the air supply and the time available, completing the entire dive in safety and returning to the buoy. It is important to remember that the wreck is studded with extremely sharp jagged seashells and urticating hydroids. Moreover, injuries can be caused by sharp jagged fragments of metal. Although sunken ships are inanimate objects, over the course of fifteen years they are transformed into artificial reefs. On the whole, then, the same rules apply that one would follow on a coral reef: stay a safe distance away from the structures and when one is making one’s way through narrow passages, be careful not to damage coral formations with one’s fins.
Manta Point ____________________ back up list of sites
Manta Point is on the outer reef wall beyond Lankanfushi Island, where the reef crests at fifteen meters (49 feet), then slopes down to an edge, which plunges more than a thousand fathoms. As its name suggests, the site is renowned for manta rays. They gather there at "cleaner stations". Where tiny fish which inhabit the large mounds of star coral come out to remove parasites from their skins and gills. If small groups of divers keep low and about ten meters (33 feet) away, these giant spectres from the deep do not seem to mind. Whale sharks, the largest fish in the world, can also be seen at this point. Like the manta rays, they only come to feed between July and October and sometimes November when there is rich upwelling of plankton. As a result the water is also a hazy grey, adding a ghostly aspect to the slow movements of these gigantic and mysterious creatures of the deep.
The Opera House ____________________ back up list of sites
Opera House is located near Bandos Island Resort in North Male' Atoll is an amphitheater of over-hangs and shallow caves where sharks and turtles are occasional visitors among the profuse reef fish.
Paradise Rock ____________________ back up list of sites
Paradise Rock is a mound with two large coral pinnacles between Furana (Full Moon beach Resort) and Lankanfushi in North Male' Atoll, rising out of a flat area of the atoll's lagoon. The marvelous soft corals are concentrated on the pinnacles themselves and on the underside of the ledges that run along most of the mound at about twenty meters (66 feet) deep. The rock attracts many large creatures, including Napoleon wrasses, turtles, sharks and manta rays.
Rainbow Reef ____________________ back up list of sites
Rainbow Reef is a mound situated in the cut between Himmafushi Island and Girifushi Island in North Male' Atoll, just inside the outer reef. Around the edges of the reef, from twelve to thirty meters (39-98 feet) deep, the crystal clear water supports a magnificent population of soft corals that are visited by eagle rays and Napoleon wrasses as well as shoals of blue barred and horse-eye jacks.
Shallow Point ____________________ back up list of sites
Shallow Point is situated near Baros Island Resort in North Male' Atoll, is a reef where barracuda congregate.
Vaadhoo ____________________ back up list of sites
Vaadhoo the resort island, forms part of a small section of the northern fringing reef of South Male' Atoll. The reef drops away on all sides of the island, especially in the north where it falls 250 meters (820 feet) into the Vaadhoo Channel. There are several excellent diving spots in the vicinity.
The Vaadhoo Caves ____________________ back up list of sites
Vadhoo Caves are a long series of caves in Vaadhoo Channel, caverns and ledges that stretch along the island's northern wall. Blue and yellow soft corals flourish in the caves, while eagle rays, turtles and large tuna are regular visitors to the wall.
Vaadhoo Coral Garden ____________________ back up list of sites
Vaadhoo Coral Garden lies around the corner Vadhoo Caves, the fringing reef develops into the caves where a steep cliff gives way to a gently sloping reef with many soft corals.
Paradise Pass ____________________ back up list of sites
Across the mouth of the inlet on the eastern side of Vaadhoo lies Paradise Pass, where schools of horse-eye jacks and spotted eagle rays can be seen soaring in strong currents of clear water. Divers glide on the incoming tide to reach Vaadhoo's.
Vattaru Reef ____________________ back up list of sites
Vattaru Reef to the south of Vaavu Atoll, has some of the best diving spots in Maldives. The caves and caverns around Vattaru Reef are unsurpassed, and since they are away from the most popular diving sites in Male' Atoll, they contain some of the least disturbed underwater habitats in the archipelago.
Kureddu Express ____________________ back up list of sites
Kureddu Express lies at the extreme north of the Lhaviyani Atoll. It is the southern corner of the channel that separates the islands of Kureddu and Fehigili. At Kureddu stands the only tourist village in the entire atoll of Lhaviyani. This dive should only be made when there is a slight current running inward, or else at the period between tides. The most spectacular part of this dive is an enormous mushroom coral just separated from the wall, right in line with the corner of the pass. Around this squat tower, on the side that overlooks the open ocean, hovers a large school of jacks it is also possible to observe eagle rays and grey reef sharks. The mushroom coral also has a large vertical fissure at the base of which three large morays that lives in the same den poke out their heads. The corridor that separates the mushroom from the wall is characterized by large alcyonarians and imposing formations of black coral, around which swim compact schools of snappers sweetlips goggle eyes creating splendid patches of color.
Being without food, wee ranged about the island. Wee found a well of watter, of which wee dranke like pigeons, lifting head and harts for soe greate a mercy. Thus drinking watter, by good providence wee found coker nutt trees, which is both food and rayment, soe wee went by the sea side and found little shell fish and the like, but wanting fire wee tooke sticks and rubbed them together untill they kindled, thus wee lived heare ten or twelve dayes, not knowing wheather it was better for us to be seen by the Neighbouring Islanders, for the ancient seamen sayd they would cutt our throats. Att last there arived three of their boats full of men, which wee dreaded but could not resist.
The stricken castaways were taken to the island of Kuburudhoo (South Thiladhunmathee) "where wee had fish and other good things, as hony and rice, on which wee,fedd likefarmers". For the price of a gold chain and a 100 dollars from one of the merchants, they obtained a vessel and sailed to Ceylon.
PRAZER E ALLEGRIA ____________________ back up list of Shipwrecks
The Prazer e Allegria left Lisbon, Portugal, on November 8, 1843 with 84 convicts and relief officers and others, bound for Goa, India. She reached the Cape of Good Hope with the loss of 29 convicts from scurvy and on March 16, 1844, the crew sighted several islands which the captain declared were the Maldives. With the current running at three miles an hour towards land, the captain continued on the same course.
Major de Quinhones, who was in charge of the convicts, said in a report of the disaster:
At about 4 o'clock in the evening the ship was so near land that we could see the people distinctly; and it was then that a little boat manned by blacks, and with an English jack fixed at the poop, came off from one of the islands. Approaching the ship one of the Moors pointed towards a channel which lies between three or four islands. The Captain hailed the Moors, and told them to come on board; but seeing the convicts they immediately departed through fear, lowering the jack. Thus we were committed to the current, which every moment drove us much nearer land, and upon a reef of coral which lies opposite the second island. The night was dark, and there was lightning; the breakers dashed incessantly on the sides of the ship, forcing her more on to the reef; at length the rudder broke, and the ship rested; but a large leak was sprung. All of us worked the pumps, but it was impossible to reduce the water.
The ship had struck the reef off Muli Island in Mulaku Atoll and on the morning of the 18th, the passengers and crew were transported to Muli Island without loss of life. On the following day the cock-boat, the long boat, and a hired boat from the villagers were dispatched in order to procure more provisions but all three boats were sunk by waves. Eleven lives were lost mostly convicts.
The 104 survivors remained on the island of Muli for five days before being transported to the "King's Island". It took seven days sailing by day only and stopping the night at islands to reach Male'. The captain hired two Katamarans to transport the survivors to Ceylon, among whom were two ladies and three children.
GURAIDHOO WRECK ____________________ back up list of Shipwrecks
In the 16th century, a Chinese ship with a cargo of porcelain and Chinese merchandise was wrecked near the island of Guraidhoo in South Male' Atoll. The story is best told by Pyrard, who visited the island in 1605.
Pyrard wrote:
I was at that island one day, and saw the mast and rudder of the ship that was lost there. 1 was told it was the richest ship conceivable. It had on board some 500 persons, men, women, and children, for the Indians take the greater part of their household to sea with them. These 500 persons were nigh all drowned, and there remained but a hundred saved. This ship came from Sunda (Indonesia), laden with all kinds of spices and other merchandise of China and Sunda. Judging merely from the mast of this vessel, I thought it the largest I had ever seen, for the mast was taller and thicker than those of the Portuguese carracks; and the king of the Maldives built a shed of the length of the mast to keep it as a curiosity. I saw also another mast and a top much larger than those of Portugal. Thus was I led to believe that in the Indies they build vessels larger and of better material than in Portugal or anywhere else in the world. The greatest ships come from the coast of Arabia, Persia, and Mogor, and some have as many as 2,000 persons on board.
Old folk on Guraidhoo still talk about a wooden ship believed to be wrecked on Medhu Faru near Guraidhoo centuries ago; however no visible remains are to be seen.
Popular Dive Sites ____________________ back up
Diving in the Maldives is organized in the most exemplary of fashions. Every tourist facility possesses a base of some sort for divers and, depending on the size of the island, of one or two boats at the divers' disposal. The bases are generally equipped to provide services for divers who are already certified and experienced. They also offer courses for beginners. A great deal of success has crowned the programs for advanced instruction for experienced divers. Participants in these teaching initiatives are introduced to a number of special techniques and a great variety of scuba activities, among which Night Diving, Ecological Navigation, Marine Biology, Drift Diving, Diving into Wrecks, Photography and Video are done.
Taking a Diving Cruise is certainly the best way to experience the allure of this marvelous archipelago, since it also allows one to explore the most unspoiled seabed's, which cannot be reached from the tourist villages. The boats used on these tours are comfortable wooden motor yachts of at least twenty meters (about sixty five feet) in length, with well ventilated double cabins, toilets with showers, and plenty of living room. This hotel boat, (yacht dhoni) capable of accommodating eight to twelve passengers, is followed by a support boat which equipped with a compressor, tanks, and weights makes it possible to do scuba diving in the safest and easiest way. In the Maldives, there are three categories of dives, They are: - The dives done inside the atolls, The dives done outside the atolls and The dives done inside the channels or passes.
It is possible, of course, to dive off any reef and discover the stunning world that waits underwater. There are over 100 dive sites recorded in Maldives. During the last two decades certain sites have become famous, some of the main ones, inevitably are close to the resort islands around Male'.
List of Popular Dive Sites House Reef
Banana Split
Barracuda Giri
Blue Lagoon
Coral Garden
Emboodhoo Wall
Emboodhoo Express
Hanna's Reef
Kandu Giri
Lion's Head
Maagiri
Maldives Victory Wreck
Manta Point
The Opera House
Paradise Rock
Rainbow Reef
Shallow Point
Vaadhoo
Vaadhoo Caves
Vaadhoo Coral
Paradise Pass
Vattaru Reef
Kureddu Express
House Reef ____________________ back up list of sites
In a typical dive, expect to see a couple of Moray eels (happy to be stroked), Lionfish and Scorpion fish (to be avoided) lying motionless on the coral, Blue-Harred Jacks, Groupers and an assortment of Surgeonfish, Butterflyfish and Angelfish. In deep water Triggerfish flap along, while Parrotfish can be seen excreting clouds of coral sand and occasionally a large, dignified Napoleon Wrasse appears out of the blue.
Banana Split ____________________ back up list of sites
Close to Furana (Full Moon Beach Resort) in North Male' Atoll, a popular spot with beginners. The twenty meter high (66-foot) cone like reef reaches to within three meters (10 feet) below the surface.
Barracuda Giri ____________________ back up list of sites
Barracuda Giri is a seamount that rises from the floor of the North Male' Atoll lagoon. Its great variety makes it one of the best dives within the fringing reef. The seamount is divided by a canyon and a huge pinnacle adorned with soft corals at the northern edge of the site. Not only barracuda can be seen there, but also whitetip reef sharks, jacks and tuna. Closer to the coral, lionfish, clownfish and triggerfish abound.
Blue Lagoon ____________________ back up list of sites
Blue lagoon is situated near a thin spur of reef that extends from the island of Girifushi, towards the inside of North Male' Atoll. On either side there are shallow areas with slight currents and hard corals. The sun reflecting on the white coral sand creates the effect of a "blue lagoon". The sand gently slopes down an island of coral eighteen meters (59 feet) deep. Multitudes of reef fish graze among the hard corals which form a series of rolling valleys and plateaux.
Coral Garden ____________________ back up list of sites
Coral Garden is near the same spur of reef as Blue Lagoon. There are two main areas of interest. A large mound of star coral at one end is home to many friendly eels, groupers, rock cod and stingray. Further towards Girifushi Island, the reef creates a protective bowl with a fantastic growth of delicate hard corals, some looking like fairytale castles, others like giant mushrooms.
Emboodhoo Wall ____________________ back up list of sites
Emboodhoo wall is in South Male' Atoll stretches from Vaadhoo to Emboodhoo Resort. It has at least five major diving sites that include sheer drop offs and magnificent caverns. These include the Canyon with its radiant yellow sponges on the walls and nurse sharks lying on the bottom in the current. A series of spectacular caverns with soft corals to the south is called the Devil's Lair. Further along is the Cathedral, a huge cavern eighty meters (262 feet) long and fifteen meters (49 feet) high with several alcoves. Running south, the fringing reef forms a series of colorful vertical walls divided by stretches of sloping reef that are called the Palisades. The section of reef stretching south to the mouth of the Emboodhoo Channel is called Fusilier Reef after the schools of fusiliers that congregate there to feed on the plankton brought in by currents along the channel. In turn they are prey for skipjack and yellowfin tuna which often arrive in large numbers.
Emboodhoo Express ____________________ back up list of sites
Emboodhoo Express is the name of the channel entering South Male' Atoll towards Emboodhoo Island Resort. During the winter monsoon the fast moving current carries divers at a rapid clip over two kilometers (1.25 miles) of unforgettable reef among eagle rays, tuna, Napoleon wrasses and schools of fusiliers. When the current is weak, the soft corals near the mouth of the channel can be explored. The Entrance lies between Furana (Full Moon Beach Resort) and Farukolhufushi (Club Med.) in North Male' Atoll on an undulating sea bed with several gullies and gradual drop offs. Many clownfish can be seen against a profusion of yellow and pink anemones.
Hanna's Reef ____________________ back up list of sites
Hanna's Reef lies about a kilometer west of Kandu Oiy Giri Island (formerly a poultry farm). It begins in just three meters (10 feet) of water at the top of a sandy slope that descends gently to a large mound with splendid soft corals, twenty seven meters (89 feet) below the surface. There are many small caves in the western reef wall, which is washed by the mild current.
Kandu Giri ____________________ back up list of sites
Kandu Giri is the outer reef near Kandu Oiy Giri Island (formerly a poultry farm), featuring flourishing soft corals and shoals of sweetlips, red bass, coral trout and grouper.
Lion's Head ____________________ back up list of sites
Lion's Head is the most famous of the shark feeding sites. It is named after a coral outcrop shaped like a lion's head that stare out into the Vaadhoo Channel and is part of the North Male' Atoll outer reef. The sharks are grey reef, a common species around Maldives. They are only one and a half to two meters (5-7 feet) long, but at any time as many as fifteen can emerge from a depth of about eighty meters (262 feet). The dead coral on the rough slope about twelve meters (39 feet) deep, where spectators sat and watched shark feeding shows the resulting degradation of the environment.
Maagiri ____________________ back up list of sites
Maagiri is located on the north-west of Furana (Full Moon Beach Resot) in North Male' Atoll, is a series of caves with wonderful fan shaped corals.
Maldive Victory Wreck ____________________ back up list of sites
Maldive Victory is the name of the 110 meter long (360 foot) freighter. The wreck of the Maldive Victory lies on the western side of the Airport Island of "Hulhule", precisely the first quarter of the southern side of the landing strip. The wreck lies parallel to the reef, on the sandy seabed at a depth of thirty five meters (115 feet), upright and with the bowsprit pointing north.
In the early morning hours of 13 February 1981, a Friday, this 3,500 ton freighter ran at full speed onto the southern tip of the Airport Island. Since it had not been built with watertight bulkheads, the ship sank in the space of about an hour even though the hole was fairly small. The sailors and the few passengers aboard managed to make their way to the landing strip, only about thirty meters (100 feet ) away, all were rescued and none were even injured. The freighter was only ten years old, and hailed from Singapore. The holds were full of merchandise, chiefly for the tourist facilities. Panic spread through the island when it became known that the long awaited foodstuffs and building materials were lying on the bottom of the ocean, and so a number of salvage teams quickly assembled, made up of mostly of local divers but also by diving instructors from nearby islands. They were successful in bringing a great deal of merchandise to the shore, but most of the goods had been ruined by contact with salt water, and the financial loss was enormous. Sea water, which exerted so much pressure at a depth of thirty five meters (one hundred fifteen feet), that corks were actually pushed back into the bottle, penetrated into thousands of bottles of wine and other types of liquor. Even two brand new automobiles, which had been loaded onto the deck, were turned into useless hulks. Even today, bits of scattered cargo are found in the hold of those 110 meter long (360 foot long) wreck.
The location of the wreck is marked by a buoy, to which boats can be moored. The powerful currents between Male' and "Hulhule" make it absolutely essential to use a line to dive and to return to the surface. Normally, one starts from main mast, which rises to a depth of just twelve meters (40 feet) beneath surface of the water. Once one reaches the deck, the superstructures serve as a shelter against the currents. The holds are wide open and one can easily swim into them. In the wheelhouse, there is nothing of particular interest, since all of the ship’s technical fittings and equipment such as the compass, helm, and even the ship board telegraph, which was a subject for the underwater photographers for some ten years’ time have disappeared. For those exploring the inner bulk heads, which can be reached down stairways and along wide corridors, we advise bringing a good flashlight and the assistance of a dive master, unless of course one knows the ship like back of ones’ hand.
Even just a few hours after the Maldive Victory sank, a great number of fish began to establish residence in and about the ship. For more than a decade now, the super structures have been patrolled by a large school of batfish, while a number of barracudas hover above the deck, those who swim around the wreck are provided with an escort of humphead wrasses. Large schools of fusliers dart through the water, as a foreshadowing of the fact in the pipes, the passageways, and nooks and crannies of this ship, one will encounter all of the animal species that can normally be found on reefs, and in grottoes and underwater caverns. During a number of dives, one will encounter a large sea turtle sleeping at the bowsprit of the Maldive Victory.
Dives to the Maldive Victory can be classified as advanced dives. The depth of twenty five meters (82 feet) on the deck is no particular problem, but great caution, planning, and experience are required in order to deal with the currents, which can be quite powerful at times. It is crucial to use lines along which to dive and to return to the surface.The wreck is one hundred ten meters (360 feet) in length, but one can plan one’s dive in accordance with the air supply and the time available, completing the entire dive in safety and returning to the buoy. It is important to remember that the wreck is studded with extremely sharp jagged seashells and urticating hydroids. Moreover, injuries can be caused by sharp jagged fragments of metal. Although sunken ships are inanimate objects, over the course of fifteen years they are transformed into artificial reefs. On the whole, then, the same rules apply that one would follow on a coral reef: stay a safe distance away from the structures and when one is making one’s way through narrow passages, be careful not to damage coral formations with one’s fins.
Manta Point ____________________ back up list of sites
Manta Point is on the outer reef wall beyond Lankanfushi Island, where the reef crests at fifteen meters (49 feet), then slopes down to an edge, which plunges more than a thousand fathoms. As its name suggests, the site is renowned for manta rays. They gather there at "cleaner stations". Where tiny fish which inhabit the large mounds of star coral come out to remove parasites from their skins and gills. If small groups of divers keep low and about ten meters (33 feet) away, these giant spectres from the deep do not seem to mind. Whale sharks, the largest fish in the world, can also be seen at this point. Like the manta rays, they only come to feed between July and October and sometimes November when there is rich upwelling of plankton. As a result the water is also a hazy grey, adding a ghostly aspect to the slow movements of these gigantic and mysterious creatures of the deep.
The Opera House ____________________ back up list of sites
Opera House is located near Bandos Island Resort in North Male' Atoll is an amphitheater of over-hangs and shallow caves where sharks and turtles are occasional visitors among the profuse reef fish.
Paradise Rock ____________________ back up list of sites
Paradise Rock is a mound with two large coral pinnacles between Furana (Full Moon beach Resort) and Lankanfushi in North Male' Atoll, rising out of a flat area of the atoll's lagoon. The marvelous soft corals are concentrated on the pinnacles themselves and on the underside of the ledges that run along most of the mound at about twenty meters (66 feet) deep. The rock attracts many large creatures, including Napoleon wrasses, turtles, sharks and manta rays.
Rainbow Reef ____________________ back up list of sites
Rainbow Reef is a mound situated in the cut between Himmafushi Island and Girifushi Island in North Male' Atoll, just inside the outer reef. Around the edges of the reef, from twelve to thirty meters (39-98 feet) deep, the crystal clear water supports a magnificent population of soft corals that are visited by eagle rays and Napoleon wrasses as well as shoals of blue barred and horse-eye jacks.
Shallow Point ____________________ back up list of sites
Shallow Point is situated near Baros Island Resort in North Male' Atoll, is a reef where barracuda congregate.
Vaadhoo ____________________ back up list of sites
Vaadhoo the resort island, forms part of a small section of the northern fringing reef of South Male' Atoll. The reef drops away on all sides of the island, especially in the north where it falls 250 meters (820 feet) into the Vaadhoo Channel. There are several excellent diving spots in the vicinity.
The Vaadhoo Caves ____________________ back up list of sites
Vadhoo Caves are a long series of caves in Vaadhoo Channel, caverns and ledges that stretch along the island's northern wall. Blue and yellow soft corals flourish in the caves, while eagle rays, turtles and large tuna are regular visitors to the wall.
Vaadhoo Coral Garden ____________________ back up list of sites
Vaadhoo Coral Garden lies around the corner Vadhoo Caves, the fringing reef develops into the caves where a steep cliff gives way to a gently sloping reef with many soft corals.
Paradise Pass ____________________ back up list of sites
Across the mouth of the inlet on the eastern side of Vaadhoo lies Paradise Pass, where schools of horse-eye jacks and spotted eagle rays can be seen soaring in strong currents of clear water. Divers glide on the incoming tide to reach Vaadhoo's.
Vattaru Reef ____________________ back up list of sites
Vattaru Reef to the south of Vaavu Atoll, has some of the best diving spots in Maldives. The caves and caverns around Vattaru Reef are unsurpassed, and since they are away from the most popular diving sites in Male' Atoll, they contain some of the least disturbed underwater habitats in the archipelago.
Kureddu Express ____________________ back up list of sites
Kureddu Express lies at the extreme north of the Lhaviyani Atoll. It is the southern corner of the channel that separates the islands of Kureddu and Fehigili. At Kureddu stands the only tourist village in the entire atoll of Lhaviyani. This dive should only be made when there is a slight current running inward, or else at the period between tides. The most spectacular part of this dive is an enormous mushroom coral just separated from the wall, right in line with the corner of the pass. Around this squat tower, on the side that overlooks the open ocean, hovers a large school of jacks it is also possible to observe eagle rays and grey reef sharks. The mushroom coral also has a large vertical fissure at the base of which three large morays that lives in the same den poke out their heads. The corridor that separates the mushroom from the wall is characterized by large alcyonarians and imposing formations of black coral, around which swim compact schools of snappers sweetlips goggle eyes creating splendid patches of color.
