12
Aug
2015
1

Diving in Maldives

The last time we visited Maldives was in 2011. Back then, Ankur could barely swim and I would gulp gallons of water while snorkeling. Four years later, as certified Open Water SCUBA divers, we revisited this enchanting country where everyday is a perfect summer day. Our home this time was the pristine Reethi Beach Resort.

Under the sea...house reef of Reethi Beach Resort

Under the sea…house reef of Reethi Beach Resort

Our stay was short – four days and three nights only. We had to make the most of the time we had at hand. Ankur chose to do so by tanning himself with endless glasses of martini, I chose to skip the alcohol and get high on air – compressed air at Sea Explorer, the resort’s dive school. Eels, stings rays, shrimps and their kin…watch out! Here I come…armed with my new underwater camera.

Lion Fish at the Reethi Beach house reef

Lion Fish ….smile for the camera!

Snorkeling and diving is something that one must have on one’s bucketlist. Diving is the only time one gets the feeling of weightlessness, unless you have already been to outerspace!

Perfect stripes!

Perfect stripes!

I went diving after fifteen months with Mohan, my instructor. Fifteen months sure had wiped off my memory and shaken my confidence. The air from the cylinder made my mouth dry and my mask got all foggy. I panicked a little. It took few deep breaths for me to calm down…along with a fair amount of patience and guidance from Mohan!

Mohan, doodling manta rays on the white board

Mohan, doodling manta rays on the white board

I think the dive school does anticipate that forgetful students like me would want to come and dive. Hence, the first dive has to be an introductory dive, with an instructor at the house reef, something I truly appreciated. I enjoyed the dive at the house reef so much that opted for the same the next day as well and saved myself the effort of bobbing around on a boat to another dive site. Maybe that could have been better….maybe not. I was a happy diver at the house reef.

School of fish...off to school?

School of fish…off to school?

My first dive was in the afternoon, the time that the sting rays arrive at the house reef. I was so close to them, that for a second, I was a little scared. I also managed to catch a fleeting glance of a honeycomb eel and a guitar shark. While the name says ‘shark’, its part of the ray family. I understand that its a rare sighting at the reef…lucky me!

Ticking the Bucketlist

I totally loved swimming by the live coral. Their ‘tentacles’ ducked inside when my hand accidentally touched them. Oh! What an awesome feeling!

Coral...live and breathing!

Coral…live and breathing!

And here is a ‘Find the Pipe Fish’ picture for you! Can you spot the pipefish here…its camouflaged perfectly…or you still haven’t found it?

Can you spot the thin pipe fish? It looks like a white thread hanging...perfect camouflage!

Can you spot the thin pipe fish? It looks like a white thread hanging…perfect camouflage!

And here is one of my favourite pictures of a giant clam. I loved the vibrant colours. Like a little kid, I wanted to stick my finger inside it, but obviously restrained myself.

Loved the colours of this giant clam

Loved the colours of this giant clam

 Have you ever dived the pristine waters of the Indian Ocean at Maldives? What did you see?

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3 Responses

    1. Thanks Jay!
      We used the Nikon AW 100 underwater camera and we’re happy with the results. It cost us about USD 220… Much cheaper than getting an underwater housing made.
      While specifications says it’s fine to use until 18 meters, I took it to about 21 meters ..all fine 🙂

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