Diving in the Maldives

The author invites you to visit Huvadhoo, the forgotten atoll of the Maldives, to enjoy its marvels of clear blue water, see for yourself its amazing marine inhabitants and meet its friendly people.  

This book is an exciting source of important and detailed information about the marine ecosystem of this atoll (as well as being relevant to other atolls in the Maldives group and further afield in the Indian Ocean). It covers 34 dive sites, including maps. Without doubt, it is a superb guide to the huge biodiversity present. All the colour photographs have been taken by the author, a trained marine biologist and expert diver, whilst the text is interspersed with enjoyable anecdotes about the joys of exploring this region and diving on the reefs.

My first dive in the Maldives

It was pretty early in the morning when we directed our provisional diving-dhoni to Mas Thila for my very first dive in Huvadhoo. There were still no guests on the island, as the resort had not opened yet and would not for another two weeks. There were only four of us in the boat, Chris and Lena, diving instructors, our divemaster Deen and I, the biologist. I was additionally excited as this would be my first dive on a coral reef, the last major marine habitat that I had yet to see. Diving the rainforest of the seas is the ultimate experience for any marine ecologist.

The long boat ride calmed my excitement, but not for long. …

A turtle in space, or dives with Chris

Obviously you dive and see a lot when you work as a marine biologist in the Maldives. However, some dives manage to stick in your memory more than others. In my case, I especially remember those dives that somehow involved personal contact with marine life. In one of the first dives of this kind, my dive buddy Chris met a very curious turtle. The dive itself was nothing too special, up to the point that I turned around to look for Chris who fell a little behind.

What I saw was an image taken straight out of a science fiction film....

A director down under, or dives with JP

JP was the director of the resort and a divemaster at the same time. I had the chance to dive with him on various occasions but one dive stands out. It was the first night dive we had organised for our guests, but it was also the first Maldivian night dive arranged for us personally. It was to become an unforgettable experience.

We started the dive from the quay of the resort. Already gearing up and listening to the briefing by Julia, the instructor, was good fun, and the fish in the water looked very promising...