DIVING THE GREAT MALDIVES
Have you ever been up-close and personal with a shark? We do it every week. And every time all our guests cannot stop smiling after this experience. Some will even say that it is the op 3 dive ever 😉
In Vaavu Atoll, on the Resort Island of Alimatha is where you can dive with nurse sharks. As the sun sets we jump in as a group for this fab. experience. Looking for a place on the sand where we can all sit in a circle. Creating a stage. Once we have done that, we we wait for the show to start.
First the trevallies will come, pushing and fighting to get a front row seat. Than shortly after some whip tail rays are joining us. Flying elegant and completely not bothered by our presence. Than finally the first Nurse shark, its a lady of about 2,5 meters. She passes over the head of on of our guests, who is surprised by her… Hihihihi… The look on the faces of our guests is un-descibable. More and more sharks and rays and trevallies join the live fish soup within our group. I feel a ray swimming over my fin and she touches my toes. I squeak, that was a first 😉
In the background a school of nurses gathers, I count up to 32. A sheer shark wall, fascinating. These sharks have been domesticated for 2 decades and every night they perform. They are of no threat to us, just growing fat under this attention. And for us? A great moment to learn that sharks are not our enemies. We are not on their menu. And actually they accept us for who we are, its about time we all start doing the same.
This week we travelled trhrough the central atolls of the Maldives. Making a combination of reefs, channels, manta cleaning stations, whale shark watching, a wreck dive and the dive with the ‘nurses’. Together with 22 guests we had a special theme called Sharkweek with Elke. We focus on sharks and rays and Elke teaches us about identification, reproduction, feeding techniques, conservation als lots more. So diving, learning, travelling and catching some sun in beween. Got to love safari life 😉
Sunny regards from magical Maldives…
Anke @ BLUE VOYAGER
