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Maldives 1998
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| We were finally going to these dream islands in the Indian Ocean. Years before we even started our diving we saw slides from a friend of ours who visited one of the islands in a combination trip with Sri Lanka. I was amazed by the beauty of the islands, the colors of the waters surrounding them and the underwater marine world. So when we started our PADI Open Water lessons we agreed that no matter what we would once visit the Maldives. After three visits to the Caribbean it was time to fly east. Through the Neckermann agency we booked our flight that would take us to Male, the capital of the Maldives with a short stop in Colombo (Sri Lanka). The total trip time would be about 14 hours so we had plenty of time to read all we took along about these islands, the culture and most of all the diving. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 We started out planning our trip and could not figure out what the maximum weight was we were allowed to bring on the flight with the water plane from Male to Vilamendhoo. The night before we departed we took out as much as possible so we end up with 15 kg each in our suitcase. Well in fact we used one diving bag and one suitcase then. When we arrived in Male it seemed that the maximum was 20 kg p.p. so we could have left the bags as they where but hey we still packed to much. They flight from Male tot all the islands is one of the best things of this vacation. A pilot in shorts, steering the plane barefooted and flying at approx. 1000ft high is one of the coolest things you’ll see. Unfortunately it took only 30 minutes to reach Vilamendhoo so it was a short joy. The heavy video-cam we took and refused to leave behind in Holland does not function at all…. |
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 After the water plane lands close to the Jetty a dhoni will pick you and your luggage up and bring you ashore. This particular island is very green. There are high trees and some of the houses can be hardly seen in the lush vegetation. They welcome us with a cocktail and the necessary paperwork is filled in. After this we check out our bungalow and decide if we want to keep this one ore change it because the islands is only 30% booked so they gives us one day to make a free change. We do change to a bungalow with a better view and a very small private beach. |
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 On this picture to the left you can see how most of the bungalows are like. Imagine that the one who takes the picture is either in or very close to the ocean, that the ocean has hardly any surf on a calm day and that even when it is windy you can walk in a couple of meters, let yourself fall forward and go and explore the house reef. You’ll see in the description of the dives that a lot of diving is done on the house reef. Only two boat trips are made each day. One leaves at 9:30 and one leaves at 14:30 if I remember correctly. So if the boat is going to a trip you have visited before or is crowded or if there is anything else you don’t like you just take a bottle, gear up and enjoy the house reef. |
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In the picture below you can see how everything is situated. On the right you see the main building of the dive center. |
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| Diving around this island is very easy and no problem at all for less experienced divers as long as you keep to the rules! Check out the way the current flows and see how strong it is, sometimes there is no current at all and sometimes it is quite strong. Be sure to do this at least while going nightdiving and if you are not sure of yourself ask one of the instructors about it. The dive center works pretty much like all the others. They use a list on that you write your name and room number if you want to join the particular dive (boat). If you dive on the house reef there is another list you write your name and entry time on. DON’T FORGET to write the end-time of the dive on the list as well because if you don’t they will go search for you on the water and on the island. If they find you high and dry with a beer or a coke you’ll have to pay a fee for the searchparty. So fill the time you left the water and do it right after the dive, no need to worry anybody. |
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| You can see on the map below (Thanks to Werner Lau ) that all dives except the ones on the House Reef are done using the Dhoni (boat) to get there. There are a few names in my logbook that are not on the map but perhaps they changed names over the years or found better ones. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Dives during these 2 weeks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The numbers in front of the dives correspond with the numbers in my logbook. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 42 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depth: 17 meters |
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| 43 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depth: 26.8 meters |
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| 44 |
House Reef
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Just a quick dive before lunch. On the house reef you can find a lot of different species. The “real stuff” is hard to find and you have to be lucky. Diving on the south side is very easy, the north side however gives a better chance on something special. This time we met 3 lionfish the usual smaller fish and a small grouper. We had our little under-water-arguments, Racquel and me and of course our laughs about it. The clownfish are lovely here. Depth: 17.5 meters |
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| 45 |
House Reef
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Another dive on the house reef close to a night dive. We spot an octopus and a large unknown fish and this is all there is in the logbook. Depth: 20.5 meters |
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| 46 |
House Reef
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The weather has calmed a little and diving is much better on the house reef today. We see a scorpionfish a moray eel and a TURTLE!. We can get real close to the eating green turtle and if I would I could have stroked the lovely animal. This would be a nice opportunity to make pictures but I don’t own a camera. Will have to ask the center if they rent cameras for a day and shoot some film. Depth: 15.1 meters |
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| 47 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This is one of those dives I will remember for the rest of my live. Not that the dive was that spectacular but the end of the dive certainly was. Right after the start we see a ray, deeper down we meet a school of barracuda and at the end we see a baby-manta. They guys told me later, it was so small I thought it was just an eagle ray. Depth: 25.3 meters |
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| 48 |
House Reef
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A dive on the north side of the house reef this time. We are going with the three of us. Racquel and I are joined by Susanne, a woman from Vienna whom they had also put at our dinner table probably because those foreigners always think we are German when they here us talk. Susanne however is nice company and there is no problem with us diving as a threesome (or this a term you only use in sex?). We are lucky because we encounter 3 turtles, a pair of langoustines and a spotted eagle ray. I lost Susanne’s E-mail so if anyone from Vienna knows a blond woman that has been diving Vilamendhoo an works in computer business please send her the address of this website. I would love to get in touch with her again. Depth: 20.8 meters |
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| 49 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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There is not much in the logbook other than is was not a special dive. I had to pee and Racquel had to yawn all the time. We are looking forward to tomorrow because we will do three dives with the rented camera. Depth: 25.6 meters |
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| 50 |
House Reef
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Again a dive on the north side of the island. Not much to see but we do discover the cleaning station beyond the exit buoy. It is a small cave that would fit perhaps two grownups but there is nobody home today. Depth: 19.6 meters |
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| 51 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depth: 21.4 meters |
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| 52 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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I am not sure how we ended up with this name. It says in the logbook that this was the first time ever they had dived this spot. We missed the spot we were aiming for and perhaps they think this one is nice and so they stayed with the name and put it on the map. The only sad thing about this dive is that my camera gear refuges to work. After a couple of pictures there is no more flash. I’m so busy with this camera thing that I didn’t pay attention to things that are always there to be seen and so I wrote nothing in the logbook. Depth: 19.7 meters |
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| 53 |
House Reef
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The second dive of the day with a repaired camera. Unfortunately the repairs only last 4 pictures and then again the flash fails to operate. I decide to shoot anyway and will have to see about the results. Cheap Dutchman as I am they can forget about the rent. What a disaster. We see eagle ray and Susanne is with us again. We are now officially known as the three musketeers. Depth: 21 meters |
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| 54 |
House Reef (Nightdive)
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This had to be the third dive with the camera but they fail to “repair” it a second time on the same day. So we only take a light with us and Susanne who thinks it is a little scary. There is a grouper who keeps following us and uses the lights to hunt. There is of course more color in the light of the lamp. I think we are a little to early to really see different creatures but night diving is really something special. Depth: 14.3 meters |
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| 55 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was one of the worst ones. We start at the beginning of a small storm. The visibility is poor, there is a lot of sand and most disappointing with a name like this no Manta in sight. Getting back in the boat becomes quite and adventure because we are close to the reef and the waves are 3 feet high. They have to pull us towards the boat using a rope. Probably the best thing about this dive! The voyage home is a mere 10 minute so nobody throws up. Depth: 22.2 meters |
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| 56 |
House Reef
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Bad visibility after the storm. Strong current and nothing special Depth: 18.9 meters |
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| 57 |
House Reef
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We did our Drift Diver Specialty theory last night and we now probe our knowledge on the current around the house reef. We go from Exit 1 to Exit 2 and it turns out a better dive than the last time because the current goes in. This brings clearer water from the depths of the channel. So we did learn from Mick! Depth: 24.6 meters |
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| 58 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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We take the boat again and go diving near to Dangethi Island. We hear after the dive that we missed a manta in the beginning of the dive. We had to descend real quick but sometimes Racquel has problems with this because of here ears so we are always slow. Sander is not able to make this dive because he has to loan his equipment to one of the guests. He is pissed off when he hears that we all saw a Manta. We are all happy he is pissed off. Depth: 24.1 meters |
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| 59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A little wind, a lot of sun and a strong current this dive. But we don’t mind because we passed our drift specialty. We spot a Napoleon right above our heads interested in the bubbles we make. A few white tips and a gray reef shark pass by in the distance, I wish you would come a little closer. We have an argument again but I can’t make up from the logbook why exactly. Depth: 29.7 meters |
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| 60 |
Lucky Hell
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Best dive in the Maldives so far. Enormous amounts of fish and beautiful coral. We see our first batfish (3 of them) and a big turtle. A lot of sharks and even some baby sharks beneath a piece of table coral. I try to sneak up to a white tip that is resting in the sand and get as close as 5 ft. But of course it knows all about my presence and calmly swims away. I have little time left on this depth before I go into deco so the three musketeers calmly ascend. I have to say, according to the logbook, that Racquel is the best buddy ever. So I do. Depth: 25.3 meters |
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| 61 |
House Reef (Nightdive)
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Depth: 14 meters |
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| 62 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Napoleon, turtle, octopus, jacks, lots of nice things this dive. Professor Racquel Cousteau discovers that the little fish that swim under the overhangs swim upside down. This way they are always closest to the rock with their belly. When we are at the surface and she tells me this upside down swimming I laugh because I did not see it so she claims her right with Mic and when he confirms this I have to make my apology. I stand corrected. I think I’ll call Dirk Pitt at NUMA headquarters and see if they will have her in their special services team. Depth: 30.9 meters |
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| 63 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A short dive because we stay at 29 meters on an overhang a little to long for my taste. You can hardly say on the Maldives that you had a bad dive when there is almost always shark, napoleon, turtle and spotted eagle ray. I took the time to investigate about the upside down fish and Racquel IS right. This is quite a discovery, do they know about this on the discovery channel? Should we warn the crocodile hunter? Depth: 29.1 meters |
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| 64 |
House Reef (Nightdive)
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Last of our night dives. Nothing special, just a relaxed dive Depth: 12.2 meters |
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| 65 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Our last dive this vacation, we made 24 dives in two weeks which is not bad at all. Susanne was with us again and it is also her last dive. We all leave tomorrow in the afternoon which gives us at least 24 hours between this dive and the flight. We made some nice pictures I’ll have to look up and scan. A lot of baby sharks this time and Napoleon was also here. One moment we could have had a shark, a napoleon and a moray eel in one picture but?..no camera?we will have to do something about this. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We head back home after a good night sleep and a good-bye to Susanne and all our other friends. Another year of diving has passed and we wonder where we will spend next years vacation. The group of dolphins we see from the water plane seem to wave good-bye to us. |
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The dive center is on the same island side as the jetty, the south side. The island has 5 entry/exit points you have to use. They are small channels through the reef and they keep you from hurting your self when the tide is low and it will keep the reef intact.
Our first dive is a checkdive. The Dutch instructor tells us about the beauty of the seas and that you can never touch or take anything. We take this very serious. The first thing he does after we go down and do our tricks is poke around a stonefish with his knife. After we have shown him we can take off and put on our mask back on, and find “our lost regulator” he begins caressing a moray eel. This guy has ruined it with us. He is a schmuck and he is even more but we don’t know a decent English translation for the Dutch words. I’ll see if I can dig up his name from the logbook. (I did, his name is Sander, pfjew what an asshole)
The first boat dive takes us to Lucky Hell. It is a 45 minute boattrip and they use the last few minutes for the briefing. This is done in English and if necessary in German also. We have to descend quick on this dive and this gives Racquel some ear problems She sometimes has problems with her ears going down. Everybody finds his own way around the block of coral and we soon are only the two of us. The colors of the reef and all the fish seem to disappear as I spot my first reel swimming shark! There are 3 of them and what majestic sight this is. This compares with nothing not even the two nurse sharks we saw on the DomRep. Man! this is the best thing I have ever seen. Unfortunately they stay at a distance and there is no way you can get close our out swim these rulers of the ocean. Back on board there are pieces of coconut.
NO FLIPPERS, NO MASK and even while typing this it stills gives me the shivers. At least a dozen scenarios enter my brain about what can happen, the worst I can think of is that she will never come up again and will forget in a case of panic to loose the belt. While going through my rescue actions in this split second I have I jump overboard without hesitation. When I come up to the surface Madam Float even with my weightbelt is on the surface looking surprised to find me in the water and saying “you don’t have to help me my love, I can get my own stuff out of the water”. My hart is racing at least 200 beats per minute and relieved that nothing has happened I climbed the stairs sit down on the boat and tell her what s going on. She finds the situation kind of amusing but after a while I get a big kiss for jumping after her.
A beautiful night dive with lots of fish and shrimp. We see a school of Remoras. Very beautiful fish as you can see in the picture. They tend to suck themselves to larger fish to sometimes eat the parasites from the skin. Mostly they enjoy the free ride and eat remains of the prey the predators they cling to leave over. When we needed a name for our company we decided to name it after this fish. So Remoras Automatiseringsdiensten, an IT company named after a tropical fish. I due hope our customers do not regard us as parasites? Our lights act a little strange this dive, perhaps they were not fully loaded.