It was the moment we boarded the plane that we realized our experience was officially beginning. Loaded with our travel gear, dive, suitcases full of cameras, swimsuits and sun cream, we headed, flying over the ocean, to the Maldives.
This paradise of coral reefs, crystal-clear waters, wildlife and uninhabited islands seemed like a place we would never head to, but rather we would see it through other people's eyes. During the 13 hours we spent on the plane, we had time to think about all the places we wanted to visit, all the food we wanted to try, the sun, the sand and, above all, diving.
The morning we took off, we arrived at the airport warm and dry, bone-chillingly cold, which characterizes Madrid's winter of short days and few hours of daylight.
When we got off the plane it seemed like we had travelled to another planet. The sun was already beginning to set in Malé, the capital of the country, and far from finding ourselves on a paradise island, empty and surrounded by nothing, we could see from the airport, in the distance, a complex of tall buildings piled up one next to the other in a kind of city of 6 square kilometres in which more than one hundred thousand people live. We did not spend too much time visiting Malé because our objective was clear: we wanted to get away from everything known and focus on the sea, the palm trees and the tranquility that we were sure is in paradise.
We decided to enjoy the islands seen from the water and focus on what was under the surface, but we were also curious to learn about the life of the country, so we spent the first few days visiting some islands in the Maldives and then we went on a boat for a week that became our home for those days and took us from atoll to atoll to discover the best places to dive in the Maldives.
TOUR ON MAIN LAND
The island group that makes up the Maldives is made up of 26 atolls that together contain more than a thousand smaller islands within them, of which only 200 are inhabited.
The “land” tour, as we called it, consisted of visiting several islands and cities independently over a few days.
We stayed in small but cozy hotels in every place we went to and stayed a day or two at most in each place. We tried to soak up the culture, the food, the routines of the locals, their culinary tastes, their schedules... we wanted to know their way of living and understanding life. And we loved it.
Our first stop was on an island (one of the inhabited ones) belonging to the Atoll of Kaafu, call Maafushi, where we were able to make our first dive in the famous waters of the Indian Ocean that had been causing us so much curiosity. We were able to see first-hand, and not in photos or in our imagination, the colours and shapes that the coral beds make underwater and the tranquillity with which the sharks and dolphins move when we pass by them.
From Maafushi We headed by ferry to Guraidhoo, an island known for being one of the best places in the Maldives for diving.
Apart from enjoying an unbeatable diving experience, another thing we loved about this small town is that it still remains somewhat unknown to tourists and largely retains its Maldivian authenticity.The main source of income in the area comes from fishing, so, attracted by the tranquility and the essence of local life, we went to see what we could find in Guraidhoo.
After our dive, with empty stomachs and very happy and grateful, we talked about the morning in Guraidhoo and talked about what we would do next, sitting at the tables of a restaurant with a view (The Wall Café). When the sun began to set, and the water reflected the orange light of the afternoon, we went to the beach to watch the sunset.
Our next stop was the island Huraa, one of the least touristic of KaafuTo get there, we had to go from Guraidhoo until Male, and in Male take a ferry to HuraaWhat did we do on this island? We spent the whole day relaxing on Bikini Beach and snorkelling at sunset. While we were relaxing on the beach loungers, a group of local children started playing football on the shore and we spent several hours playing the role of referees of the match.
The best plan was to dive without lights when it was already dark. If the sharks and marine species are already a bit impressive during the day, when you can't see anything, the feeling of uncertainty and insecurity is greater. But it was worth it! Little by little, your eyes and body get used to the darkness and focus on observing what's in front of you.
After the night experience we tried a restaurant called Kandu Grill. We had seafood dinner almost on the sand of the beach at tables with straw umbrellas and hanging lights that illuminated the night.
The next destination we visited during our tour on the mainland was the island of DhiffushiThe main attraction of this island is its beaches, which look like they came straight from the cover of a reggae album. White sand, turquoise water, umbrellas in the middle of the beach and palm trees and plants all around. The perfect place to spend a day or two reading, sunbathing and watching the sunset.
We spent the night in a small but very cozy hotel (Crown Beach Hotel) that was very close to the beach and was very comfortable for us to continue with our task of the day: enjoying doing absolutely nothing.
Our experience on land could not come to an end without having stopped by an all-inclusive resort in the Maldives, so our last destination was the hotel Milaidhoo Island a resort located a short distance from Male and with unbeatable views and dream facilities where we wanted to stay. When we arrived at the establishment, the hotel staff welcomed us with great warmth and kindness, the team made us feel at home.
When we entered our respective rooms, we couldn't believe where we were. The room looked directly out onto the sea, clear and empty, and only a few huge windows separated us from the outside, which we decided to open to let in the sea breeze and the wind coming straight from the ocean.
The walls were white and contrasted with the carved wooden furniture. The design could not have been more beautiful. When we left the room we had before us a small wooden platform with hammocks and chairs and tables to have breakfast or read quietly in front of the sea, and next to it, a moon-shaped pool that merged with the sea.
That afternoon we went for a massage, also outdoors and with the sound of the waves around us, and then we went to dinner at the resort's restaurant.We were very lucky because there weren't too many people and we enjoyed an almost personalized gourmet experience. What we liked most of all was that the next morning they brought us breakfast to our room. Many types of fruit, scrambled eggs, bread of all kinds, natural juices and exquisite chocolate and coffee. We were starting the day in the best possible way, and best of all: without rushing, without any set plans. During that day and the next we spent time walking around all the areas of the hotel, sunbathing, resting and eating a lot and very well!
LIVE ON BOARD
The time had come to embark on our accommodation for the next few days. Our adventure began, completely focused on diving in the Maldives. We hired a boat that took us through the best areas for diving. We decided to take the route Sharktastic, which runs through the Ari, Male, Vaavu and Meemu atolls. At the time of year when we travelled, the ocean waters were carrying currents from the east of the Maldives, originating in Sumatra and Indonesia, bringing with them ocean species that approached the reefs at high speed and cleaned the marine environment, so the visibility of the depths was incredible.
The tour lasted 7 days, and the first place we headed to dive was South Male Atoll. Our dive sites were Kandooma Thila, one of the few places in the Maldives where the direction of the currents does not affect the quality of the diving, which is always impressive. We saw white-tip sharks, manta rays and coral reefs with soft, delicate colours that we couldn't get out of our minds for the whole day.
The other dive site in this area was Cocoa Corner, where we found the largest number of sharks so far. We dived almost 29 metres and the water pressure, the nerves and the spectacle of marine species we saw before us made our adrenaline soar and there was no room for fear. We lived that experience as if it were the last. The most special moment of that dive was when a family of blacktip sharks crossed the channel that runs from Cocoa to Kandooma with the apparent tranquillity and calm with which these animals move.
Our next destination was Vaavu Atoll, an unexplored paradise that is home to several islands, Felishoo Atoll and Vattaru Reef. We did a dive at Fotteyo Kandu, which is considered one of the most iconic diving areas in the Maldives. Along the way, we were accompanied by barracudas, manta rays, schools of tuna and a sunny day that we stopped seeing as we continued towards the bottom of the sea.
South Ari Atoll was our last dive site. This natural atoll is located in the west of the archipelago. The places where we dived were Maamigili Beyru, where we were able to see whale sharks up close, which have made this atoll their home for some reason that we were unable to discover.
The last dive of our spectacular trip was at Broken Rock, an area that gets its name from the large broken rock that is located in the center of this dive site. On this dive we saw large areas of coral reefs with many combinations of colors and shapes that seemed to dance to the rhythm of the movement of the water currents, which in this area are very strong and on some occasions we had to pay special attention not to hit the coral.
The ecosystem of the Maldives is beautiful, but very delicate, as it is the country with the lowest altitude, so the increase in the level of the disease affects it greatly. We have to respect it and take care of it, observing it from a distance without disturbing it. We made a list with photos of all the marine species that we were able to see during our trip and this was the result:
We saw whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, white and black tip sharks, barracudas and moray eels, clown fish, crabs running around the sand on the beach and of course, we enjoyed the colors of the coral reefs, which are also full of life!
Our experience in the Maldives, although it started out as a diving-focused trip, ended up marking a before and after in our way of seeing life, since the calm we felt on each island we visited, how long the days were and the feeling that we had all the time in the world at any time of day, made us want to change many things in our routine in the city, and of course many short-term goals changed to be replaced by this one: “We have to go back.” We will accomplish it soon and we will tell you all about it.
We hope that our trip has motivated you to do a similar one, or the same one! And that it has encouraged you to travel on your own, even if the destination is a bit far away. It is worth walking, eating and living like the native people of each country do.
