Diving in the Maldives

Diving in the Maldives had always been on my list. Those clear blue waters were a haven for marine life – both big and small. And luckily, my holidays coincided with Maldives’ manta season! I was so excited to witness one of the largest natural congregations of manta rays in the world, at Hanifaru Bay, Baa Atoll.

As Hozier strummed his sweet vocals in my ears, I jetted down the tarmac with my face glued to the window. It was a trip of firsts: first international dive holiday, first international solo trip, first time snorkelling with mantas! Maldives, here I come!

Dharavandhoo Island, Baa Atoll

My, my, my. what an island! Dharavandhoo Island is located in the Baa Atoll. Hanifaru Bay, a.k.a. home to the mantas, is just 10 minutes away. Dharvandhoo is a locally inhabited island, so there are no resorts and alcohol and bikinis are not allowed.

The island has its own domestic airport, a few restaurants, 2 souvenir stores and a few guest houses like Blue World Dharavandhoo. From quiet strolling (and sometimes cycling) through empty alleys to watching boats zoom in and out of the marina, and reading books for hours under the shade of coconut trees – I felt like I was the main character in a Hallmark movie! But alas, no local heartthrob entered the scene.

My dive holiday coincided with Eid Al Adha, and it turned out to be the perfect opportunity to witness the Maldivian culture and cuisine, without the tourist flare. During the week, there were fireworks, cultural dances with Bodhu Beru drums, and bonfires – it was quite the spectacle!

The island was so small, you could walk or cycle around the whole thing. And since everyone knew each other, as a solo female traveller, I felt super safe.

Diving in the Maldives

Ideally, while Maldives is a year-round destination, the peak months are from December to March/April. The rest of the months bring about spells of rain and thunderstorms which reduces your visibility from 100% to about 50%. But, the murky waters and currents are what attract the mantas to Baa Atoll.

Blue World Dharavandhoo was the greatest dive centre I’ve been to. They take care of everything, from pre-dive setups to post dives cleaning. Before you board the Dhoni, the dive gear is already on the boat and set up, ready to go. Masks are rinsed. Snacks and water are provided too. All you had to do was sit there in complete awe at the marine life after your dives! It was a true ‘luxury’ service.

Note: bring your own reusable bottle so you don’t add to the plastic pollution. With a lack of recycling and waste management facilities, you’ll often find ‘mountains’ of plastic and other waste on these islands. Don’t add to it.

Faisal and Appi were so professional and the nicest dive guides. They practised ethical diving and advised our group to follow the same. I’ve previously dived with some guides who got way too close to marine life and even attempted to hold some of them. So, I was THRILLED to know I had chosen a dive centre that matched my values in ethical diving.

Marine life in the Maldives

The marine life of Baa Atoll was absolutely bonkers! We saw quite a few reef sharks, sea turtles, morays, and tons of tropical reef fish. The critters didn’t have my full attention this time as I was more focused on looking for mantas, sharks and turtles!

We even spotted some basking Risso’s dolphins on our way back to the island. They were bobbing around on the surface for quite some time.

TIP: Watch the sunrise! A pod of dolphins leaping around a few metres from the shore MIGHT just make it more special. It was so magical when I saw them, I actually cried – through happiness of course.

First Manta!

Lo and behold, on one morning dive, a manta blessed us! Following it to its cleaning station, two more mantas decided to hover around us and leave us in complete awe! We watched them glide through the water, in a peaceful, graceful motion before disappearing into the blue.

The rest of the dives were unmatched. My head swivelled 360 degrees every 3 minutes, hoping to catch a glimpse or a shadow of another manta in the distance. This continued for the next 3 days of diving haha.

Where to stay in Dharavandhoo

Thanks to a recommendation from a fellow diver, Blue World Dharavandhoo (BW) was the perfect dive centre and host. The rooms at BW were clean, spacious and ‘blue’. If you get tired of walking around the island, or if it’s too hot, ride a bicycle instead! BW has plenty!

Karthik from BW planned everything about 1-2 months before my trip, including my domestic flights to and from Male. BW was a 2-minute walk from the local airport, and Karthik was right there to greet me as I got off the plane.

The dive centre was well-equipped and clean. It was my first time trying on an XS BCD and it fit SO well – in comparison to the small I usually rent out when diving in SL. The restaurant served delicious local dishes for breakfast – mas huuni and roshi were my absolute fav. For my first solo dive holiday, BW made me feel safe and welcomed. The island played its part too, of course.

Blue World managed to steal a bit of my heart – so I’ll probably visit next year to get it back.

On my last day, after my last dive, I checked into Kihaa Maldives to R&R before my flight the next afternoon. What a beautiful resort! My beachfront villa was spacious and luxurious – just what I needed after a week of back to back diving.

Due to a small mishap with the resort, I missed my domestic flight to Male. But managed to hop into a seaplane instead, to catch my flight back home – thanks Transmaldivian! It was definitely the cherry on top of this amazing dive holiday! Another first! What a great week it turned out to be.

MANTAS. MANTAS. MANTAS.

Reef mantas of Maldives are the most gorgeous things in the world. On my last dive day, we got the call – Hanifaru Bay was alive and buzzing with more than 50 mantas feasting on lunch.

Stay tuned for my next blog on my mantastic experience and everything you need to know when snorkelling with manta rays.

Yours truly,

Imperfect Traveller

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