MALDIVES … BEHIND THE MASK
Travel with award-winning filmmaker
December 5-12, 2021
Revel in the whoosh of channel-drift dives & thrilling sharky night dives. Experience the grandeur of manta rays & whale sharks. View a surprising variety of marine life ranging from to huge schools of fish, eagle rays, sharks & turtles. All of this, led by a professional filmmaker.
CENTRAL ATOLLS … SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
For many divers, the Maldives conjures up images of swimming & flirting with swarms of stunning manta rays. But diving in the Maldives is definitely more than that.
For starters, rising from the atoll floor, usually in the middle of channels, are ‘thilas’ or submerged reefs, which can be as shallow as 8-10 meters below the surface. Thilas make great dive sites as they are often small enough to swim around during one dive and have their own compact ecosystems, such as caves, overhangs, steep walls or cracks and crevices. Many are pinnacle formations.
You’ll experience gentle dives & strong currents and even a couple of very good wreck dives. The Maldives has diving for everyone from the beginner to the advanced diver and is a destination ideal for divers and snorkelers alike.
Do note that Maldives diving is more about abundant life than about colorful corals, but in most of the channels you’ll find caves, caverns & overhangs with lovely soft corals, colorful sponges, invertebrates & gorgonian fans.
These areas also host cleaning stations where you’ll observe the fascinating process of the small-fries cleaning large ocean species. Groupers, snappers, surgeonfish, eels, parrotfish, even Giant Napoleon Wrasse will install themselves in a quiet corner, while armies of wrasse, shrimp & other assorted cleaners pick at debris in their open gills & gaping mouths.
The rock pinnacles also provide rich diving & diverse life forms, while further afield from the reefs, you’ll marvel at the pelagic action. Here on the edge of the open water, you find the manta rays & eagle rays in plentiful supply, along with multiple varieties of sharks.
You’ll find a detailed itinerary below which delineates the delights of each stop.
PLANNED ITINERARY
{slider This special adventure will be led by underwater filmmaker, Florian Fischer of “Behind the Mask”. We can’t recommend it highly enough ….. Open here to see trip details …|dest|closed}
The trip starts and ends in the capital of Male, where a crew member will pick you up. The planned itinerary is as follows:
Lankan Beyru (Manta Point)
Not far from Male, the main attraction of this site is huge manta rays coming to the cleaning station during the southwest monsoon. The dive site is relatively easy to access with mild currents. Often considered the perfect dive to start the week.
SOUTH MALE ATOLL
Kandooma Thila
Definitely the number one ranked dive site in South Male atoll. A long, mid-channel thila offers spectacular conditions for observing grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, big schools of jacks and snappers … on both incoming and outgoing currents. The North side of the pinnacle is nicely covered with soft corals with the top of the reef being home to many reef fish and green turtles.
RASDHOO ATOLL
Rasdhoo Madivaru
A channel dive between Rasdhoo Island and Madivaru offers a spectacular ridge facing the ocean where you can observe grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays and large dog-tooth tunas. More pelagics are visible during strong incoming currents, while inside the channel it is common to see stingrays. If dived at sunrise, with incoming current and a bit of luck, it is possible to encounter scalloped hammerhead sharks on this site too.
NORTH ARI ATOLL
Maaya Thila
This huge pinnacle is generally considered one of the best night dives in the Maldives. The up-current side is always active with fusiliers and snappers. Big jack fish, whitetip reef sharks, stingrays and moray eels can be spotted easily in blush corals. Some overhangs around the pinnacle provide shelter for turtles, while in the right current, this is a place to spot grey reef sharks as well.
Fish Head
Fish head is one of the major attractions of the atoll. Due to its exposure to the currents it offers rich presence of fish and coral: big schools of jacks and fusiliers on the up-current side as well as large numbers of blue striped snappers hiding from strong currents inside the overhangs. This spot is also appreciated for its grey reef sharks, schools of barracudas and dogtooth tunas in the blue … along with turtles and moray eels on the top reef.
Bathalaamaagaa Kanthila
A large coral ridge in the middle of a channel extends from the outer reef & slopes down gradually to 25 meters. More grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays here and usually some napoleons, jacks and fusiliers.
SOUTH ARI ATOLL
Moofushi Kandu (Manta Point)
This super cool drift dive provides a chance to spot manta rays hovering over the cleaning station at the depth of around 14 to 25 meters. Whitetip reef sharks are common visitors around the deeper part of the cleaning station … with blue striped snappers and fusiliers being permanent residents.
Kudarah Thila
Another pinnacle, this thila is part of the Marine Protected Area and is often considered the most beautiful site of the atoll with exceptional diving conditions. Overhangs rich in sea fans and the top reef nicely covered with healthy soft corals form the highlights of this dive. The site is also known for big schools of blue striped and midnight snappers, fusiliers and jacks. Bring a flashlight with you to look inside small caves where often you will find big groupers hiding.
Maamigili Beyru
Shallow and very easy dive which might turn into a very exciting one as it is known as the best location in the Maldives for spotting the biggest fish in the world. Whale sharks can be seen cruising along the reef all year round. Most of the boats look for them from the surface. Once spotted, divers enter the water, go down and start swimming along with them. The code of conduct for whale shark encounters must be followed and is always discussed during the briefing.
VAAVU ATOLL
Miyaru Kandu
One of the channel dives that you don’t want to miss. With strong incoming current the list of possible encounters is impressive. Mainly grey reef sharks but also whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, napoleons and tunas are quite common. With visibility reaching 40 meters during the northeast monsoon this channel is often the highlight of the trip.
Alimatha House Reef
Considered one the best night dives in the Maldives, every night at Alimatha is like an underwater production performed by a a large group of nurse sharks, plus stingrays and massive jacks. Definitely not to be missed.
Please note that this itinerary is dependent on weather conditions and currents and may therefore be modified on a day by day basis. {/sliders}
NOTE : You can easily combine this with Behind The Mask’s exhilarating trip to Fuvamulah (Deep South Maldives) from November 24 – December 3 … to swim with tiger sharks, thresher sharks, hammerheads & loads more sharks … plus loads of pelagic fish ! SEE DETAILS …
MOONIMA LIVEABOARD
Eco Pro Divers new project is called Moonima. This lovely yacht is 30 meters long and has a total of 10 cabins, each with its own bathroom and individual air conditioning. On board the Moonima there is a relaxed & pleasant atmosphere. You can kick back in a variety of outside areas with a coffee from the Lavazza machine, a beer from the tap … or enjoy various cocktails and mocktails as you watch the sun set
GETTING THERE, RATES, WHAT’S INCLUDED, WHAT’S EXTRA
{slider On this odyssey, you will be accompanied by underwater filmmaker, Florian Fischer of “Behind the Mask”. Open here to see trip details …..|dest|closed}
GETTING THERE :
You will take an international flight to Male international Airport in the Maldives. From there you will be transferred to your liveaboard.
DATES :
December 5-12, 2021
ITINERARY :
The full proposed itinerary can be found above and will be lead by a team member of Behind the Mask.
RATE :
€ 2,850 per person (euros)
WHAT’S INCLUDED :
- shared cabin
- full board including drinking water, Nescafé, tee, snacks
- up to 3 dives per day including weights, tanks, guide
- airport transfer from Male Airport and back
EXTRAS:
- international flights
- alcoholic beverages & Lavazza coffe
- travel & cancellation insurance
- Green Tax ($6 per day)
- tips
Covid-19 no-risk booking and cancellation policy:
• full refund if trip can’t happen due to covid-19
• full refund if travel restrictions of your country of residence don’t allow you to travel {/sliders}
We highly recommend DiveAssure insurance which also covers force majeure and single missed days of diving due to sickness. Feel free to ask us about it..