It has seemed forever for this day of our departure to arrive but here we are, Good Friday, only this year it is a very Good Friday. The four of us Chris, Rach, Hils and myself travelled to Heathrow together and met up for a pre flight bite to eat with our trip organisers, Alan, Lindsey and of course Claire. A few bites of pizza and a pint later it was off to the gate to catch our long awaited Air Sri Lanka flight to Male, capital of the Maldives. All on time and all going well except for Hils legs that have decided to play games and go somewhere else on holiday. We needed the help of a passing buggy to make the gate but nothing can hold us back from this trip.

Due to what ever reason we did have a slight delay and eventually got ourselves airborne just over an hour past out scheduled 21:25 departure time. The good thing about flying at night is you are ready to sleep. The flight crew soon dish up the evening meal which when washed down with a glass or two of red meant that sleep truly was on its way.

Before you know it, breakfast is sitting in front of you and we are only an hour or so from Male. As we make our decent we get our first glance of a few of the thousands of islands that make up the Maldives and the stunning blues and turquoise waters that surround them. They stretch 2000 km from north to south and cover and incredible 90,000 square kilometres. Male, itself is situated in the middle and is where we were to meet up with our new home for the week “MV Sea Queen”

Our bags and dive kit all arrived safely (except for poor Lindsey, she would have to wait a couple of days before it finaly caught up with us) and before we knew it we were through immigration and welcomed by our Scuba Tours rep whom safely delivered us to the sea terminal for our boat transfer to Bandos, the island resort where we were to spend our first night before meeting up with the Sea Queen tomorrow.

Our boat transfer over to Bandos was around 40 minutes; it is one of the closest island resorts to Male and is obviously used for short stays between arrival and departures of dive safaris. My golly it’s hot, we are shown our room and despite Hils legs clearly having gone on strike, we unpack our fins and masks and hobble off to the water for our first snorkel and introduction to the local sea life.

After a few refreshingly tasty lime beers at the bar, situated at the end of the jetty over looking the ocean we head off for a fabulous dinner at one of their restaurants. A little
unsure as to how tomorrow was planned out, we are told that we will be leaving for our return to Male at 07:45.

So much for organisation. The morning call didn’t call, the bags were not picked up and hey, there was no 07:45 boat either. We eventually left around 08:30 for Male where we were welcomed by Lisa, the better half of Dave and Lisa, our dive guides, host and hostess for the next week.

I always find the getting on to the boat, being allocated your cabin and getting all your dive kit set up a really exciting part of the week. By the time we arrive, Alan, Lindsey, Claire and their pals Mark and Liz are already aboard, so to are the other two that are not part of our group. They are a young couple Keiren and Mel who fortunately gel with the lot of us as if we had known them from times past.

Our Boat the MV Sea Queen is not the newest safari boat in the Maldives but it is a typical Maldivian vessel, full of charm, comfortable, cosy and just what the doctor ordered. It even has flush loos and hot showers, now that can’t be bad. Within a short time the anchor is raised and we’re off, heading south to Arri Atol and enjoying lunch on deck, the first meal of what later proved to be a week of wonderful food.

By the afternoon we had arrived at our first dive site, Kuda Giri for our check-out dive. It really is like riding a bike. Despite being 18 months since last donning on the neoprene it was as if it was yesterday. It wasn’t the spectacular dive in the log but we are here and the safari is well and truly on its way.

Like so many great dive destinations world wide, they tend to get littered by the numerous liveaboard dive boats, a lot of which have their weekly itinerary of dive sites. This often results in having to share certain sites and too the water with other divers. Fortunately for ourselves and as Alan and Lindsey correctly anticipated due to there previous visits (yes visits) to the Sea Queen, Dave and Lisa had other plans. We headed southwards away from all other boats making it all feel so much more private and customised.

During the following days we were blessed with some beautiful weather and flat mill pond seas. Despite there having been a full moon which notoriously means strong currents, there were very few. It may have proved to be easier diving though unfortunately, as the currents were else where, so too were the big fish, you know the ones I mean, big fins and large teeth…… I had semi expected before the trip that each dive would have been a shark soup. Sadly, I was somewhat surprised at the lack of sharks with each of my sightings having been brief and distant. For these wonders of the ocean I shall have to wait until next time.

During our time on Sea Queen we managed all 19 dives and needless to say did enjoy some marvellous sights, some dives obviously better than others. Sharks aside, my only real hope and wish for the week was to see my first manta ray. Well, day four we found ourselves at Kurali Kando . Dave and Lisa virtually guaranteed us a manta sighting as they had been seen here the previous week. The excitement and anticipation was too much. As always Lisa’s dive briefings had you running for the water. If I ever find myself on a future trip with her where here briefings came fully true, then I honestly would die a very happy man. Anyway, the manta dive was in a narrow channel and there was going to be a strong current. With reef hooks and a prayer in hand we plunged into the depths below. It was if we had jumped into a spin dryer. With bodies trying to hang onto anything they could (all great fun really), poor visibility and no manta’s in sight, Lisa aborted the dive after 15 minutes. Talk about great expectations! The plan was to return to the Sea Queen and wait for the current to slacken somewhat. An hour or so later we were off again for a second attempt. This time the current was definitely milder. Once in place and hooked onto a rock we sat there in waiting. Oh my God, there she was, a huge four to five metre female manta. Wow what an incredible sight. If it hadn’t meant drinking gallons of sea water I am sure my chin would have been down by my weight belt. Absolutely stunning. We spent the entire dive watching her passing within a few feet of us as she continually passed over her cleaning station. I could have spent hours down there but hey, there is only so much air in those tanks !

A couple of days later at Miyaru Kandu we dropped in on what was to be a shark dive. Dave had dropped in on the other side of the channel and had planned to encourage the shark to swim towards us but hey, this is nature and who can plan nature. As we descended there she was, another stunning female manta. This time the visibility was so much better. We simply sat there for ages watching her being cleaned whilst circling within inches of our masks, massaging herself in our bubbles. Just fabulous. Unfortunately however, Hils and I had decided not to take nitrox with us unlike the rest which saw us approaching deco far sooner than the rest. Sadly we needed to part sooner than we had wished for to shallower waters. As luck would have it, it worked out to our advantage as we spent a very intimate 15 minutes or so with a beautiful turtle munching on some rather un-appetizing looking coral. Despite only being an arms length away we were tolerated and allowed to stay. Without doubt, the most special turtle time I have ever experienced and will be remembered together with the manta’s as the high points of our diving on Sea Queen.

As one day lead into the next, like all live-aboards, one lost all sense of time, day, month etc. The days followed a simple dive eat dive eat dive eat sleep pattern with the odd beer and glass of wine thrown in. At some stage Alan will send us his full sightings list for those of you whom are interested, (beware, it will be a long one) but for now this report will have to suffice.

The end of our safari saw us return to Male on Saturday morning (I think….). As Dave and Lisa needed to go ashore for supplies for the following week, all whom wished were also invited to spend a couple of hours back on dry land whilst they did what they had to do. Hils and I were the only two that seemed interested so off we went for a quick mini tour of Male. Sadly, as our feet hit dry land it was becoming painfully clear at just how Hils legs had deteriorated. Every step was a challenge in itself which did lead to us having some rather strange looks from the natives. There were also many concerned “are you ok, can we help “? After a few strides and rests on door steps we found ourselves at the ice cream paler and from there were able to take a taxi back to the quayside and return to Sea Queen. All in all there wasn't too much to see though the fish market was as interesting as always, we now know why we didn't see that many tuna under the water, they were all in the market !!

Our last night aboard was the normal farewell dinner with speeches. I felt the need to say a few words of thanks on behalf of us all to not just Dave and Lisa but also our magnificent crew. They had all served us like kings and queens during our stay with never less than a smile on their faces. Simply wonderful.

The following morning it was time to say our goodbyes but we shall return !!! We headed off to the air taxi terminal which was just the other side of the main runway really, only rather than tarmac we had water. We had been looking forward to the transfer to Reethi Beach for months and it didn’t disappoint. Island after island with every shade of blue one could ever imagine. The 30 minutes or so passed in a flash and before we knew it we had touched down and taxied to our Reethi Beach terminal, i.e.: a small 12 foot x 25 foot raft in the middle of the ocean. We were only a few minutes transfer from Reethi, a stunning sand covered oasis in the middle of the Indian Ocean. If this is heaven then sign me up now. It is Swiss owned with Germans being the predominant guests (ah well, you can’t have it all…..) Extremely clean, tidy and efficient, exactly what one won expect from the Swiss with exception of the cow bells.

Fortunately with the state of Hils legs, our villa / apartment was situated next door to the dive shack. I say shack but truly, this was a tad more than your average dive operation. Fabulous kit storage, rinse tanks for ever topped up with clean water including some kind of antiseptic wash in to help chase those rather un-pleasant odours away from the neoprene …(I think we know what I am referring to). On sight showers, class rooms, nitrox fills at no extra charge, an abundance of space and benches for kitting up plus much more. However, as I was saying, our apartment / villa was right next door and only a very short stagger in Hils case from the main bar, the spa and our favourite restaurant the "Moodhu", located at the end of a jetty.

The rooms were simply wonderful; they were furnished in a modern style with a huge bed and very comfortable to. Flat screen TV, sofa seating area, fully air conditioned and needless to say kept spotless each day though we are not to take credit for this. However, for me the ultimate was our open air bathroom. Wow ! I have never actually experienced an external en-suit bathroom but I now sooooo want one !! The photograph really does not do it justice but at least you get some idea. (You get to save on air freshener to !!). My only criticism of it was that during the heat of the day one had to use towels on the floor like stepping stones as the floor tiles became baking hot under the intense sun which also led to having to wear sunglasses for a pee due to the blinding reflection from all the white ceramics. Never the less, I still want one !

Chris and I joined the Coley’s for the two tank boat dive the first day with neither Hils nor Rach being in a fit enough state to join us. The diving was a little disappointing to say the least, a clear sign as to how we had been spoiled during the past week upon Sea Queen. Very little to see, in fact all I can remember about it now looking back is the young German lad whom we passed who’s sole intent was to handle everything under the water he could, but hey, he was German.

We didn’t bother again with the boat dives but decided to stay on the house reef for the remainder of our trip. A real bimble of a dive with good fish life, and again, a great opportunity to get up close and personal with the under water world. By far our longest bottom times, I think one even stretched to 75 minutes.

Although acceptable, I found the food a little below par. We had been spoiled by the fabulous cuisine upon the Sea Queen and I was probably expecting a further step upwards. However it still didn’t stop us from trenching. With such idyllic restaurants under the Maldivian skies, water lapping upon the shore and warm breezes rustling the palms, who needed good food as well…..

Like all the islands in the Maldives, Reethi was small. Shaped like a rugby ball one side was a sandy beach with villas hidden amongst the thick vegetation and the other side where we were had the restaurants, dive operation, small pool etc. At the tip there were about 16 water villas up on stilts which I must say, have always appealed to me greatly when skipping through brochures etc. Well, having now seen them at first hand so to speak, I would always choose one on the beach ahead of them. I’m sure they were fabulous in side though they looked a lot smaller than our villa and of course had no kind of greenery around them making them look so dull and uninteresting. No, we definitely lucked out with ours.

Well, all good things must come to an end and our long awaited trip to paradise was no exception. We had an early transfer booked back to Male which was exciting in its self being an air taxi. Our route back to Heathrow was via Sri Lanka. With the now worsening condition of Hils we were about to experience a new view to air travel, that from a wheelchair. We had our own porter who seemed to be solely responsible for actually getting you aboard the aircraft. All wheelchairs work on a first on last off basis where in Male, resulted in a hydraulic lift. There was one point when I thought Hils was going to be loaded into the baggage hold but I guess they took pity on her. Our flight from Colombo to Heathrow seems to last for days. Between screaming children, heart attacks, drunks, plane running out of water, iffy food plus the reality of being airborne for twelve hours etc, no wonder it seemed so long.

Despite a wee mix up in Heathrow with the lack of wheelchairs, we did eventually find wheels. The cueing at passport control has never been as good as I also received the same treatment as Hils though without the wheels. Within a short time we were back home safely and already planning our next trip.

So, where next ??? Like ourselves, you will all have to wait and see !

Up and coming Maldives

Who knows ? This may be a waste of time or some of you may actually enjoy reading my new Blog. However, I agree, there's not too much to read at present but please be patient. As I love to travel so much I thought I would write a travel diary. There doesn't seem to be much point in writing about past travels so I shall start this diary during my next trip which is only a couple of weeks away !!! I can't wait. It's a long awaited dive trip to the Maldives leaving 21st March 2008. Part of the trip will be atoll based and the rest of the time aboard the "Sea Queen", a live aboard dive boat. There will be a small group of us, three of which will be returning for their third (yes third) stay aboard the vessel. We are soooooo looking forward to it and although the return home will be painful, I shall still have the fun of writing up and reporting my experiences on this new blog to look forward to.

So, please visit me again during mid April for the follow up !