South Maldives Dive Safari - Another of a Series of Life's Adventures

Maldives - Current? Continue...Continue!

Five years ago, myself and a group of diver friends embarked on a live aboard dive adventure in Palau. After a glorious 4-day dive experience, we all hatched a plan to do another live aboard this time in Maldives.

Finally, after almost a year of planning, our dream has become a reality. Seven days of living on a yacht and just engaging in our favorite sport.

I'm sure majority of us connotes Maldives, a Muslim island nation in the Indian Ocean-Arabian Sea area, with white sandy beaches, crystal clear blue waters and luxury resorts and some may not even think about scuba diving. Or connote scuba diving in Maldives with easy, recreational fun dives among its 26 atolls. All true. All over Maldives particularly, Male, the nation's capital located in the southern edge of the North Male Atoll, offers such experiences.

We were a group of 22 seasoned divers, some passionate about underwater photography, a couple are certified instructors, a few conceiving a relaxed time off from the daily grind and some, were pure adrenaline junkies. I'm part of the latter but also early on, selfishly, I resolved to be disconnected from the real world and just enjoy this time off in the middle of the deep blue seas.

Being a planner, I've decided to arrive early in Male, our rendezvous point, to at least settle and acclimatize. I opted not to go to a resort but just spend time in the capital to see a bit of this area. I found +Sala Boutique Hotel, a 6-room, wonderful inn in downtown Male. I lucked out. Room was excellent, and they have a great Thai restaurant, Sala that serves fantastic Thai curry dishes. Most of all, service is excellent. Frederic, the hotel's GM and the rest of his staff were very hospitable. I highly recommend this hotel if you ever find yourself in Male. They even have a foot spa. Surprisingly, internet access in the island is superb. Most hotels and restaurants provide it for free.

Maldives holds the distinction of being the smallest nation in Asia both in population and land area. One of the primary reasons I wanted to be there now is because due to global warming, scientists predict that this island nation may be underwater sooner than later. The entire capital can be explored in maybe an hour. This being a Muslim country, most establishments and shops close 5 times a day for prayers. Friday is their day of rest, so majority of services are closed. Alcohol is not readily available within Male. Something to take note of when traveling here.

In a span of a day, our raison d'être for traveling here has arrived. Our itinerary requires that we meet up with our boat in one of the southernmost atoll, Kaihaidhoo, which requires us to take a small plane. This being a diving season, surprisingly, the Maldivian, the country's local airline and its staff were very efficient with check-in procedures for our multitude of gears. At 0040H, March 16, we reached the small airport of Kaihaidhoo and funnily, had to push our own carts out of the airport for a 5-minute walk to the local jetty, where our chase boat was waiting. All aboard and in less than 7 minutes, our 'home away from home' for the next 7 days - the 40-foot yacht, + Maldives Princess - was right before our very eyes. This is really happening! We are here and about to embark on one of my life's to-do lists! I remember when I first heard about this trip and I mentioned it to my husband, K, who unfortunately is not a diver, that I really want to join. His response, 'if it makes you happy, then sure, go.' This is one of the many thousand reasons why I love him.

Paul Ng, our Malaysian host and organizer, together with one our local dive masters (DM for short, typically the dive guides), Daney, did a short briefing on the boat rules and the dive schedule for the following morning. Then off we all go to our cabins for a much-needed rest.

I must say that the +Maldives Princess is a luxury yacht. It is one of the few, if not the only all-wooden interior yachts in Maldives. The captain, Mulakey, together with his 14-man crew are well-versed with servicing a group of divers and navigating the azure blue Maldivian waters. I'm told, +Maldives Princess is the yacht to be when embarking on a dive safari in Maldives.

Day 1 of diving. First dives are typically what we call check-out dives, where each one of us will have to be familiar with our gear set up, ensure we are properly weighted for buoyancy and to get ourselves familiar with the dive procedures - boat entry and exits, our place in the dive boat, our buddy (dive partner), safety requirements and the underwater diving conditions. Bodu Faru, was the first dive site. We started late - 10 am - to give everyone ample time to rest and settle. Maximum depth, 95 feet. A sloping reef. Clear visibility, slight current and we saw quite a few sea life, notably a turtle and a leopard shark resting in one of the sandy corners. We had two DMs, Daney and Niyaz. At the chase boat, we were all excited. We had lunch then rested and the final dive for the day, Viligili Kandu (Kandu in local dialect means channel), is up next.

During the briefing, our DM, Daney mentioned that this dive will be our introduction to the type of dives we will be doing for the rest of the trip - channel dive. Daney mentioned that we will navigate between two reefs, and in-between these reefs will be pelagic action (large fish life). We will cross the channel, stay at the end of the other reef for more pelagic action and when low on air, simply move towards the interior of the channel to be inside the lagoon for a drift dive (allowing current to take you) to do the safety stop and then be picked up by the chase boat. Simple enough. However, we will need to do negative entry (no air on our buoyancy compensators) and fin down as fast as possible towards 110 feet or preferably deeper for a decompression dive (deco dive) because currents above that will be very strong and if we make a mistake, we won't be able to cross the channel and will be swept towards the lagoon and won't see any of the pelagics we came to see. Now note that we also needed to start from the blue waters away from the target reef to allow current to take us to the edge of the first reef. Daney also mentioned that he will wait for everyone, together with Niyaz at around 120 feet. During the briefing, he also mentioned that it is critical that once they say jump, everyone uses the four exit points in the chase boat and not wait, otherwise the slower divers will be left behind since surface current will take the diver off course. Everyone will have to 'see' each other below 100 feet. Just rendezvous with your buddy there.

I have to make a disclosure - every single live aboards I've been (3 so far), I always try to prepare physically and research as much as possible about the dive area and dive profiles. After having barotrauma (another dive story), I always visit my doctor prior to any major dive trips to ensure my ears are fine. I am also fortunate enough to have other dive friends who've been to this specific  area and I was sufficiently warned that the South Maldives is a high current dive site. I've also been in other live aboards to know that since we will be in the middle of the deep blue, safety balloons and signaling device(s) are a must. One of my good friends, +Rosan Cruz, counseled that I should be physically fit, get a lot of rest and stick to one of the DMs. She also warned me of the currents and making sure I have sufficient air for the mandatory safety stops. Having learned all these, plus researching online, one month before the trip, I refined my usual gym routine by doing endurance training. One doesn't need a trainer for this. Routines are all available online. I also believe in doing more intense dives prior to the main trip. +Rosan Cruz, during my pre-Maldives dive in Anilao, Batangas last February with +Lawrence Ong Go and +Sam White, also taught me pre-dive basic warm up exercises to improve circulation and avoid cramps, which I tend to have especially just coming from a long haul flight. Prior to arriving in Maldives, I was recovering from cough and colds so I wasn't in perfect condition. Again, the planner in me, decided to consult with a doctor in Singapore during my initial layover there to make sure my lungs are clear. I was given the thumbs up together with some prescription meds just to be safe. I must say, in hindsight, I did all the right things.

Now back to our first channel dive. Daney and Niyaz descended first and Paul directed everyone to go, go, go. I had a bit of difficulty descending due to problems in equalizing but I've done negative entry dives before so I just remembered to keep on equalizing and never lose sight of the DM while checking for my buddy. Holy shit! It was a bedlam underwater. Having had no diving experience together, everyone was just looking out for themselves and the shock of descending into the blue without any reference point is disconcerting to say the least. In this case, bless their souls, the DMs mentioned the reef as being on our right shoulder as reference point. (Note: an SOP and critical information to know for EVERY channel dive). So as I descended and not seeing anything except my depth gauge and computer, and the blue abyss, I was giving myself instructions - reef to the right, Hilda. Reef to the right. Peering around to my right, finally at 120 feet, I saw the lead DM Daney waiting for us. What a relief! Then, I see my buddy +Jiggy Santillan, I signaled ok, she signaled back and we finned as fast and as forceful as we can against the current. 120, 130, 140 feet...current was still present. The DMs were right though, along the dive I would try to go shallower at 110 and I find myself fighting more. I remembered seeing some tunas, grey reef sharks but not much. Then I signaled to the DM, Daney and my buddy that I was low on air and we all slowly ascended to shallower depth inside the lagoon. We were quickly swept by the current. As we ascend the lagoon, at much shallower depth, water is very calm. At the chase boat, everyone was quiet. Then after ditching our gears, we - divers - realized we were missing two in our group. Paul and the dive crew already knew before we did and were already searching. Funny how strangers' priorities are though. The chase boat was searching for the two missing divers and some of my fellow divers were marveling at the dolphins breaching the surface! Hmmm.

Fortunately, after going around for less than 10 minutes, they were found. Already ditched their weight belts, out of air. Both in a state of shock. I was happy they were found and are alive but I wasn't happy that they got left behind. I said out loud, I don't like this! We were all acting as strangers and not a single unit. We needed to regroup and access our safety. No one noticed them missing. They were left behind. Credit to both of them, they did all their safety stops but in panic, forgot to deploy their safety balloons while at safety stop and forgot that they can also inflate their BCs manually. Apparently, underwater, they were banging their tanks to signal that they were being left behind, but no one heard. Both DMs were infront and most of us were focused on keeping up with them.

The danger of recreational scuba diving in most countries, including the Philippines, is that most divers get spoiled - the DM (sometimes two for a a group of 8) will always be there to ensure ones comfort and safety underwater. Divers become too dependent in this case. I believe this is what happened with our fellow divers.

So our first channel dive was a total disaster. it was a 'deer in the headlights' moment for all of us. We were babes in this South Maldivian waters even after many, many years of diving experience. This South Maldives is completely different. That evening after dinner,  we had a group meeting and accessed our situation. Paul Ng and Daney reiterated the need to harness our training skills, that the dive sites in our Maldives safari are most likely completely different from most dive  sites we've encountered and that DMs serve as guides here not safety officers. Palau and Tubbataha were nothing compared to this. However, we also agreed that on subsequent dives, one DM will be the lead,  another (a third one, Sina, joined us on the second day) will be in the middle and a third will be the sweeper. Twenty two divers of varying skills is simply a large group to be lumped into one homogeneous group. Daney also explained that we can have two groups, one the deeper divers, the other, shallower divers at 90 feet. However, in the interest of full disclosure, those who will stay in the shallow part will not see much pelagic action (main reason for being here) and will fight current majority of the time. With this thought, we all went to bed. Me, doubling my dosage of effervescent to fight my still lingering colds and nasal and otic drops to clear my nose and ears. (Note: Do not do this without consulting your doctor). With a prayer for everyone's safety, I fell asleep.

Day 2, 6 am wake up call to warm up for a 630 am dive. My buddy and I were up at 530 am, went to the 2nd deck to do some stretching and breathing exercises. These became our ritual throughout the trip. For someone whose gear got left behind in KL by Malaysian Airlines (go figure) and whose borrowed depth gauge flooded on the second dive, my buddy is holding up real well. However, we needed to start late because we were waiting for one of the dive guides and for Jiggy's gear. At 9 am briefing, Daney asked who among the group will be part of the second dive group - the shallow team. No one raised their hands! Surprised, he asked again and we all said, we're here, we will do this. To ease the knot in everyone's stomach, Paul decided to join the dives for the day to gauge our group's profile and discuss options with the DMs. Nilandhoo Kandu here we come! This time we were all prepared, mentally, emotionally and physically. After the shell shock of Viligili Kandu, our adrenaline was pumping. Jump, go, go, go. And descend into the deep blue clear waters of the Maldives we go. For the first time, we enjoyed the dive. Schools of sharks, tunas, barracudas, jacks, fusiliers, thousands. We even had our first sighting of the eagle ray. In the boat, we were all ecstatic! We found our groove back. It turns out, per Paul, our group has 3 distinct teams, the slow, the fast and the very fast. Surprisingly, the very fast group was composed of mostly women! The scuba divas, with myself and my buddy, included, were born! In fact, I was so pumped on this dive, I even overtook the lead DM! It was not an even playing field though. These guys are sporting the long free-dive fins! Their one kick is twice mine and I have long legs. Dang! That's when I realized, diving in South Maldives is really an endurance dive. There is no let up on deep dives and the current. Even pinnacle dives mean 120 feet or deeper.

Once we got the rhythm and the confidence level back, our group started to relax and have a good time. On the third day is when the real routine started - 6 am briefing, 630 dive. Breakfast. 930 am briefing. 10 am in the water. Lunch and siesta. 2:30 pm briefing, 3 pm dive. Rest. 530 or 6 pm briefing. Night dive. All dive briefings and meals are announced by ringing of the cow bell. Mandatory wake up call is at 6 am. On the third day's third dive is when my buddy, perhaps giddy of having her gear back, experienced the narc - nitrogen narcosis. This state is caused by anesthetic effect of certain gases at high pressue.

We all jumped, descended on the agreed depth and while I was looking for her, I glanced at my gauge - 159 feet. Then, I saw her way below everyone else! I started shaking my rattle, my other fellow divers blasting their horns and banging their tanks. Fortunately, she looked up and realized she was alone at that depth and cooly finned upwards. I was mad and scared for her at the same time. Mad that there's no way I will risk descending that depth to get her and scared because, how will I explain to her folks back home if she gets into trouble? She clocked 184 feet (56 meters)! Unreal. We all lived to tell the tale but best of all, she was the optimum buddy in these dive circumstances - her air consumption is perfect complement to mine. Our tanks are being pumped to the maximum they can - 3,500 psi in some cases for mine, and on more than one occasion, I was surfacing with zero air and sharing air with my buddy for our mandatory deco and safety stops. And after all these, with her own deco safety stops, she would surface with 1,000 psi (70 bars)! She's got aqua lungs...our team was made in heaven!

We all became better divers after our South Maldives experience. Some of us may have been disappointed about the risks and rewards ratio. Others may not have appreciated the physical demands. A few didn't care as long as they're having a great time with kindred spirits. Still others were out to prove they are invincible. As for me, overall, I had a glorious time. Inspite of the physical and mental demands, I enjoyed myself. I  must admit, I am indeed an adrenaline junkie. I enjoyed the challenge and made me learn more about myself, my limits, the wild underwater elements and human nature, in the process.

Best of all, at the designated dive site, Dhivamigili Corner (Dive #9) - at 104 feet, on the corner of a high current mark, the most glorious sighting was before me - schools of hammerheads, grey reef sharks and barracudas longer than 5 feet! My one true wish for this trip has been fulfilled! I didn't bring my camera on this dive to record the sighting but I witnessed it with our DM, Sina and fellow diver, +Ryan Alegre. I thought my buddy, who was a few feet behind me saw it but I guess I was too excited to remember the signal for hammerheads! I was pushing my limit when I was at 800 psi and didn't want to go to shallower depths but reason came back and I signaled to my buddy that we needed to ascend. On this dive, one of us, +Tom Opazo also suffered narcosis and unintentionally beat my buddy's depth, 196 feet. Note - do NOT try this at all unless you are certified for technical dives with two tanks and your buddy in tow!

South Maldives dive safari is not for the faint-hearted and the weak. We started in the south of the country and moved along for a week towards Male, the capital.

Each dive site offered vastly different underwater fish life. The only sure fire sightings are the tunas, barracudas, jacks, fusiliers. We even saw a gigantic grouper bigger than two divers!

On the last day of diving, I lost my newly-purchased Lifeline, a GPS and an VHF radio in one for scuba divers but I couldn't care less. I gained a lifetime of experience and had a blast! I was so happy that on our last night during our beach barbecue party, my fellow divers thought I was drunk. I wasn't. I was sober but I was certainly high with happiness. For being able to survive the most challenging dive safari I've ever experienced and realized my dream to boot. For the blessing of being with friends. For learning about human nature and meeting new friends. For experiencing the K2 of diving (am assuming there's an Everest). For our safety. For the pure joy of being alive!

Will I ever go back? Sure but not in a couple of years. Oh, did I not mention the best night dive I've ever experienced in my many years of diving? Well, I won't spoil the surprise. You'll have to see it for yourselves.

In the meantime, I'll see you under the deep blue seas.

Special thanks to +Lilliane Cobiao and +Vangie Montalbo for putting this dive trip together!