Diving Furanafushi West

Here we actually thought we were going to the Maagiri caves but eventually came short of one reef as we did not have our guide book with us. Nevertheless, not a bad reef dive, at times good corals at times no corals. Pelagics were present. A lot of traffic could be heard as the channel into the resort was just south of us as well as I think other boats pass here on the way to the more northern resorts and Islands.

BA chart 3323, inset

Diving Black coral reef

Went to the Feydhoo Finolhu where there is according to the Tim Godfrey "Dive Maldives" guide the Black Coral reef. Black coral is semi precious and used for jewellery. Weather was excellent and we went to the Island and discovered there is a resort nowadays so we plonked in the drink a bit west of their entrance and swam west. The reef is a vertical wall, not so much coral there but the wall looks more "rocky" like on the outside of an atoll. Saw nothing spectacular except the normal pelagics and we surfaced at the Western end where there is a wreck in the middle on the reef.

BA chart 3323, inset

Walk on Hulhumale'

Kalizma at anchor

Diving under Kalizma

On the 25th morning we tried diving the Furana North divespot but after 2 attempts we just had to admit that the circumstances were not in our favor. The inflowing current was too strong for us to be able to stay at the reef and to do a drift dive without a dive marker was too hazardous as the waters above were so turbulent that the surface boat would have lost our bubbles (and us).

Cathodic anode before

Diving Bandos Island

Went in the NE corner and ventured East with the strong current in the beginning. The visibility was quite good but as the current became less, when we rounded the Island, the visibility deteriorated. At the start we "bumped" into a reef shark, the high light of the dive.

BA chart 3323, inset

Diving Banana reef

As my other deckhand hadn't yet seen Banana reef we went here again. Good dive and lots to see.

BA chart 3323, inset

Diving Club Med corner

We ventured out of the atoll and went for the Club Med Corner, actually the NE end of the Hulhumale' & Hulhule airport Island & reef. It was a nice dive, hardly any current and many things to see. At the end when we came up a huge school of dolphins passed us by and I had still my goggles on so I could watch them below surface for the first time of my life. I think I could even hear them talking in their high-pitched squeaks.

BA chart 3323, inset

Diving Maldive Victory

This day decided to go and dive the Maldive Victory. She was/ is a general cargo ship that sank in full cargo upon arrival Male' in 1981. For divers delight the wreck is still standing upright so it offers a lot to see. I have quoted the Maldives Victory history text below from here.

BA chart 3323, inset

Diving Hulhumale' North

This time went again to the Kudakalhu Channel but on the South side of it on the Hulhumale' Island reef. Went down about in the middle and drifted with the slight current into the atoll. Once inside the visibility turned quite poor but there was some caves, a few of them remarkably big, and lobsters hiding in their holes.

BA chart 3323, inset

Diving Banana reef

Banana reef is named after the shape it presents up from the air. It is totally submerged and a designated nature reserve so the fish life there is quite plentiful. We went down on the NE corner and ventured west.

BA chart 3323, inset

Diving Kudakalhu channel

Here we went on the S side of the Furanafushi Island and swam into the atoll along the Kudakalhu Channel.

BA chart 3323, inset

Diving Furana South

Chartlet from BA chart 3323, inset

Diving S of Banana reef

As an opening dive we decided to do the easy reef south of Banana reef in order to ascertain the equipment is working well as well as we are up to par after a long time on the dry. As agreed we left Kalizma at 0730hrs with all gear onboard.

Unfortunately everything did not go as planned, my dive watch ran out of battery and I forgot my camera on the surface support boat. On the other hand all dive gear was working perfectly.

BA chart 3323, inset

Sojourn on Kalizma

So 14th my vacation was up and I was ordered to fly to Male', Maldives to relieve the Officiating Master from Kalizma for his vacation too. I did not mind going to Kalizma as sitting on Indian Empress for two months in Abu Dhabi can't be better than going to Maldives.

The trip didi not start out very well as I was driving towards Phuket I got a call from office that I had missed my flight. It had been changed from evening to morning flight and I had totally missed the information. What a mess. Anyhow, I got a flight again the same evening and caught it to Kuala Lumpur, there I spent a few hours and flew to Colombo. The KL airport is huge but very quiet, maybe the reason was the late timing, I had a nice Caesar's salad at a restaurant while waiting.

I arrived Colombo in the early morning hours and spent there about 6hrs waiting for the morning flight. I half slept on a row of benches but was always woken up by clattering footsteps when a batch of passengers arrived from who knows where. Thats what you get for missing your flight. When the sun got up soon enough I was in the plane for Male' and a bit later we landed in good order.

The immigration was a breeze and I met Saini on the airport and we sat on the tenderboat to Kalizma in minutes. Kalizma looks the same as before, a bit worn out but that's why she is going in for a face lift in April. She is sitting at anchor north of Hulhule Island next to the Hulhumale' jetty. Then we started the handing over, accounts, current issues, maintenance, local contacts etc.

Colombo airport