From the mountains of Georgia, we head to the Maldives to get wet! Located in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives are an archipelago comprised of nearly 1,200 coral islands, of which only 200 are inhabited, with the islands grouped into 26 atolls. The nation is 510 miles long and only 80 miles wide with 99% of the territory being water. The remaining 1% of land averages just shy of 5 feet above sea level, making the Maldives the lowest and flattest country in the world. Living barely above the ocean’s surface, this nation is very focused on the impacts of climate change, investing heavily in renewable energy with aggressive solar and wind targets, expanding their green transport, targeting tree forestation, and even investigating artificial floating islands. Their former president Mohamed Nasheed and his cabinet wore scuba gear during a formal meeting 20 feet underwater to sign a document urging global carbon cuts, as the nation is disproportionately impacted by climate change relevant to its emissions.
The geography in the Maldives creates interesting transport options. Motorcycles dominate the land, making up 93% of all vehicles, whereas sea planes dominate the skies with around 400 flights daily, making it one of the busiest aviation networks in the world relative to land mass, which jives with our experience near the airport watching the pontoons whiz by every few minutes dawn to dusk. Flying into the capital Malé is a beautiful vista with atolls scattered across the marine blue waters like lily pads. Their economy is based one third on tourism, mostly high-end, which is reflected upon arrival by their sophisticated airport where, just outside baggage claim, dhoni boats are lined up to ferry travelers to their luxury vessel in port. We spend one night in Hulhumalé, connected by bridge to Malé, and on this holy Friday families are cooling off from the muggy weather floating beachside with women fully covered in their burkinis. The Maldives became a Muslim country in the 12th century, as indicated by the crescent moon on their national flag, and requires all citizens to be Muslim.
We take our dhoni to board Yin, sister boat to Yang, both run by Scubaspa which targets a floating resort experience, and they totally hit the mark. This is our first liveaboard dive boat, usually staying land-based for more diverse activities, shuttling daily to dive sites. But since this country is so expansive with quality dive sites scattered throughout, the Maldives is ideal to test drive the liveaboard lifestyle. Scubaspa is a unique program offering a more cushy experience focused on stylish decor, relaxing deck space, top notch meals and service, and a full spa and gym plus snorkeling, attracting a clientele looking for a more balanced experience with diving woven in or not at all. On our cruise staff outnumber clients at 30 vs. 23, where max capacity is 35, making me feel like I’m in an episode of Below Deck. Our boat is international through and through, with staff hailing from the Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, South Africa, and the UK, and probably more, and clients flying in from Singapore, Canada, South Africa, US, UK, China, Russia, Kuwait, Dubai, Spain, and Portugal, making for very interesting conversations, and our group quickly gels. Soon after boarding, we swim off the back deck in the warm water with temperatures hanging at 85F even at 100 feet depth, requiring only a 3 millimeter shorty wetsuit for diving. We know at first splash that we made the right decision to come to the Maldives!
Diving from a liveaboard accelerates the enjoyment-to-effort ratio. First the boat repositions to the dive area while we sleep or rest. Then we board the dhoni, which stores our dive gear keeping the boat free of dive equipment, and motor a short distance to the dive site. Once done diving, we return to the boat to change, eat, and rest while the boat repositions for the next dive. In contrast, land-based diving can require bouncy boat rides of an hour or more to a dive site, staying in your wet wetsuit between dives while eating a picnic lunch, then heading back to land at the end of day. With our sweet setup, we’re able to do all 17 dives offered and have more in the tank, and I may now be spoiled for life.
We shake out the kinks on our first dive near Malé at Kurumba Housereef, the first dive site established in the Maldives in 1972. Our group’s dive experience varies, from one needing to complete their Open Water certification during the trip, the entry level for diving, to another having completed over 1,600 dives including many ice dives, regaling us with her insane, badass stories. Brian and I learn to deploy an SMB (surface marker buoy) which shoots to the surface indicating divers surfacing, plus reef hooks which clasp the diver to the bottom during currents, saving oxygen and effort. Every dive region has its highlights based on the seasons, and the Maldives is rich in plankton during the summer storm season, decreasing visibility but increasing marine life to this nutrient-rich environment, especially the big targets: whale shark, manta rays, and sharks. In contrast the diving also offers plenty of macro marine life such as nudibranchs and shrimp and provides colorful corals and aquarium fish for eye-popping reef vistas.
The Maldives has the world’s largest population of manta rays, over 7k in total, and we’re blessed to watch five of them at a cleaning station where bluestreak cleaner wrasse give them the spa treatment, removing parasites, mucus, and dead skin off their bodies as the gentle giants swoop by. Anchored to the bottom like kites, we watch these elegant creatures loop back and forth over the station and frequently over our bubbles, seeming to enjoy the sensation. Manta rays can live up to 40 years and are social animals with strong curiosity and intellect, having the largest brain per body size of all fish. They use their cephalic fins to funnel plankton-rich water and small fish into their mouth as well as to communicate with other rays, then they roll up their cephalic fins like a scroll when swimming to reduce drag. They are negatively buoyant so have to swim to avoid sinking as well as to filter oxygenated water, and each ray has unique spots on their belly for identification like a fingerprint.
On a dive which I’ve named Sharkapalooza, we are greeted by a school of nurse sharks at the surface, their sandstone bodies outlined against the aquamarine blue waters. These docile creatures are habituated to divers, and in Belize our young daughters cradled them like babies underwater. We descend to find puppy piles of sharks on the sandy floor ready for their photo shoots. They are serious influencers, gliding in front of my camera and even bumping into me as if to say “hey film me!”, allowing unimaginable poses.
On other dives we observe reef sharks, sometimes 15-20 at a time, while swinging from our reef hooks at 100 feet like watching an IMAX movie in the deep blue. Spotted eagle rays always steal the show, cruising elegantly alongside us, as we watch each other with curiosity, whereas green and hawksbill sea turtles are unfazed by our arrival, focused on eating or scratching against the coral. In the crevasses we search for highly camouflaged octopus, stone fish, and scorpion fish for extra points, and sighting a moray eel, especially when swimming, the poisonous but elegant Lionfish, or clown fish fiercely defending their anemone also gets the shutter activated.
Night dives are interesting because they bring out different marine life and behaviors. During our night dive at the base of a jetty where fishermen drop their debris, we hunker down in the sand to watch the show, kicking off with two whip rays emerging quickly out of the dark heading straight towards me, which I struggle to avoid. In the darkness we observe white and black tipped reef sharks swimming within feet of us, using flashlights to track them. Exiting along the rocky coastline, I spy large parrotfish hidden between the rocks escaping predators, then surface to soak up a sky full of stars. We explore the Kudhimaa Wreck at Machafushi on another dive, a cargo ship submerged 30 years prior to create a reef environment, covered in healthy coral and vibrant fish.
Interspersed amid the dives, the boat hosts a cocktail party on one spit of sand and a magical dinner under the stars on another, as well as dinner on the bow, and they go overboard celebrating my birthday with cake and song, a card with towel art, and an underwater bday banner. These special events require big efforts by the team taking our experience above and beyond. We also sneak in a Filipino massage in the spa, complete with coffee grinds foot scrub, giving our hard working bodies some love. When it’s time to leave our floating paradise, I get choked up saying goodbye to the amazing staff – they have given us an experience we’ll never forget.
Next up: Sri Lanka
What an amazing summary of our experience! It was such a privilege hanging out with you two for the week, and sharing so many of these memories! Looking forward to keeping in touch with you and following your journeys… and seeing if our paths cross again. From one badass to another, safe travels and happy bubbles! 😊
Well if it ain’t The Badass Icelady Cometh! Ditto on your sentiments – thanks for sharing your honeymoon with us! Looking forward to watching your travels and dives and hoping our paths cross again someday soon! xo
What a lovely journal and remembrance of a great trip! Absolutely wonderful meeting you both and diving with you. Wishing you continued safe travels
Thanks Blair – it was great sharing these lifetime experiences with you and Connie! Thanks for sharing your honeymoon with us and would be fab to meet up with you both someday soon, and hopefully with more bubbles! xo
What an experience! Such great photos, totally amazing, I have been watching it several times and wonder how you must have felt. I have shark phobia and I think I would have died seeing so many of them all at once, yet they look so gentle.
I am so glad you did this, I was in the Maldives in the 80’s with my mother. Had a total different experience due to
me being scared of being under the water. On the island we met a few Italian pilots and one of them was really
upset with me for not taking advantage of what the Maldives has to offer. He took me out into the water and taught me how to snorkel. I was at awwh, but I could never do what you did. I am very grateful for that pilot and so happy that you got to do it. Very proud of you. The picture of Brian with the sharks, never could I do that and live to tell the tale.
Oh my Kerstin! How I wish I could take you under the sea with me! It is extraordinary down there, a whole other world. Peaceful and beautiful and awesome. Good for you for snorkeling in the Maldives (I envision the pilot being pretty hunky and smitten by you, the cute Swede!) The first time I snorkeled was in the Bahamas with borrowed gear – I watched a fever of rays underwater and got so excited I chewed the rubber bit that goes between your teeth completely off, then had to apologize. So glad you’re enjoying our blog – sending you and Sy tons of love! xo
OMG!!! You two adventurers give a whole new meaning to Adventure Travel, and you know that I know from whence I speak! You are such a perfect couple to set out on a trip around the world, equal and complimentary in attitude, talents and ablility. I recall sitting in Chris Dunham’s living room, post a holiday gathering, when everyone had left except me, Susita and Susan, the stragglers. Chris went into get ready for bed and came back out in her bathrobe and slippers and we talked for another hour about your impending trip. I could not have imagined, despite our conversation that night, what she had up her sleeve and what a journey you were about to embark on. It’s a treat to personally know the people you hook up with along your route, like Tom Stanley, Ian Allen, and Olaf Malver. Thanks so much for sharing your remarkable unparalleled adventure with us. I’m travelling on your sleeves like a fly on a wall. XXOO
I remember that stragglers chat Linda and I don’t think at that point that even I understood the scope and scale of this journey as well as the thrills within! We are having fun for sure and only about half way through! Now I’ve got Nicole in one pocket and you on my sleeve… Glad you’re enjoying and hugs to you and Bart! xo
Quel anniversaire incroyable! J’adore tout ce que tu écris et les photos et vidéos. Un très grand plaisir pour tes vieux amis qui ne peuvent plus voyager comme cela. Tous les deux, vous êtes épatants. Continuez vos grands aventures en pleine santé et merci de partager ce voyage extraordinaire! Bisous, bisous…Nicole
Merci Nicole ! Je suis ravie que tu apprécies nos voyages; tu m’accompagnes dans ma poche au fil de ces aventures! Bises! xoxo
What a beautiful, absolutely insane experience you and Brian are having. You talk about Olaf living his best life, but YOU are living your best lives to the max. Enjoying tagging along so much!
You speak the truth Dena! We are having a ball, does it show? We feel very blessed for sure! Sending hugs! xo
Wow Susan and Brian, you and Brian are truly living the life. What an incredible adventure you have had. Thanks for sharing it with us. xo Cat & Thup
Hey CAT we’re having fun for sure! Glad you’re enjoying our blog – in Sri Lanka now and talked with our guide about hiking here and there is plenty and challenging, mixed with amazing, deep culture, if Cattara is interested! Big hugs! xo
Sharkapalooza!! Unbelievable travels – just amazing! You two are an inspiration. 💕
Hi Lori! Glad you’re enjoying and thanks for following along! Big hugs! xo
What an amazing adventure you two are having! It makes me so happy to see you get back to your true love, adventure travel. I’m living vicariously through the two of you, and I love all these updates. I especially love this one, as I’m a water baby. Keep having an amazing time….
Thanks Water Baby Laura! Glad you’re tracking our journeys and enjoying the road with us! We have more water exploits in the future – stay tuned! xo