Since my doctor's appointment got rescheduled to February 16th, this trip to Maldives became no comflicts. This 60th birthday scuba diving celebration trip for Jim, Janet, me and Bob had started eight years ago and Bob is the youngest of the four. There were 11 other divers from Seattle areas came to dive in the same baot with us, that we just found out while transitting in Singapore Airport and Bob knew most of them. On the boat - Carpe Vita, there were another couple from Germany on vacation with us, so 17 of us to share for this 10 days, 11 nights diving trip.
The north tip of Maldives is at about 250 miles west from Sri Lenka. It has more than five atolls with 1190+ islands, population 300,000 and 2/3 of it are in the capital city (island) Male, the size of the whole country is about 825KM north to south and 130KM east to west. If we were not travel on baot it would not be easy to see that much of the Atolls. The red line on the map were where we had traveled, anchored and dove. Each "Atoll" were the shallow sandy bottom ocean with few higher point stick out of water that has a few coconut tresses and bushes on it for the out side, in a circle. Most islands has no people living on it.
While we were in boat on the Indian Ocean diving, Maldives had its politcal uprising. The day of our departure we went into Male, the capital island, beautiful newly built high raisers all over, it was a peaceful window of time, until we got back to the airport island the riot continued in Male. Hope there were no one really got hurt.
The continuing couple of my postings are to share a few of catches from my camera. Maldives is an area for the stronger divers for the big hunts. There were whale sharks, manta, eagle ray, sting ray, Napolenos, , large school of sharks of black tips, white tips, reef shark, nurse shark, tuna as big as sharks, turtles and large school of all sorts of reef fishes, etc., etc.... Over all, fishes are more shy from camera and carols were not as colorful as those in Indonesia waters......but divers came here are for the huge critters.....sorry that I didn't do those challenged dives for I still need to concern with my strength, not to put burdon on to other divers.
Yes, I am truly thankful that I was able to come celebrate Bob's birthday and did the 29 dives, from the total of 32 dives for everyone. Cheng 2/11/2012
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