Cruising Maldives
hop aboard the luxury liveaboard, Eagle Ray, for the dive safari of a lifetime
May 8th, 2009 - By Fiona Machintosh
If there’s one place that you simply have to explore by liveaboard boat it’s the Maldives. Dive safaris, as they’re locally known, are the easiest and most rewarding way to check out the scattered groups of tiny island atolls and incredible reefs of this picture-perfect marine wonderland. And even if you don’t dive or snorkel, there are few more idyllic holidays than cruising around the beautiful white sands and aquamarine lagoons of this Indian Ocean hideaway.
It may be clichéd, but as you fly in to Maldives you can’t help but feel that you’ve arrived in paradise. 1 190 islands stretch from the equator north to about seven degrees - a string of little white and green jewels in a warm tropical sea.
As you approach the reclaimed strip of land that serves as the international airport you see the yachts and floating palaces at anchor. There are over 100 registered safari boats cruising Maldivian waters offering a range of specialist sailing, diving, surfing and fishing safaris. Given the extensive area, you’re not going to get more than a taste of what’s on offer on a typical week or ten day holiday so most trips focus on the pristine reefs and pinnacles of the centrally located North and South Male, and Ari, atolls. And that’s where I was heading when I climbed about Eagle Ray, a 30m specialised dive liveaboard, and set out on my dream cruise.
Winner of the ‘World’s Leading Dive Destination’ and ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination’ at the World Travel Awards 2006, the Maldives is the not only the ultimate when it comes to honeymoon and romantic locations, but is renowned throughout the world as a top class diving destination. I’d seen the pics manta rays, hammerheads, big schools of reef fish, magnificent fans and incredible soft corals. I knew the marine life was rich and diverse. Maldives was somewhere I’d always wanted to dive and I wasn’t disappointed.
A sleek longboat, our dive dhoni, picked us up from airport then, after the short transfer to the mother ship, we headed to the South Male Atoll for an afternoon dive.
Eagle Ray is built in typical Maldivian tradition a big, stable, double-deck wooden boat with spacious cabins, dining and lounge areas and plenty of outside deck space. Although she was only launched in August 2006 her crew have a wealth of experience in hospitality, and most importantly, in dive safaris. Once we’d unpacked our dive gear into crates we let them take over half an hour later everything was kitted up and we stepped onto the dhoni ready to go diving. It was even easier after the dive all we had to do was climb the steps our cameras were put in fresh water tanks while everything stayed on the boat to be rinsed and readied for our next dive.
Eagle Ray sleeps 14 passengers in three double and four twin, en-suite cabins, each with proper flush loos, hot showers, air con and a mini bar, but we were a group of ten so there were more crew than guests. Life aboard ship was easy and comfortable. The main saloon is incredibly spacious with a big dining table, bar and plenty of sofas to loll around in and there’s a full range of entertainment facilities including big screen TV, DVD, video and music system, a library and games cabinet. The next level has a big outside covered deck then there’s a massive sun deck above that so you could always find a quiet spot to read, sunbathe or simply escape from the other divers.
Not that I needed to escape. It was clear from the start that we had a good, fun group - an international mix of Poles, Japanese, French, South Africans and Brits. The crew welcomed us aboard, fed us fresh fish, newly baked bread and salad, and explained the house rules. Manik, our on-board host and dive leader, whet our appetites, he and the crew would find us the big pelagics we knew the Maldives were famous for rays, sharks, big pelagic fish and of course they’d try to locate the big guy’, the whale shark. Manik’s effervescence meant that he quickly became the butt of British jokes and after our first whale shark sighting (when most of us were to slow too get into the water before the big guy disappeared) he was, inevitably, if unimaginatively, nicknamed Panic’. Eccentric though he was, Panic’ cared only for the happiness of his guests, scouring the horizons, working out the best dive times, trying to get us a step ahead of the other dive boats. His dive outfit was unusual to say the least. Under his booties he sported two pairs of socks a neoprene pair and his old football socks (his explanation - that he’s a soccer fan - was not wholly enlightening) and a sort of cummerbund covering a hole in his wetsuit. But for all his quirky manner he was an attentive, and extremely knowledgeable dive leader who, with, Asraf , his fellow DM showed off the area’s best sites.
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