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SPRING 2016
T E X T A ND P HO T O S B Y S T E P H E N F R I N K
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T
he last time I went to the
Maldives was in 2010.
Although it was a wonderful
trip, I felt a nagging bit of
guilt about it. At the south
end of Ari Atoll is a place
where whale sharks come to
feed on plankton. It’s also the
site of a resort development, and a gaggle of tourists
can be found there at any given time. The masses
of snorkelers flocking to the few whale sharks in the
vicinity create a bit of a melee. When I was there I
swam down to take an upward-angled photo, and
when it was time to ascend I struggled to find a spot
on the surface free of human bodies or whale shark. It
wasn’t lost on me that I was part of the problem — as
culpable and frenzied as the rest. In the end I felt bad
for the whale shark, which had to deal with so much
interference while simply trying to feed.
Reliable whale-shark encounters are one of the
Maldives’ iconic attractions, but that day I decided
that the next time I visited I would find an itinerary
that was outside of the mainstream. Fortunately, in
an archipelago of 1,192 islands in 26 atolls, there are
plenty of options.
Regardless of where you intend to go in the
Maldives, your first stop will be the international
airport in Malé. From there you’ll transfer to a
liveaboard or an island-based resort. With 35,000
square miles of sovereign nation but less than 115
square miles of land, a boat or seaplane will be
necessary to get you where you want to go.
This trip was a hybrid of new (to me) areas to the
north and familiar dive opportunities in the south
that are simply too good to ignore. Even though we
boarded our liveaboard in the early afternoon and
could have done our checkout dive that same day, we
opted to motor north, steaming overnight while we
checked into our cabins, assembled our cameras and
had our first (of many) dive briefings. This was good,
because it allowed us to be better educated about how
the geographic diversity of these islands gave rise to
distinct and unique reef structures and to learn about
the challenges and opportunities each might present.
The channel, or “kandu,” is a deep cleft in the rim of
an atoll that connects the inner lagoon with the open
ocean. These channels feature swift currents at times, as
the tides move massive amounts of water through these
relatively narrow openings. They are best dived during
incoming tides when clear water streams into the lagoon
(and if a diver is swept beyond the intended pickup,
it will be into the shelter of the lagoon rather than
the open ocean). Our group of dedicated underwater
photographers groaned audibly when presented with
the possibility of diving in heavy currents, as they
make composition difficult, but not all divers share this
concern, and diving in the current can be a rush.
A “faru” is a circular reef that rises from the ocean
floor within a channel. Featuring ledges and overhangs
where marine life congregates, farus tend to attract
pelagic life because of their exposure to currents.
A “thila” is a shallow reef within an atoll — like
a small seamount that rises from a 20- or 30-foot
seafloor. Because of the influence of tidal currents,
significant coral and fish life may be found on thilas.
Thilas and farus are relatively easy dives, mostly free
of current and easily well suited to multilevel diving or
prolonged ascents.
A NEW LOOK AT AN OLD FAVORITE
THE
Maldives