Sun Island, South Ari Atoll, Maldives

[Mr T.]

Tammy Locke, writing in another place, submitted the following on Sun Island.


"We went to Sun Island, South Ari Attoll, Maldives, where both the island and the people were fantastic as well as the diving being outstanding.

There was so much to see - trigger fish, batfish, napoleon wrasse, schools of snapper, sea snakes, moray eels, turtles, barracuda, white tip, black tip and nurse sharks, manta ray and whale sharks.

We had only been there for a couple of days and were on our way to a dive site, when one of the DMs on our boat spotted a 12ft whale shark. We dived in the water with our snorkelling and camera equipment and swam for about 10 minutes with the whale shark – what an adrenaline rush!

We booked the early morning trip to Manta point, we were up at 4.30am, had breakfast at 5am, and was on the boat by 5.30am with my eyes still half shut. We descended at Manta point and were swimming along the reef wall when they started to appear. In total there were at least 15 Manta’s which were huge. We were all at the top of reef wall, holding onto rocks (NOT coral), watching a fabulous display of Mantas. I didn’t know where to look, they were in front of you, coming from behind you and lingering above you playing with your bubbles. It was just out of this world!

It was a cleaning station and there, waiting in the blue was the biggest barracuda I have ever seen. I was more nervous of that than all the sharks I had encountered on my trip (I am a big girls blouse, I know!). My buddy had consumed most of his air, so it was time to do our safety stop and watch the show from 5m, reluctantly I ascended. What a day!!

My final big experience – and if you really don’t believe me, I do have the pictures to prove it, was ………

I was down at about 15m, second dive of the day and was determine to get some good pictures (new camera and trying to get half decent results). We were at the end of our dive group along a wall reef and everyone was looking at something different. I was trying to take some close up shots of this moray eel and was getting closer and closer, finally I thought I had the shot I wanted and turned to give the OK signal to my buddy, but as I turned around there was a 18/20ft whale shark approximately 6ft away from me, head turned and was watching what I was doing. First I panicked, due to the size of it but then I reassured myself that I wasn’t its food source and then the excitement set in and I tried to take a photo. I was pointing to my buddy to look behind him, his face was a picture, he was as shocked as I was. At that point the DM saw it too and alerted everyone to it. About 16 divers swam towards it, and it unfortunately turned and started to swim away, descending as it went. After I ascended, the excitement aboard our boat was immense, you couldn’t keep the smile from my face. I looked at the pictures that I had taken and all I had managed to get of this whale shark was an eye and half of its mouth – nothing else fitted in my lens.

Wow, what a holiday!!!

I am still buzzing from my holiday and desperate for more."

[JohnK]

Yahooooooo !!!!!!!

Guess who`s going there next Feb - I love the Maldives !!!!!

Bren - do you have an email address for tammy, I really would like some island info for Mrs k, also are the pics posted anywhere

[Reeve]

<font color='#000F22'>Well ~kirky I'll have beaten you too it as I'm there October for 2weeks.

This has really wetted my appetite for the diving, as it'll be my first trip to the Maldives.

[SCUBA Chick]

Hiya!

I must try and get my trip report on here over the weekend as I was in the maldives in February at Meedu in the Raa Atoll and it was fantastic!

I'm sure that you would love to hear all about it!

Might even try and download some of the pic's if I can overcome the technology bypass!

Scubachick