It's 7 in the morning and we are ready to go. Get the car, Petra says, so we can load in the luggage. Since she has her own little car mine is parked outside. And since she loves driving that new little car mine is mainly parked. Too often it showed. As I tried to start my car I hardly heard a click. Probalby the battery is gone (9 years and 170k km ... ). Even pushing it to jump start the car didn't work.
So, the little car will be taking us to Schiphol this time. Despite it's size (Fiat 500) the huge luggage fits easily. So with just a bit of delay we're on our way. My being the co-driver for the first time in many years :-)
Arke (TUI) check in and flight were good. In no time we arrive in Marsa Alam. A tiny transfer (Marina Lodge is 1st stop) and there we are. "Welcome back". Room 6323 has been reserved for us, exactly as we requested. Just pasted the room we had before, with an open bath room, a larger balcony and a better view. Another improvement is the Wifi strenght. This time I had to pay for it (495 EGP for the whole stay, 4 connections) as they are not longer an Intercontinental, and hence my IHG Gold membership is worthless this time around.
May 15th - Check in and Relax
First day: a long sleep in. Easy, relaxed and long breakfast. Slowly towards the diving shop. Jörgen immediately jumps up when he sees us. "Welcome back". Tomorrow at 10 we'll be picked up to do a House Reef dive. Now some more relaxing, swimming, lunching, dinning ... . May 16th - Good to be back
Yep, it sounds strange, but little to report. And to be honest, that is the best part. This is our 4th time in Port Ghalib, 3rd time The Palace. And despite they aren't a Intercontinental anymore (Red Sea Resort now), all is as it was. And that is - as before - perfect. So nothing to complaint and hence little to report.
Same story for the Extra Divers dive shop. We found it as we left it. Many familiar, friendly, faces. A very nice 1st diving day.
May 17th - Again, and again, and again
When checking my dive log from last visit I see we only did 2 boat dive days, all other days we did the - O so beautiful - House Reef. And I wouldn't be surprised if we are going to repeat that schedule this holiday. Not because of the wind due to which the boat dives may be not too interesting ("too much wind" and than anchor around the in Marsa Imbarrak the whole day). Also not because the shore dives with the minivan is such a hassle (gather a certain time, always someone late, 1 hour in the minivan, gearing up in the hot sun). No we do all that with pleasure. No. Just because the House Reef is such a beautiful and magical place.
And always full of surprises. Today no big game, but the Remora that followed us all dive makes you think: "who did he loose?". The Dugong, a Big Turtle, .. ? It's all around. Even Dolphins. Some days you're lucky and see they. Other days it's the excitement of knowing you might. And than the reef itself with all its tiny inhabitants. It will make you come back again and again. Tomorrow ... I think yes.
May 18th - Night Dive
I wanted to try yesterday, but I was asking too late for Extra Divers to arrange the needed permit (arranged in El Queisir). So tomorrow (being today) it would be. Arriving at the dive shop I understand I am the only one. Okay. "Your guide is Ghalid". "You know him?". He impersonates a very big guy. "Hulk". Sure I know him.
The guide, Ghalid, was very nice and calm. A very pleasant night dive. I need to do this more often!
May 19th - Boat Dive Day
To my big surprise Petra had entered us on the boat dive list for today. She had been insisting for days that she didn't want to do any boat dives. Even not tomorrow (Elphinestone). The boat was full, but not too full. Dive spot is Marsa Shouni. Only two other boats around so quite okay.
The dives were nice as was the reef. But the House Reef is better. If you have a Dugong encounter here I can understand it is a "Yippie ai yee"day, but without it is just okay.
May 20th - Elphinestone
As every other year we also booked a trip to this famous dive spot this year. As a nice difference to last year the sea is calm and smooth this time. Not very busy. Only 4 or 5 other boats around, we have seen that much different. Also the drop from the boat was - 1st time ever (4th time here) - spot on. The reef is as beautiful as I remembered it. No (HH) Sharks on the 1st dive (North Plateau). Half way the 2nd dive (South Plateau) a WTR Shark cruises just below us.
A pod of Dolpins plays in the bow wave on our return. What a nice day!
May 21st - Scootering
Today we want to do a Scooter Dive. We had arranged it yesterday with Mostafa, our instructor from last year. When we build up and checked the scooters, mine wasn't working. After some trying and checking for the issue I saw the wire to the battery was loose (broken out of the connector). Mostafa fixed the issue and off we went. Fish Market and back was the plan. After half an hour we turned, well passed the last (Crown Plazza / Siva) jetty. I noticed I was slowing down. Little later I wasn't moving at all anymore. Dead Scooter. Petra had to tow me back. At he Interconti Jetty we decided to get out. No way we could still reach Fish Market on one Scooter, towing 2 divers and another Scooter! So a dive that started as a fun dive ended in a bit of a disaster. Pity.
"Oh no" she is back. Seldom have I seen/heard such a bad singer for live entertainment .. .
May 22nd - Yep ....
A new day a new dive (site)? No! The same dive again, and that was a good choice. We enter at CP/Siva which was not so easy due to the waves (yes, quite a wind today). From there slowly 'back' to the IC Jetty. It seems the current has turned? For sure there is quite a surge, so this time we really need to swim a bit. Half way Petra sees a nice big Mangrove Stingray. He's quite shy and swims away. Visibility worsens during the dive.
Not sure if it was the wind, or the many Safari Boats leaving the harbour last night ... and they stir up a lot of sand. Anyway, the closer to the harbour the worse the viz. Glad we didn't do our 1st plan: IC -> IC. That would have been a bad dive.
Petra isn't feeling too well, so no more dives today. Just relaxing.
May 23rd - Time to Go
But not before ... yes, another last time on the House Reef. We both had a bit of a funky stomach (that had been long time ago .. ) but insisted to do another - last one for this holiday. But not too late as we fly at 11:10 o'clock tomorrow, so we need to get in early. It is again a beautiful dive, as every dive on the House Reef. Bye bye colorful fish, until next time!
Our holiday plan, from an efficient use of time or value for many point of view, was a bad plan. Arriving late, leaving early. Often flights out are late, giving you an almost full day at the pool or beach (like we had last time). But to honest, this is better. In stead of arriving home in the morning - very tired after a night without sleep in a plane - we now arrive home in the early evening, relaxed and rested. Totally perfect, like this holiday. Can't wait to go back ... again. Link to all pictures ...
When booking this holiday we decided it was time for something completely different. Just to try. And if we like it, we may have found a new 'to return to' holiday destination. As we didn't know what to expect we were a little nervous about our choice in the days prior to our flight out .. . We had found a very good offer for the flight from Brussels to Cancun at Jetairfly. Adding excess luggage for our diving gear only to our booking only added another €40. So Yucatan, Mexico, it will be. On TA we found nice places to stay in Tulum, so a destination was found as well! Cabana la Luna in Tulum. Tulum was my bucket list any way. The image of the Maya Temple on top of a white beach impressed me already many moons ago. And now we are finally going there. Once the plane the 12 hours plus flight happened to be 10:30 hours only (one prior worry gone), and the additional booked leg room (€15 pp one way) a good choice. Hopefully the taxi picking us up also checked the actual arrival, so we don't have to wait 2 hours in Cancun airport. It seem changing the time (day light saving) is too difficult for Belgian air carriers [we remember Port Ghalib too well .. ]. The whole flight we expected to land at 17:45 hours. At arrival it was already 18:30 hours. Aha, the time had been changed. Picking up luggage and customs was quick. The immigration check (we were picked out for a detailed browse through our stuff) was quick and without any issue as well. Roberto was already waiting for us. 1:45 minutes later we arrived at our home for the next week and a bit. Edmonda, Dutch (!), explains a bit about La Luna and shows us our room. A quick dinner and than ... sleep. We are soo tired.
February 3rd - Cabanas la Luna
We wake up early (4:30), but fall asleep again. Well after 7:00 we really wake up. Unpack and breakfast. Edmonda tells us a little more about La Luna, Tulum, Mexico, ... .
Our first day has started, and we will take a slow one .. . A nice stroll over the beautiful beach (left side) .. and back. A lovely lunch back at La Luna. (Edmonda asks if we want to join tomorrows BBQ. Sure, we had kind of planned that any way). Time to explore the beach turning right. And back. Yes, we picked the right spot to stay. OMG already time for dinner. One last glimpse over the beach and beautiful ocean before the sun sets. Tomorrow bike riding?
February 4th - Rain
It is only our 2nd day, so again a slow start. First a good full Mexican breakfast (for me, Petra insists on her daily oatmeal). And, as Edmonda advised us, signing last nights bill. Hmmm. That's not right. Five whine, we had only three. And yesterdays lunch I had already signed yesterday. Let's check at reception what happened. "Crazy system" A little later, we were already back at the beach, she popped by to show how it had been corrected. Better keep an eye on the bills next days. Just to be sure. During breakfast it rained, so we skip the bike ride plan. Soon after the sun appears and we decide to enjoy a lazy day at the lovely beach. Petra wants to take some 'jump' pictures on the beach. Sure, no problem.
Time to try the ocean. Nice and warm, but way to heavy waves to really swim. Lunch: 2x Akumal (ginger, pineapple, orange .. yummy), 1x Mexican Chevice, 1x Shrimp cocktail and 2x espresso. The last one covered by the roof over the restaurant terrace. Hopefully the rain leaves before tonight's BBQ starts. Another nice walk over the beach. To right, the best looking side. Checking out some lunch/dinner alternatives for the coming days. All precautions had been taken to tackle the rain during the BBQ. The BBQ is full of nice stuff and they have a very nice Band playing: Abril en Paris. We will be back next week!
February 5th - Booking a dive
After breakfast, Petra here daily oatmeal, me just a standard Continental (still full from last night's BBQ), we check yesterdays bills. Breakfast, check. Dinner, check. Lunch, nowhere to be found. They had some issues with the 'machine' at that time they say. Let's see if it pops up later this week. Time to hop in the taxi and go to Mexidivers to book a Cenote dive. $70 excluding gear, wow. Diving is not cheap here! And the place didn't feel good. So for that money we better check out some others as well. Let's check down town Tulum. I had mailed with Koox Diving Tulum a few weeks ago, so let's have a look there as well. Feel a lot better. We are now talking to someone who is interested in diving (and not an uninterested sales guy). And we save a few bucks going here as well. Tomorrow at 13:00 we'll be back and do two dives: Angelita and Car Wash. Still not cheap ($145 including gear for 2 dives), but it seems that is the normal cost here. If it is fun we go back for Dos Ojos and the Pit on Saturday. Back for lunch on the beach (2x Fish Taco, Akumal, Corona, 2x Espresso). The ocean is gorgeous and sun shines ... life is good!
A lazy afternoon at the beach. Doing little to nothing feels very good. Seems we need the rest. In the early evening we stroll over the beach. A light rain pushes us back. As we arrive back at La Luna the rain had already stopped and the warm breeze had dried us up. Dinner at La Luna. Boring? Maybe so. But the food is good, so why go elsewhere? Chicken Marsala for Petra and Fish with Capers for me. Best dinner until now.
February 6th - Cenotes
Slow and relaxed morning at the beach. We have our lunch here as well as we need to be at Koox at 13:00. We have to push a little as we don't want to dive on a full stomach. There it is, our yummy fish sandwich to share. Man, what a lot of weight to carry! Edmonda, who also just happens to leave, bargains for us, saving us a few bucks on the taxi ride. There we go. At Koox a senorita books us in. Our dive guide, called BB (or BéBé?), will arrive soon. He checks our certification (so they actually do that!). A little chat, a final check if we have everything and off we go. The first Cenote we do is Angelita. I had read about this one and checked it on YouTube. BB, a very nice guy by the way, does the briefing. The same is also very clearly explained on the signs at the dive site. He warns us that, due to the fact it is our first Cenote dive and due to this being a very special Cenote: through a sulfur layer to end up in a "Tim Burton Movie" night dive ... well below 30 meter, it may be a little scary! Only 2 other divers and their guide next to us. A short walk through the jungle to reach the pond. We descent and after a little while the under water river (@ 28 meters) appears.
A layer of sulfur, like white thick smog, created by the rotted plants that fell into to the Cenote, splits the sweet (above) and salt (below) water. In the middle an "island" (the collapsed roof of the Cenote) with some dead trees on it. We slowly decent in the sulfur ... which you can taste (yak). And than we are in a night dive. Pitch black it is. When you shine the dive light you see dead trees everywhere. BB didn't lie, it really looks (and feels) like a horror movie. Time to go back to the light and the sweet water. I look around a little, and than look at my dive computer. I am still at 25 meters and was down to 38,2 meter (!), wow. Only 6 minutes left before deco, and we are just in the water. Time to further ascent, look a but around and do our safety stop. After 35 minutes the dive had ended. Petra is nauseous and found it not comfortable. Yep, it was a challenging 1st dive.
Off to the 2nd Cenote: Car Wash (Aktun Ha). First eat the sandwiches and feed to 4 lovely dogs around the car. We have a good time chatting with BB from Guadalajara. The 2nd Cenote is a more classic one. It is also being used a Guide and Cave Dive training site, so this one lacks the "Ropes to follow". The guide (BB) needs to tie them up when going in, and take them out returning. So we start BB followed by Petra followed by me, and we return me followed by Petra followed by BB. The most impressing part is the sign STOP. At the end we actually, with a big curve, are almost back in the pond, and you can see the exit all the time. So the ropes and routine seem a little overdone. But roles are roles, and I am sure when it's busy (and full of sediment) it may be badly needed.
Once back in the pond I realize that Cenotes are not my thing. Seeing the fish brings back the smile on my face. When we are out I see Petra is having the same thoughts. We are glad we tried, but one afternoon is enough for us. Even so if it was a lot cheaper (I think these were our most expensive dives ever, for sure per minute!). After we had been shown by the gardener where the local crocodile ran off to (if your lucky you can see it in the pond!), BB takes us back to La Luna. What a joyful nice guy!
Dinner. What do we do? Just stay here. No hassle? Yes! 2x Special of the day: Seafood Fettuccine. Inside this time, the wind is chilly.
February 7th - Moving Houses
Exiting day today, we are moving rooms. At the time we booked a lot of hotels were already full. Also Cabanas la Luna didn't have one room for the complete stay. So decided to book 5 Marrakesh and 6 nights Marco Polo. On paper, based on the rate per night, a downgrade. Let's see. Marrakesh had a beautiful view, but the set-up wasn't very practical. After checking at reception if our new room was ready (Edmonda said it would be ready by 13:30 for sure). Still cleaning. At 14:30 we get our key. Our jaw dropped when entering the room. The room is MUCH bigger than we thought it would be. And beautiful. And the view is good as well. We are happy :-) "Should we have booked this one for the complete stay?" "O, I remember. That wasn't possible".
Today they have another band playing. Man, this place ... so good. A lovely holiday on a gorgeous beach in a cozy hotel. And we still have another week!
February 8th - To bike or not to bike
Petra woke up early. I simply couldn't wake up. Man, I slept soo well. The room is warmer. The bed is bigger. That all helps. During breakfast Petra proposes to go for a bike ride. No idea that we had planned that, but okay. According Sarah (Dutch girl from Breda doing her internship here ... nice), there was only 1 bike available. When I checked a little later I saw she was right. Arranging a 2nd one could take hours. No, that will take too long.
We decide to walk the direction we intended to go. Not to rent a bike at the nearby shop ... luckily, as that was closed today. No just, walk and explore a little. The weather is nice, so we stroll passed all shops. Having a look here and there. At BeTulum we go back to the beach and return to La Luna. Todays activity has been completed. We watch the day passing by from our beach beds.
We really enjoy our "nothing should anything goes" holiday. Where the 'nothing' seems the preferred option. Specialty of the day: Fresh Lobster. Yummy!
February 9th - Ruins
Flying all the way to Tulum without seeing the main attraction. No, that's not an option! Time to head that way than. Barely 7 km by taxi. And it seems no too busy (yet?). Obviously the buses from Playa del Carmen and Cancun park somewhere else, as the majority of the people come from another direction. 64 Pesos (so actually 'for free').
The site is not too big. But very beautiful, with a kind of serenity over it. We look around and take some pictures. Slowly slowly it gets busier and busier. To our surprise we hear (nearly) no Dutch. Strange, we run into our fellow country man all across the world, at the strangest places. We hear a lot of France. Typical, as we seldom encounter French people.
Snap! SCREAM .. Aaauu. Petra twists her ankle. She can still walk(ish), but at first we were afraid we just saw the end of the holidays. After another peep left and right and some final pics, we head back to La Luna. Petra's ankle is quite swollen. Let's see what they have at reception. They only have a regular bandage, but that does the job for now. The rest of the afternoon we spend daydreaming, glaring over the ocean. In the evening we decide to try something else for dinner. We wanted to try Shiva (Indian), but with Petra's ankle that was (way) too far. We end up at Ziggy's at the Beach. A very good choice with excellent food, just around the corner.
February 10th - Bycicle
Three bikes? No two. And, eh, we are not the "Jungle Room". "Ah. I thought it was the same reservation". Bad luck for the other folks than, and luckily we were early. To the left. At the Gate of the Sian Ka'an Reserve they tell us the restaurant is 3 km. Okay, we can do that. Sign in (all people who enter need to register), and off we go. Hmmm. No restaurant to be found. And we are riding already some time. "The next 2 km or more is Private Houses only. No Restaurant. You better go back.". Which we do. Some 30 minutes later (so 5 to 6 km) we are back at the Gate. Still didn't see any restaurant!? On our way back we stop a while at La Luna, and than continue to Mezzanine. Thai food. Looking forward to that. The view is breathtaking, but it is very warm on the terrace. The salad we ordered (green papaya and crispy beef) tasted very good, but I thought it was a little small (Petra said I was whining, they are this size everywhere!).
On our way back we buy a hammock for Elly. And than quickly back to our beach. Dinner again at Ziggy's. Very good!
February 11th - Airport Transfer
Before we forget, we still have to arrange the airport transfer back. And that is less easy than I thought. I didn't expect the 16% tax to be added if we put it on the hotel bill (I remember now Koox also mentioned this difference between cash and credit card). So can pay cash or directly to the transfer company (Tucan Kin). We decide the latter. 3 Hrs later we get the answer: pay cash or PayPal (+5%) .... and no link to PayPal. Hmmm ... this is not working. In the evening we check with Edmonda. Yes, 16% ... . But okay a local taxi ($90) + 16% is still better than $125++. "You can also ask the taxi to stop at the bank". "Or I can draw some cash tonight on my way home, if you are okay with that and trust me to do that?". We agree on the last one.
It's BBQ night. Abril en Paris is playing. We enjoy it a lot! Tomorrow is our last day at this lovely place. Let's enjoy every minute of it.
February 12th - Last Day (45)
We are late out of bed today. All tables in the sun are already occupied. We have time, so we wait until one frees up. Edmonda is at reception. "I tried 5 ATMs last night". "None of them had US dollars". "So I called the taxi company". "They confirmed it to be $1200mxn, so that is what have drawn for you". So sweet. All is arranged now. Time for breakfast. A table in the sun has freed up. And than to the beach, 3 steps down only, to enjoy a lovely sunny day slowly passing by.
A nice lunch. Some hanging in the waves. A walk over the beach ... .
And than that unwelcome moment: packing. We both are not looking forward to leaving this place. Live is soo good in this Caribbean Bubble. Not looking forward to work and winter. And than that other thing: at home I just turned 46. Here I still can enjoy a few hours of being 45 ... haha. So let's enjoy those few hours. Despite the fresh lobster the local fishermen brought this afternoon, we decide to return to the neighbors for dinner. The lobster is good, but I already had that. And I didn't taste the Surf and Turf yet. (good choice!)
February 13th - Go Home
There are nicer ways to spend your holiday than flying halfway across the world. But it is what it is. First pay (less than I thought) and a last breakfast. The taxi is already waiting. Luggage in and there we go: 1:30 hrs to the airport, 2:30 hrs of waiting, 50 min to Varadero (Cabu), a little wait, 7:15 hrs (yes, THAT fast) to Brussels and than 1:30 hrs drive back home to Maastricht. The Pelicans are badly missed ... .
Ready for our next holiday adventure. Kuredu tasted like more, so we were eager to return to the Maldives. Finding a good and affordable option how ever wasn't an easy task. Final we found it: 1) Flying with Tyrolian Air, from Düsseldorf and via Vienna. 2) Vilamendhoo FB via Travelbag. So flights booked in Austria and hotel in The UK (long live internet!) provided the cheapest option. Downside (the catch) was the long stop-over in Vienna: 6 hours.
On arrival the airport was dull and dark. Route indication was bad. No trolleys. We decided to head for our gate. Long empty corridors with one X-Ray machine at the end (and a funny looking guy). And then ... a normal looking airport with the expected facilities (so strange).
The flight was quite empty. I could lay down! Not that I slept a lot, but okay. The arrival in Male was smooth and quick. Luggage all present. On our check in at the VIP Lounge the form stated AIP (All Inclusive Plus)?! Only 30 minutes later we are on our water plane. On arrival at Vilamendhoo we are still noted as AIP (?!). If that isn't corrected than our deal turns from good to super.
Time for a walk around and lunch. Sashimi, grilled fish, curry, etc ... very good. Also in the restaurant we are recognized as AIP. Later in the afternoon, at the bar: "are you AIP?". As I didn't want to lie I replied: "that's how they checked us in at reception this morning". "Let me check", "Yes, AIP".
On our walking tour around the island we were surprised. The ugly spots from a few years ago, were now looking nice. Last time's good spots now had ugly sand bags. Seems the sands moves around quite a bit (depending on the season?). So nice to see all the baby Black Tip Reef Sharks in the lagoon. And a bigger one ... no that's a baby Nurse Shark. What a joy.
Less joyful is that the only Dutch we see are our neighbors (attached). Luckily they return home tomorrow :-) The thing that isn't leaving are the clouds. Hopefully we will have sunshine to enjoy the coming two weeks.
And yes, a fruit basket, a bottle of red wine, and - ring ring - the roomboy with a (half size) bottle of champagne. How long will this AIP continue?
Getting ready for dinner: Maldivian night tonight. Yummy, curries! Tomorrow time to check in at the dive shop, and relax (that's the plan).
// Kuredu may be more gorgeous due to its long stretch of beach at the side we had our room, but Vilamendhoo's restaurant is nicer, without the hassle of making daily reservations. And the food is on par ... at least, maybe even better. So from a price performance point of view Vila beats Kuredu, for sure with our good deal! And ... you can walk around the island, something we missed at Kuredu. //
September 27th - Beautiful Day
We wake up, to our own surprise, due to the alarm we had set. It's 8 o'clock in the morning, and we fell asleep immediately, so we slept 10 hours straight. Aahh that feels soo good (normally my back wakes up after 7 hours tops). When we look outside we have a good reason to get up: the weather is lovely. Blue sky, a few scattered clouds and a nice sun. We hadn't expected that yesterday.
Time to check in. Matthieu (French) checked us in. "Did you dive with Eurodivers before?" "It's 15% discount, but than I need to see the stamps in your logbook." Opening my logbook I noticed I added the 2003-2008 logged dives, but forgot the 2008-2012 ones, which was the time we were at Vilamendhoo before. Luckily Hussein still recognizes us, pfew. On top of that, due to having more than 400 dives each, we didn't have to do a check dive (which is for free at Vilamendhoo, but we rather pay and skip the mask routine).
After lunch I go for some snorkeling. The viz is not very good, but it's so nice to see the baby Blacktip's under water. I just had to put them on video.
Tomorrow we will start our dives with a nice, just the two of us, on the house reef. Perfect!
September 28th - Slow start
Sunday, so champagne at breakfast. Better not as we go diving today. Maybe next week.
As we have learned over the years, it is best to give your holiday a slow start. Get used to the time zone, the climate and the diving. So we'll only do one dive today: the House Reef. As expected, from yesterdays snorkeling, the viz is not too well. We go down slowly, as clearing the ears needs some time. And there they are, the beautiful fish. A Picasso Triggerfish, a Titan Triggerfish ..... and YES, an Eagle Ray! A few Giant Moray Eels, a Scribbled Filefish and a few Nemo's. End of the dive. There is some current, so we did Exit 4 (at the dive shop) to Exit 1 (the last one, at the Asian Wok).
Just leave the tanks there, walk back to the dive shop to sign out and back to our room to take a shower. The staff picks up the empty tanks. Nice. Time for lunch, and oh boy is it good. Yes, life is good!
Time to take a nap on the sunbed at the ocean, and enjoying the view as well.
Bummer. The bill at the bar is including all drinks. When checking with the waiter he replies: "according the system you are on half board sir." I know we booked FB and not AIP, but HB?! Time to go to reception and clarify. After some back and forth phone calls they confirm they checked us in as AIP by mistake and our booking is confirmed as being FB. So, unfortunately, as of now we need to pay our bills :-)
It was also too good to be true, a super deal AND a free upgrade.
September 29th - Wind and Rain
I thought we had left the ventilator on during the night, but Petra said I must have dreamed that as it had been very windy during the night. When I looked outside I knew she was right. The sun was hiding behind the clouds, it was still a bit windy and it rained. But we are going to dive, so we are going to get wet anyway.
Today we are going to Nufeney Giri, which means invisible reef. Like our dive guide, we had seen reefs that were harder to spot from the boat. Once in the water the visibility wasn't brilliant. But the reef was very nice, with lots of fish. Petra even spots a White Tip Reef Shark.
Back on the boat our dive guide tells us we should expect similar visibility on the 2-Tank tomorrow. Maybe it is normal to have such low viz this time of the year (just like on Filitheyo). We'll see. According AccuWeather the weather will improve as of Wednesday, so we can maybe do a 3-Tank Whale Safari later this week.
Relaxing, strolling around the island, enjoying the view, the sunset and the beautiful light. Topped up with an excellent cocktail.
September 30th - Rain in Paradise
After a restless night the weather seemed to be not so good today. Grey skies and rain. Not what you wish when you are in paradise. But there is nothing we can do about it. Petra discovered yesterday that we could have an early (7:00 - 7:30) breakfast in the other restaurant, next to the dive shop, when your on a 2-Tank or Full Day. So we need to get up a little earlier, but no need to rush.
The dive staff is already there and tell us that there will be a "change of plan". The sea is too rough to go to Seventh Heaven, so they changed it to Vilamendhoo Thila, just around the corner. Okay.
There are two persons on the boat that had signed up for the "Specialty of the Month", being the "Drift Diving Specialty". Part of the course is to check the current ... no way, we will not sign up.
// Specialty of the Month: free course, only the certification fee needs to be paid //
The first dive was as expected. Lots of current. But also very poor visibility. Nice and strenuous, but - due to the viz - not very memorable.. At the end of the dive there is three of us? The dive guide (Adria) thought we were following her she explained us later on? During the safety stop we lost her again. Rejoined on the boat.
During the safety interval we had a chat with the guy from Switzerland. He had booked Wakatobi in March next year. Hope he sees a lot more fish than we did .... no worries about the reefs, they are gorgeous.
The second dive was even worse. Ripping current and bad viz. Reef hook out and hang was all we could do. Luckily I decide to move a little further from the group, due to that we saw two Whitetips passing by. Then Petra takes my arm and checks my deco time? Plenty of deco time (15min) left. Shit, now I see why she is checking my computer. She left her computer in air mode, so she already reached her bottom time. I sign her we should go up. Not so easy with a current pushing you down. After some drifting we ascent for our safety stop. Petra has 4 min mandatory stop. Nothing to worry about and they passed quickly.
Man man ... I what a hassle with my safety buoy. The rope is all around me, and than catches the rope of the reef hook, which is stuck around my camera .. . Man, I must look so stupid. Petra is laughing so hard that her goggles are flooding. I don't think it is funny.
As we had to go up so early due the computer incident we were very surprised we - again - entered the boat last?!
Hopefully the visibility will get better soon. I looking forward to a blue sea.
October 1st - Lucky
For today we only booked a single dive in the afternoon. So we can have a long sleep in and a long breakfast. The weather has improved a lot. So nice to see and feel the sun. The 10 minutes of rain doesn't impact the good vibe at all. Relaxing until lunch.
[John Legend, Satisfaction, keeps 'playing' in my head]
Today's dive is "Lucky Rock". Guides are Coleman and Eddy. Holger (Austria) and Christian, with his son Noah, (Switzerland), are on the boat again. The visibility is getting better .... bit by bit, we're getting there. I can take a nice pic of a Longnose Hawkfish (German name is so funny: Langnasen Büschelbarsch). A few Whitetips and a hunting Tuna. Back in the dive shop I am glad to see someone had picked up my reef hook.
Time for a nice cocktail at the sunset bar. A nice dinner, And than time to tuck in as tomorrow we have to get up early for our 2-Tank dive.
October 2nd - Mixed Emotions
Hardly any wind, and the sun is out. Signs of a beautiful day to come? After the early breakfast we are on the "Marina" to head south. Guides today are Coleman and Michelle. But they will be busy with a course, so not much of use to us. Matthieu - despite it being his day off - is on the boat as well . The current is okay, but the viz is still less then wanted. Unfortunately. I am sure there was a lot of action in "the blue", but with such viz you can't see it. All in all two very nice dives, both of which Holger joined us ... at least the safety stop. It seems he is just diving alone and circles a bit around us?
Christian lost his camera. I see it going up to the surface and signal him where to look. After instructing his son to stay put, he ascents and picks it up.
The first dive I mastered the Safety Buoy, But the second one was drama again. The rope grabs my octopus and the buoy pulls me up. After I have disentangled the rope the rope breaks and the buoy leaves on its own to the surface. Bye. [luckily the boat crew saw it and picked it up]
The rain after the last dive is setting the scene for the rest of the day. Rainy and overcast. After lunch my sister texts me, bad news about my dad, I was afraid of this, but you never seem to be prepared for this.
[Jamiroquai, Seven Days in Sunny June, keeps 'playing' in my head]
Let's check at the dive shop for Saturday's dives. The plan is to go to Lucky Hell (neighbor site of the previously cancelled 7th Heaven) and Vilamendhoo Thila. Hopefully the 1st one is on this time, and maybe we are lucky and see Eagle Rays at the 2nd. Let's give it a try.
The sun sets. We're halfway now. I hope the 2nd half isn't going faster then the 1st half of the holiday. I am nowhere ready yet to jump on the treadmill again!
October 3rd - Cancelled
Hmm. It's six in the morning and the wind is blowing hard and the sea is rough. When I want to go outside I can hardly open the door. Not really looking forward to sit on a boat half a day or more for a 2-Tanker with this weather. Petra has the same doubts and is glad I am too, rather than pushing to go. So ... time to cancel. Adria is already at breakfast and tells me I can give it a thought until 8 before finally cancelling it. "Maybe it clears up in an hour" she says, But she actually doubts that herself very much as well. No need to give it a thought, sorrywe're cancelling.
Holger also walks in to cancel. He knows what is going to happen. They won't go to Lucky Hell, and he doesn't like to do a 'just next to the island' 2-Tanker. Later I find out that this is his last day. Tomorrow they fly home. He gives me a tip for a next holiday though: he liked Mauritius a lot. Something we haven't done before. Maybe next time.
Later in the morning it does start to clear up and the wind lays down. So we decide to sign in for the afternoon dive: Miyaru Thila. Good choice as this was a nice dive. And visibility is getting better! Let's do the afternoon again tomorrow, and a House Reef in the morning. Entrance we'll decide later.
// Later we found out that all but 2 cancelled their 2-tank dive this day, so finally the 2-Tanker was completely cancelled //
October 4th - Return of the Sun
During the night I had seen stars, so I had good hopes for the weather to improve. The wet terrace when we left the room in the morning was not a prediction for the rest of the day, luckily. It's afternoon now and the weather is brilliant. Amazing how a few hours of sun makes you forget tons of rain so easily.
The dive on the House Reef this morning was very nice. We entered at exit 8, turned towards 7 a while and than returned to exit at 10. It all looks so much better under water now the visibility is improving. Hopefully this heralds a magnificent second week. AccuWeather is predicting all good until Tuesday at least. Fingers crossed.
We had already seen this morning that little people had signed up for the afternoon dive, Would it be on, or cancelled? It was on. But with only 3 divers it was a close by one only: Vilamendhoo Thila or Ranvelli Thila. We opted for the first one as the viz on the House Reef this morning was quit good. So it was the 1st half of the dive, after that the visibility became poor again. Coleman was in for a deep dive it seems. Only after 30 minutes we ascended to above 25 meters.
As the viz is still not super and Petra had some ear issues, we cancelled tomorrows 7th Heaven and decided to do a House Reef. Just the two of us.
October 5th - Messy Dive
Two dives on the menu today: House Reef in the morning and a boat dive in the afternoon. We go back to do the North Side again, and this time Petra sees the Leaffish. Such a beauty!
The afternoon dive is not so nice. Coleman advises "left shoulder" during the briefing, And since the current is small we can swim up and down to the swim through, he claims. NOT. Way too much current, so we all end up at the wrong - ugly - side of the Thila with no other option than hang or swim back and forth a bit. Horrible dive.
// Christian and Noah have dived 2 hours with Manta's on today's 2-Tank dive. So they are around. Actually we also saw two from the boat when heading to Hudhu Thila //
October 6th - Mobula
We had signed up for the 3-Tank Full Day to the North Ari Atoll tomorrow, so we plan a more quiet day for today with only one dive. The plan is Camel Rock, but Coleman and Marie (new German guide) had also brought the plan for Coral Hills along, as they had seen Manta's there yesterday. The plan: "We go to Coral Hills, do we see Manta's on the cleaning station than we do a dive there. Do we see them on our way .. than we snorkel there. If we don't see them we dive plan A, being Camel Rock". No Manta's to be seen at Coral Hills, but we all decided we wanted to give it a try anyway.
We descent to the cleaning station. Someone bangs. Looks like a group of Eagle Rays. To far and to quick gone to point them out to Petra. After waiting for 15 minutes without any Manta's showing up, we decide to continue our dive following the beautiful reef. Visibility is really good, which helps.
Cling, cling, cling. 4 Mobula Manta's "fly" over. I try to keep up and film them. I can only keep up for so long. Still trying to catch my breath I return to the group. So nice. It had been years we had seen Mobula's. And are they gorgeous when they fly by. Such a beautiful dive makes you forget all bad viz dives of the passed days in a blink of an eye.
The rest of the day we just totally relax, enjoy the weather and the view. Not a bad thing, taking a holiday during your holidays .. ha.
[Bob Marley, Rainbow, on my mind. Petra has I save the day of Roberto Jacketti and the Scooters on hers ?!]
// Later that day, when I look at my pictures and zoom in I see that those "Eagle Rays" at the beginning of the dive actually were the same 4 Mobula's //
October 7th - North Ari Atoll
The sun is shining, the boat sails smoothly over the ocean. We are on our way to the North to do the famous three: Maayaa Thila, Hafza Thila and Fish Head. Despite having 13 divers joining there is only one guide: Michelle. Even before we arrive the weather starts to change. Rain and wind again. Plan for today: "Anything can happen" on Maayaa Thila. Grey Reef Sharks on Hafza and some more on Fish Head. And ... watch out for Eddy, the baby Eagle ray, on Maayaa.
To our big surprise the "anything" on Maayaa was Grey Reef Sharks. No Eddy though. An hour later on Hafza Grey Reef Sharks again. More of them and they were coming in close. WAUW.
On our last dive - it's 15:30 already - we really dive into Shark Soup. At least TEN Grey Reef Sharks, two White Tips and a nice Eagle Ray to top it up. They keep on cruising and turning right in front of us. And they keep on returning and returning ... for an hour with no pause! Who cares the rain and choppy sea, Man this is awesome. [both if us not being seasick helps of course].
On our way back the weather turns from bad to worse and it starts gushing rain. We survive without any issue. 18:30 we are back on Vilamendhoo from a FANTASTIC day!
October 8th - Reethi
Despite the forecast the sun is shining nicely this morning. So we start the day with a nice stroll around the island. So nice, let's do a 2nd one after breakfast. O no, rain again.
We start with a House Reef dive. 5 to 1 (no, not a Doors song - exit 5 to exit 1). The visibility is amazing, but apart from a few remarkable sightings (leave wrasse) there is not so much interesting. What does show out is the enormous sand "dune" in front of our room. I think we found the beach! At the end the current picks up so we can gently fly to the last exit.
And than it's that time again: the last dive of the holiday. It will be Reethi Thila. Michelle explains during the briefing that "Reethi" means "beautiful" in Maldivian. No surprise that this spot is also called Paradise Rock. And yes, this name is not a joke. What a beautiful Thila! The good visibility helps of course. We both don't want to end the dive, but I am running out of air ..... so we have to end the dive. Petra, like the rest of holiday, still has plenty of air.
// Reethi Thila is quite a deep dive, and looking back it was our deepest of the complete holiday with an average depth of 19.8m over a total dive time of 56 minutes. //
The last 3 days of diving make up a lot for the the rest of the dives. We wonder whether we should have come 1 or 2 weeks later. But as we know, you can't plan nature.
When the evening starts the rain disappears. It's a Full Moon. Very low tide. A perfect time to do our planned second stroll around the island. Oh, this is so nice. Strange, the beach is empty, are we the only ones enjoying this? The beach is wider than ever and the balmy air is lovely.
// A delicious bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Chili to accompany dinner //
October 9th - Gift
As so often the last day turns out to be a very slow one. A few rounds around the island. Dreaming on our sunbeds. Staring over the ocean. Etc etc. AccuWeather predicts rain rain rain, but is - luckily - far off. The result is the last day being exactly that: a gift.
// I had Bob Marley's Rainbow on my mind already for a few days. I never told Petra, so it was a little scary she started singing it spontaneously on the jetty this evening //
October 10th - Tring Tring
Last nights announcement from the hotel through the mail: wake up call at 5:25 (yes that early), vacate the room at 5:55, breakfast and than fly at 6:55. The alarm starts ringing at 5:15. And again. And again. We had already seen 2 day offers to Vakarufalhi, so we guess they are pretty full (overbooked), and try to vacate rooms as soon as possible?!
Knock knock. "Is your luggage ready?" But to be fair. We could enter our room immediately in the early morning when we arrived and had the best positioned villa on the island. So no reason to complaint!
In the meantime we are on our plane to Vienna. Maja, Loeki, tonight we are home again!
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If you can't get enough of shark video's here's another 3 unedited movies from our North Ari Atoll trip .... .
