Travel report of our trip to Filitheyo Island Resort in the Maldives.
October 3rd - Arrival
After a relaxing flight (we both slept well) of only 9 hours, we arrived in Male, capitol of the Maldives. Through customs and immigration immediately to the checking of water planes. Oeps, 12.5 kg excess weight! As there was no cash machine in Düsseldorf behind immigration, we had too little cash to pay the $45 (and still have some for tipping on the island). Luckily there is an ATM at the airport, so we could draw some, Maldivian, cash.
When arriving at the water plane terminal we found out that credit cards are now accepted (so the cash wasn't needed... ).
Only 10 mins our flight was called, so within the hour after landing in Male we touched down on Filitheyo International Airport: a 5 x 10 m floating pontoon. Another 15 mins on the Dhoni before we set foot on the Island. It felt good.
Check in was very quick and eficient - before we knew it we were in our room. Strange, again it felt good - nothing to complaint about - no need to hassle for another room. Unlike many other holidays this one had already started the first day!
With still the major part of the afternoon ahead of us we decided to explore the island. Filitheyo is a very nice island, white sandy beach - almost all around, palm trees and a lush 'rain forrest' in the center. Quite big, but nice.
Back in our room the first (and retrospectively only) negative point: The Neighbours! The rooms are 'double bungalows' and have little to no isolation wrt noise: Cold Play is definately NOT our favourit band!
It was mentioned in many reviews that the food on Filtitheyo is very good (a major reason for choosing this island). Lunch confirmed this, dinner was even better!
A long day had come to an end: time to sleep.
October 4th - Eagle Rays
Sunday morning. Ai, my back - nothing to do with bed as it is haunting me now already for months and months. Hoped it would be less without the daily stress, but unfortunately it wasn't. Finally got up at 7:30 (Petra had already watched the sunrise on the beach). First breakfast, which was good (yep - the food is brilliant here).
During the day we bought a nice Sarong for Petra (to compensate for a skirt that she had forgotten to bring). A good choice!
As a first holiday should, this day slowly passed with doing nothing.
After dinner we strolled over the jetty, just for fun checking if we could see dolphines. Hmmm ..... something is swimming ...... no dolphines, but even better: 2 Eagle Rays (Petra's favourites) cruised up and down the lagune in front of the jetty. Good to know they live around here. For sure a good omen.
October 5th - Check Dive
Today our first dive, which is the mandatory 'Check Dive'. Even after 250 dives always a bit nerve racking. Fore sure Petra hates the 'Goggle Removal' routine. But as expected and as always, the check dive was no issue at all.
The check dive was on the House Reef (exit 6) off the beach of the island. The underwater scenery we decided we had to do this house reef again, but than just the two of us, as it looked very nice.
October 6th - 1st Boat Dive
Today our first boat dive in Filitheyo, to a dive site called 'Two Brothers'. The boat was very empty: the two of us and the dive guide, Gabriel. Gabriel was very enthousiast about the dive site: "lots of current", "yes, phew". When he climbed back on the boat after the check dive (a standard procedure in the Maldives, where the dive guide checks the actual current before jumping in with a group - simply because the currents in the Maldives can't be predicted): "lot's of current, but little viz".
Reality was quite different, as there was hardly any current and the viz was okay. On the way back we chatted about where he had been and where he had worked. It's a small world, this diving industry. Gabriel just arrived from Komandhoo where he dived with Rosa (with how we tool our Nitrox course on Kuredu) and Joseph (our 'Shark & Ray' dive guide on Kuredu).
Time or lunch!
October 3rd - Arrival
After a relaxing flight (we both slept well) of only 9 hours, we arrived in Male, capitol of the Maldives. Through customs and immigration immediately to the checking of water planes. Oeps, 12.5 kg excess weight! As there was no cash machine in Düsseldorf behind immigration, we had too little cash to pay the $45 (and still have some for tipping on the island). Luckily there is an ATM at the airport, so we could draw some, Maldivian, cash.
When arriving at the water plane terminal we found out that credit cards are now accepted (so the cash wasn't needed... ).
Only 10 mins our flight was called, so within the hour after landing in Male we touched down on Filitheyo International Airport: a 5 x 10 m floating pontoon. Another 15 mins on the Dhoni before we set foot on the Island. It felt good.
Check in was very quick and eficient - before we knew it we were in our room. Strange, again it felt good - nothing to complaint about - no need to hassle for another room. Unlike many other holidays this one had already started the first day!
With still the major part of the afternoon ahead of us we decided to explore the island. Filitheyo is a very nice island, white sandy beach - almost all around, palm trees and a lush 'rain forrest' in the center. Quite big, but nice.
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
Back in our room the first (and retrospectively only) negative point: The Neighbours! The rooms are 'double bungalows' and have little to no isolation wrt noise: Cold Play is definately NOT our favourit band!
It was mentioned in many reviews that the food on Filtitheyo is very good (a major reason for choosing this island). Lunch confirmed this, dinner was even better!
A long day had come to an end: time to sleep.
October 4th - Eagle Rays
Sunday morning. Ai, my back - nothing to do with bed as it is haunting me now already for months and months. Hoped it would be less without the daily stress, but unfortunately it wasn't. Finally got up at 7:30 (Petra had already watched the sunrise on the beach). First breakfast, which was good (yep - the food is brilliant here).
During the day we bought a nice Sarong for Petra (to compensate for a skirt that she had forgotten to bring). A good choice!
As a first holiday should, this day slowly passed with doing nothing.
After dinner we strolled over the jetty, just for fun checking if we could see dolphines. Hmmm ..... something is swimming ...... no dolphines, but even better: 2 Eagle Rays (Petra's favourites) cruised up and down the lagune in front of the jetty. Good to know they live around here. For sure a good omen.
October 5th - Check Dive
Today our first dive, which is the mandatory 'Check Dive'. Even after 250 dives always a bit nerve racking. Fore sure Petra hates the 'Goggle Removal' routine. But as expected and as always, the check dive was no issue at all.
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
The check dive was on the House Reef (exit 6) off the beach of the island. The underwater scenery we decided we had to do this house reef again, but than just the two of us, as it looked very nice.
October 6th - 1st Boat Dive
Today our first boat dive in Filitheyo, to a dive site called 'Two Brothers'. The boat was very empty: the two of us and the dive guide, Gabriel. Gabriel was very enthousiast about the dive site: "lots of current", "yes, phew". When he climbed back on the boat after the check dive (a standard procedure in the Maldives, where the dive guide checks the actual current before jumping in with a group - simply because the currents in the Maldives can't be predicted): "lot's of current, but little viz".
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
Reality was quite different, as there was hardly any current and the viz was okay. On the way back we chatted about where he had been and where he had worked. It's a small world, this diving industry. Gabriel just arrived from Komandhoo where he dived with Rosa (with how we tool our Nitrox course on Kuredu) and Joseph (our 'Shark & Ray' dive guide on Kuredu).
Time or lunch!
October 7th - Malfunctioning gear
The deflater of my BDC had been malfunctioning underwater. Or at least not working as it should: it was difficult to dump air. Overwater it kept blowing. I had rinsed it, assuming some sand was trapped in the valve, but today it wasn't okay again just before the dive. Anyway, I had dived before with the inflator detached, so ...... let's just give it a try.
Getting on the boat (the BLUE boat: RED boat is easy dives, GREEN boat is aditional when a lot of divers and mainly for easy dives, BLUE boats is for challenging current dives) we wondered where the other 2 divers were who listed on this boat: "no they changed to the RED boat". So another day on a 'crowed' boat: just us and the dive guide, Haneef.
Halfway to the dive site the boatsmen were lucky. They caught a big Wahoo (I first thought it was a Marlin - but found out later it wasn't). First time in my life I ever saw a boat crew catching anything significant while sailing to or from a dive site!
Damn, when gearing up Petra's strap of her fin snaps! Luckily they had a spare on the boat. Pfew ....... the dive can start, but what will we see this time?
Haneef, the dive guide, said he liked to see Barakuda the most. Petra, as allways, wanted to see Eagle Rays.
We actually did see the Barakuda (well, the site was called "Barakuda Kandu", so that wasn't too much of a surprise). Also quite a lot of White Tip Reef Sharks. And yes, also some Eagle Rays - 5 or 6 we counted!
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
On the way back, as if passing by the same supermarket, the boatcrew again caught a Wahoo. I am not quite sure if it was my Sashimi for the evening, or if the guys were planning for a big staff BBQ.
Back at the dive center I rinsed the deflater again, and got it fixed. That's a lot more relaxed than next dives, as jumping in with gear that doesn't function correctly is not nice. Not nice at all.
Yes: Time for lunch.
October 8th - boat cancelled & torch dead
WHAT??!!! Boat cancelled??!! And we had listed for such a promissing dive site (Fish Pan), with the option on another nice dive site in the afternoon (Glenn of Fiddich). But unfortunately, too little people listed per boat. So they had to cancel one to make it worthwhile to departure. In this case ours was cancelled.
We entered at "6" and found the dive very nice and enjoyable. And than came the cream on the cake, 7 Eagle Rays flying past. Yes, this really made our day. Petra was a little too enthousiast and followed them down to 31.8m
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
Despite of the Eagle Rays this day was a little disappointing for Petra, her Dive Torch (Hartenberger Nano Compact) refushed to light up. It seems the magnet switch does operate as should anymore. Very anoying.
October 9th - Stepping up the dive routine
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
No Eagle Rays this time, but a lot of other nice stuff. Yes tomorrow 2 dives again.
October 10th - Hanging like a balloon
In the morning we went to a dive site called 'Pater Noster', and yes, now we know why. The 1st part of the dive was easy (and deep: Jos 31.9m), where we saw a Mangrove Stingray and a few White Tip Reef Sharks.
Petra was the smarter one, she waited in the shade of the current without too much issues and followed us when the upwelling stopped.
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
[Time to relax and have lunch]
Lead around his feet, and being hoovered around by a dive guide and his buddy, while he was sitting (that's what it looked like) - hanging in his BCD - he enjoyed the dive and went all the way down to 30m with the rest of us. Makes you realize: "everything is possible when you really want it!".
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
October 11th - Best dive in the atoll
Underwater it is clear that we aren't in the South Ari Atoll*. But a very nice dive afterall, with the biggest Napolean that we had ever seen (and than you may forget a little about how deep you are: Jos 32.6m). The 'usual' White Tip Reef Sharks and a lot of Reef Fish.
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
* Corals are non-existant compared to the South Ari Atoll - but better than in the Lhaviyani Atoll, and the schools of glass fishes - that often block out the light in overhangs - are also missing. On the other hand, the White Tips are comparably big, but the Grey Reef Sharks seem to be missing.
A big boat ankered in front of the Island. Will there be fish left tomorrow?!
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
Still very curious about the - ugly - boat in front of the island. So I asked around at the dive center. Aah yes, no worries. It was the 'Diesel' boat, who stops by every other week to supply diesel to the islands in the atoll. Next to that we were told that sometimes boats (both commercial and fisher boats) anker just off the atoll, but no fisher boat ever enters the atoll. Simpy because the fish they are after - yellow fin tuna - is on the channels between the atolls.
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
1st Dive today was at "Little Channel South". A very nice dive site that, coral wise, resembled the South Ari Atoll. The dive was very deep (33.2m oeps).
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
TIP 2: Christian, one of the dive guides, told us of his trip to the Molukken. "Best ever'' acording him. Okay, it was 15 years ago, he only snorkeled and he had little to no experience nor reference back than. But he has been around the world, diving wise, since - so an advise to keep in mind!
Finally: found it. Unfortunately the viz was quite poor (<10m>
October 13th - Let's play Darts!
Celeb spotting: yesterday eveving, during dinner, I saw a guy which I though I knew, but couldn't remember from where or what. When I told Petra she said she had similar experience. And yes, it was the same guy. All of sudden it came to me, it was one of the world top dart players. When I told Petra she said: "yes, I recognize his wife" (you can see them shooting during games.
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
In the afternoon we went to Fish Pan. A very nice dive with interesting inhabitants: Eagle Rays, Napoleon, White Tip Reef Sharks, etc etc. On the way back we encountered a pod of dolphines. Unfortunately they didn't want to swim in the bow wave. Anyway, it was a very nice experience seeing dolphines again. And this was a big pod, more than 50 dolphines for sure.
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October 14th - Day Trip
[I don't remember ever reading so much]
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
Ibi, our dive guide told us about his experience during the Tsunami. Being split form his group, and dragged on for 20min to almost the middle of the Atoll - that's faster than a boat could do! - despite of his experince and strenght unable to surface. A few hours later he found his group, who were washd out of the atoll, so the opposite direction from him. They were very glad to see him, as they were fearing the worst. According the German's on the boat Ibi was interviewed by ZDF that day as well.
October 15th - Doubting our choice
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
In the afternoon we went back to Filitheyo Thila (despite of the many listed dive sites, the actual dive sites to go to was limitted). Dive guides Daani and Oli. Hmmm, we were sure they lost their way last time around on this dive site, so not too happy to see they were guiding this one.
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| Van Filitheyo 2009 |
October 16th - Early Morning Dive
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Well, nice. Yes, except for a small part, where we were chased by a very terristorial Titan Trigger Fish. He kept coming and attacking us. Even when we swam out in the blue! We knew they can be difficult, and saw the warnings at reception. This really wasn't funny.
Next: to the dive center, where our bill was waiting for us (I don't know about you, but I don't like Bill!)
October 17th - The End
