Diving in Maldives

Story 6/21: Ari Atoll turtle encounter

Head-banging with a marine turtle

Diving in Maldives

June, 2022

9:57 AM, air temperature +31° Celsius, one degree more than yesterday. Even though the sea has not been too rough on the way, it feels marvellous to jump into the +29° Indian Ocean. And as we had learned day before, it would remain the same warmth throughout all the depths we were about to visit.

Three-and-half-years since our last dives together – on our engagement trip, when my now fresh wife learned to dive. She had enhanced her skills meanwhile, but I had avoided flying until our honeymoon. Many things had changed since our previous honeymoons about 20 years earlier – with different spouses then.

We had decided to study the PADI Enriched Air Diver -certification during our tropical love-island visit. On the other hand, we have to spend some time reading the theory, but we also are returning less fatigued from the dives – and are allowed better security margin to dive bit more.

As most of the other divers are also using Nitrox, it is easier to participate to the whole day excursions going to more distant pearls like the Whale Shark Natural Park today. So, in this dive I have 34% oxygen in my tank, additional 13% to the standard 21% O₂ at the sea level.

The correct air-mix data inserted to our dive computers and buddy check done we are ready to sink into the gentle blueness – first of the three times today. On my first honeymoon I did three dives during the whole trip. On the other hand, we rented a car then and, on the atoll, we are now staying there is no roads and no cars.

As the name of the dive site dictates, we are hoping to encounter some of the most majestic creatures in our vast oceans – the whale sharks. They are the largest non-mammals alive, many adults being over 10 meters long. These giant fishes only reside on deep open tropical waters and occasionally surface.

There is quite strong current here, as the sea drops rapidly hundreds of meters. Nightly rains have probably also influenced to the circulation of the water. Plenty of marine life on the other side and on the distance the darkness of vast depths.

Having flooded my previous – many times fixed pocket digital camera I had invested for the first time to a proper underwater-photography system. Only to notice, that one little vital component of the strobe package missing – it became worthless. Hence, I only had the tiny flash of the compact camera and a little torch – intended for macro shooting.

Usually, the marine life is uninterested on divers, but suddenly I realise that this sea turtle is turning towards me. It keeps staring with its black eyes and comes straight knocking to my dive mask. It is not a large animal, but it has strong jaws. I have seen the larger ones break corals with their mouth. 

It takes me a second to understand what is bothering it. I turn off the sharp beam of my macro video light and we depart – one experience richer…

Epilogue: I saw my first living sea turtle in Pacific Ocean 19 years before the above dive. This was definitely a more intimate encounter. At early 2000’s climate warming had damaged large areas of corals in Austral-Asia. In some parts people have started different kinds of restoration programmes. For ten years I only used my wet suit in open water swimming and occasional wind surfing.

When I returned to compressed air and weightlessness, I encountered alien species in the Caribbean and amazing, yet decreasing splendour of underwater universe in the Indian Ocean. Oceans are the wet lungs of our only planet and we need to conserve their delicate ecosystems. 

Some terms:

Whale shark = largest fish species alive

Macro photography, macro shooting = photographing very little objects, extreme close-ups

Nitrox, diving with enriched air = diving with gas mixtures having more oxygen, than the “standard” 21%

Some background data:

Maldives: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives

Ari Atoll: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ari_Atoll

South Ari Atoll Marine Protected Area: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Ari_Atoll_MPA

Sea turtle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_turtle

Ecotourism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotourism

Nitrox: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrox

Questions:

1. Diving. Underwater world is simply fascinating at best. Especially in warm tropical waters the abundance and creativity of mother nature is just overwhelming. When the feeling of the weightlessness is added – diving is a very calming activity. But, if you do not live close by, flying is bad for the climate. Also, careless tourists may destroy parts of the ancient reefs simply by touching and kicking. So, is it justified ecotourism? How could one dive more sustainably?
2. Sea turtles. These silent reptiles calmly cruise on the oceans. As they hatch on sandy beaches, human encounters are likely. How are sea turtles protected? Give examples of improvements in turtle conservation.
3. Ecotourism. Maldives is Islamic island nation in the middle of Indian Ocean. It consists of numerous small atolls – many of which are lined with abyss of even over one kilometer. As atolls are mostly small, the government is funding the expensive imports – of many even basic need – by allowing construction of luxurious resorts to the pristine coral atolls. Tourists are then flown around the world to snorkel, dive and just enjoy the tropical paradise. Yet, low island nations are threatened by possibly raising oceans, as the climate changes. Do you see the controversy? Could we do this in some other way? How? What would it require?
4. Discuss. Your view: What thoughts did rise in your mind having read the story? Discuss with your pair.

Access to all posts with categories covered above:

Tags of this post: