A hawksbill turtle resting on the reef
UKDIVING
This was by far the most exhilarating dive, maintaining neutral buoyancy with sharks above, below, in front and behind. I needed to have my wits about me, even with two guides keeping watch. It is easy to lapse into a false sense of security, as the sharks are well used to divers; still, they are large apex predators and could easily overpower a diver not paying attention.
Destination with a difference
Pelagic Divers run a tight ship( pardon the pun). The emphasis is most definitely on safety, and at no point did I feel in any way concerned or threatened. On my way to and from the pit for my dives I had the opportunity to observe other dive centres running shark dives, and a small number of them looked chaotic and dis-organised. This is not a dive where you really want to let your guard down, and I would encourage any diver to do their homework before selecting a dive centre in Fuvahmulah, you will get more out of the dive with a confident and competent organisation.
The dive centre has an ongoing science programme with several ongoing projects, including behaviour studies, monitoring of pregnancies, which individuals are visiting and how often, and even underwater ultrasound scans on suspected pregnant female sharks. There is an active intern programme and it is also possible to complete a tiger shark safety diver course. Freediving with tiger sharks is also offered, and I did a few days of freediving during my stay, which made for a very different and thrilling experience.
Fuvahmulah is a local island rather than resort-owned, so things are a little different to the typical Maldivian stay. Fuvahmulah is the third largest island( by population) in the Maldives, three miles long by approximately three quarters of a mile wide, and with roads running around the island and weaving through the centre. Around 13,000 people are resident on the
PHOTO: PASH BAKER
Getting around
Most dive centres will pick you up and drop you back to your accommodation, but if you like the idea of being more self-sufficient, you can hire a moped or electric bike. They cost around £ 8-12 per day to rent. I used one on my non-diving day before flying home to explore the parts of the island I didn’ t see going between hotel and dive centre. I visited the lake areas at the north and centre of the island, took a short walk through the wetlands, had lunch by the side of the tranquil Bandaara Kilhi lake, and did some shopping for gifts from the local hawkers.
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