BEST OF MALE, ARI AND RASDHOO 7 NIGHTS MALDIVES

Male Atoll to Male Atoll Up to 23 dives including night dives

Day 1 – Welcome Aboard Board the S/Y Maldives Siren and after a short boat briefing and introduction to your crew you have time to relax, settle in and get acquainted with the yacht.

The following is a sample itinerary of the dive sites you are likely to dive during your holiday with us. We wish to show you the very best diving but a number of factors can determine where we visit. Weather, tides, currents and how busy a site is with other dive vessels all play a part in the Cruise Director’s decision of which route the yacht takes during any given trip. Dives in the Maldives are particularly current dependent therefore your dive team will select the best options for you each day. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations. The Cruise Director is happy to listen to requests from guests to visit or remain at certain sites. Providing it is possible and the schedule allows, then guest’s requests will be respected.

Male Atoll The S/Y Maldives Siren will cruise through Male Atoll choosing from sites such as:- Lankan Manta Point in the Himmafushi region of the Atoll is one of the Maldives’ most consistent spots for seeing manta rays and feathertail stingrays. Banana Reef is where we see turtles, oriental sweetlips and many species of mollusc including the Maldivian sponge snail as well as schools of blue-lined snapper. Nassimo Thila Dense schools of snapper and squirrel fish crowd over this soft blue coral- covered thila. Okobe Thila. Schools of surgeon fish & neon fusiliers cover the reef attracting some hungry predators including blue fin trevally & dog tooth tuna. There are numerous over hangs and swim throughs where schools of four-lined snappers like the hang out. Manta rays are also known to put in an appearance. Mas Thila is where white tip reef sharks are a common site as well as eagle rays. Rasfari Reef. There is plenty of variation of topography with sandy inlets and ridges cutting across a wide outside reef. White-tip and black-tip reef sharks can be found resting on the sandy slopes.

Rasdhoo Atoll Madivaru Kandu forms a channel with Summer Island and it is here that we make an early morning dive in search of hammerhead sharks that may be seen in the passage. This site is where we can see white tips & grey reef sharks in the blue, along with eagle rays, massive Napoleon wrasse, camouflaged stonefish, schooling jacks and large dogtooth tunas, coupled with healthy corals, clouds of anthias and red tooth trigger fish.

North & South Ari Atoll The S/Y Maldives Siren will cruise southwards through Ari Atoll stopping at a variety of kandus, thilas and sheltered reefs. The order in which we make our dives will be dependent on the currents, tidal movement and travel distances. We will also spend time searching for whale sharks on the fringing reefs of South Ari Atoll and where we find them we will snorkel with them. Dive sites will be chosen from: Bathalaa Thila a small thila with healthy hard corals & overhangs attracting grey reef and white tip sharks large tuna, batfish and the occasional leaf fish can be spotted. Maaya Thila is about 80 metres in diameter and can easily be circumnavigated in one dive. There are many caves and overhangs all around the thila where white-tip reef sharks, dog- toothed tuna great barracuda and octopus can all be seen. A superb spot for day or night Kan Thila a long narrow spur, about 20m/70ft wide that extends out 500m/1700ft into a channel. Grey reef sharks and white tips are a common sight along with marble rays that can be seen cruising over the reef, if you are lucky you may also catch sight of a manta ray. Fish Head is one of the most well know sites in Ari, grey and white tip can be seen here, there are three resident turtles and also a chance to see guitar sharks. Add in the wide variety of marine life and you have one of the most interesting dive sites in the Ari Atoll Panettone offers many features of interest including reef outcrops at 27 metres where white- tips and grey reef sharks, barracuda and giant trevally gather. The reef is covered in soft coral and at certain times of the year passing manta rays can be seen. Rahdhigga Reef otherwise known as “Captain Abdullah’s Secret Spot” is where we make our sunset or night dive amidst a variety of very healthy corals including staghorn, elkhorn & table. Divers are likely to be surrounded by schools of Moorish idols, red tooth triggers and fusiliers. Hafsa Thila known for schooling grey reef sharks, it rarely disappoints divers looking for some large pelagic action! Whilst under table corals juvenile white tips can be seen resting. The reef is also home to a variety of moray eels and colourful snapper. Maalhoos Thila at an area known as ‘blue caves’, we shall explore these caves as they descend one after another down to around 27 metres. The ceilings are covered in soft corals in a mixture of colours, mostly white but also blue and violet. Rahdhigga Giri gives an easy drift along the wall of this reef which rises from deeper than 30m to just 3m from the surface. In the depths are many large sea fans where you can see grey reef sharks and the wall has many ledges and overhangs with soft coral coverings. Dhigura Arches is a perfect spot for a shallow sunset or night dive, located on the northern

edge of Dhigura Lagoon where the S/y Maldives Siren will be anchored for the night. Machchafushi Wreck is covered in soft corals and attracts schools of reef fish and batfish, providing gentle relaxed dives. Giant frogfish have been found here resting on the wreckage as well as nudibranchs, pipefish, shrimps and octopus. Dega Thila: This protected Thila hosts clouds of glass fish, grey reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, several species of rays, scorpion fish but also flatworms and nudis. Kudarah Thila, an exhilarating dive to round off our dives in Ari Atolls with plenty of shark action. The site offers large sea fans, grey and white-tip reef sharks, rainbow runners, great barracuda, blue-fin jacks and tuna.

Felidhoo (Vaavu) Atoll As with Ari Atoll, the order we dive will be dependent on currents and travel distances. We choose from:- Kuna Vashu, a channel located on the west side of Felidhoo Atoll, this combines the pelagic activity at the mouth and a drift along a thila which has nice soft coral coverings along its wall, for which the atoll is famous for. The Jetty gives divers one of the most action packed night dives you will ever experience; fat nurse sharks, black tips, stingrays, giant jacks all hunting around you. Simply wait on the sand and let the action begin in this unique dive, not to be missed! Miyaru Kandu. Miyaru is the Dhivehi name for shark. On the north corner is a cave at 33 metres which is an excellent place for spotting grey reef sharks. There are more caves deeper on the outside reef. White tip and black tip reef sharks are seen inside the channel. Alimatha Kandu offers the opportunity to see more large pelagics including eagle rays, barracuda and tuna. Devana Kandu has a channel which has been declared a protected marine area. With an ingoing current, divers can experience one of the most exhilarating drift dives in Felidhoo Atoll. On the outside reef are caves and overhangs that drop from 30 metres to the depths below. Grey reef sharks, eagle rays and pelagic are seen around the entrance. Fotteyo Reef is an excellent dive regarded by many divers as the best dive site in the Maldives. It is a photographer's paradise and a Mecca for marine biologists. In the course of this dive it is always possible to see schools of trevally, tuna, barracuda and grey reef sharks on the outside reef; white tips and sting rays on the sand beds of the channel and turtles along the channel walls. Fotteyo Kandu. We make our first dive of the day nice and early as there is an opportunity to see hammerhead sharks. Golden Wall is a south facing channel where a succession of terraces covered in blue and yellow soft corals is found on the western side. Towards the end of the dive as we ascend to 5 meters we find a magnificent coral garden where, in addition to the multitude of reef fish, we find eagle rays and hump head parrot fishes. This is the type of dive that you never want to end.

South Male Atoll Kuda Giri Wreck lies upright between 20 and 35 metres and is surrounded by trevallies and fusiliers. A closer look around the mast can reveal the resident giant frogfish, whilst schools of glass fish shelter within the holds and the captain’s cabin. Spend some time at the wreckage before moving over to the giri (reef tower). As you ascend the tower we find leaf fish hiding amongst the staghorn corals before we come to the shallow coral garden and make a final safety stop. Embudhoo Kandu. Squadrons of eagle rays, large Napoleon wrasse and white tip and grey reef sharks can all be seen before we end the dive drifting along the wall, exploring the soft coral caves.

Day 8 - Male Airport Disembark the S/Y Maldives Siren and join our free transfer to Male Airport to connect your international flights or you may opt extend your stay at one of the many resort islands, which our travel team can arrange on your behalf.