| ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
|
> travel > travel features > maldives special | appeared in DIVER May 2004 | ||||||||
|
Intro | Liveaboards | Coral | Wrecks | Currents |
|||||||||
 |
HOW MUCH DO YOU CARE ABOUT CORAL? I was talking to a couple of German divers after we had dived to watch sharks at a popular feeding point in the Maldives. We agreed that we had all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. "So you'll be back next year, then?" I said. They looked at each other and shook their heads. "No," said one, "we'll probably try the Red Sea or the Caribbean. No coral here." Tropical-waters divers do like their coral. Without it, it's as if the absence of colour and texture disturbs some sense of natural order. I certainly appreciate it when it's present, but I try to enjoy other things when it's not, just as I can enjoy a chicken tikka in an Indian restaurant or shepherd's pie in a transport cafe. But we can't all be the same. Just over a year later, I am in another part of Ari Atoll, hovering over a secret garden framed in delicate lilacs, greens, pale oranges and pinks, set out in overlapping plates like a city of pagodas. It's a vibrant coral reef, and what's more hard corals are providing their share of the colour. But what is this dazzling display doing here in the Indian Ocean, flourishing where it is no longer supposed to flourish? Dominating the scene is table upon table of staghorn coral, acropora, and we're not talking tiny coffee tables but tables big enough for a dinner party. There are brains, leathers and mushrooms and long trailing whips, interspersed with anemones. There are reef fish in abundance. A small hawksbill turtle makes its ungainly way across the terrain, and a sting ray flaps unhurriedly up a sandy gully. This little patch of Indian Ocean is like a wormhole into the past, and as unexpected a sight as a supermodel in a chipshop. The world's coral network evolved over millions of years. Every few eons it would be compromised by natural catastrophes, but always it managed to adapt and reinvent itself in new, fantastic forms. The Maldives' fine coral and attendant fish life was appreciated by those divers who could afford to visit the first resort islands some 20 years ago. All was fine until the ocean warmed up a few degrees six years back. This coincided with a reduced ozone layer, fierce forest fires in Indonesia, dust storms blowing east from Africa - take your pick of ingredients to make a cocktail lethal to the vulnerable coral polyps. In the Maldives some 90% of the coral above the 10m mark - where most of it grows within sight of the sun - was wiped out. Fortunately the fish remained. Divers kept visiting the atolls for attractions that included sharks from whitetip to whale, manta rays, turtles and hordes of plump, brightly coloured fish. Many species, such as parrotfish and surgeonfish, prospered on the algae covering that invades stricken coral reefs. But coral-fancying divers who have given up on the Maldives, like those Germans, should know that at least one little gem of reef was only marginally affected by the 1998 cataclysm, and started regenerating at a freakish rate which has surprised the experts. "Kandholhudhoo is at the centre of a positive influence," Dr Reinhard Kikinger, resident marine biologist on the tiny island, told me. "Water movement here is good and a current flows past which is a little cooler than most. Recolonisation started immediately after the events of 1998. The current sustained coral larvae from previously healthy reefs, and deposited it here." "Acropora is a fast-growing coral, and the biggest table corals here have grown to a metre across in five years. Normally you would expect growth of 10 to 15cm in that time - 20cm would be exceptional. Acropora is the genus most affected by bleaching in the Maldives but it is very competitive and will overgrow slower-growing corals if the conditions are right, as they are here." If it's happened here, it's to be hoped that it has happened in other parts of this far-flung atoll nation. Certainly John Bantin found encouraging signs of regeneration at Rangali recently, to name but one site (see separate story). The Maldivian government is set to declare Kandholhudhoo a marine protected area, according to Universal, the indigenous company that kick-started tourism in the Maldives in the '80s and now runs some 10 resorts. Universal, I was told, would meet the cost of enforcing its protected status. So what's in it for Universal? It holds the rights to develop Kandholhudhoo but was not permitted to build a full-scale resort on this very small island, which is perhaps as well for the health of the reef. Instead, it has built a luxury spa. Visitors can come to snorkel and/or be massaged with coral-friendly oils and lotions, steamed, saunaed, Jacuzzied and hung out to dry in idyllic surroundings. There are also four water bungalows for those who want to stay for more than the day. What about the divers? Universal has solved the problem by parking its cruiser Island Explorer, which had not been cutting it as a liveaboard, about half a mile from the island. This floating hotel has a dive centre aboard and will accommodate more than 100 guests in its 276ft length. Island Explorer sits slightly uncomfortably alongside Kandholhudhoo, to which it is connected by a dhoni or RIB shuttle. While the island is dedicated to pampering, the ship fills what Universal says is a need for affordable, three-star accommodation in the Maldives. In other words, it's plain non-sailing. The ship is intended for hardcore divers, who can enjoy the local coral as an appetiser but be whisked off by two fast dhonis to exciting sites all over Ari Atoll for the main courses. The accommodation on the boat is cramped (if only some of the 57 cabins had been knocked through) and the leisure facilities limited, which is why Universal says it's aimed at the no-frills market, perhaps club groups on a (rather big) budget. The question is, do the hardcore go in for Rolling Waves diver's massages while at the surface? Non-diving partners who enjoy full-body rubs should have no complaints but they'll have to pay for them (up to $120 a time) out of any savings on the accommodation. And are the hardcore big coral addicts anyway? Don't they want a boat that moves rather than a floating hotel? Anyway, the dive centre offers three dives a day with nitrox at no extra charge and is excellently run by the very experienced Belgian diver and Inspiration rebreather nut Andre Bakker, and his small staff. The island, meanwhile, enjoys the luxury of its own decompression chamber and diving doctor. Delays in building the spa meant that when we arrived at the start of the year, Island Explorer had the air of a ghost ship. Visitors were hugely outnumbered by staff - a small party of inexperienced Russian divers given to loud mobile phone conversations during dinner and our group of four had the full attention of the dive, catering and bar staff and, importantly, Reinhard and his wife Lilly. They give fascinating post-dive talks every night in their onboard bio-station, and will also conduct snorkelling tours. The fast dhonis had yet to arrive and discussions had been going on with the Maldives Four Seasons resort which, by naming its highly specified liveaboard Island Explorer, had been causing some confusion, especially on the Internet. Four Seasons has since dropped the "Island" from the name of its vessel, though I reflected that Universal could well have rechristened its moored cruiser Coral Oasis, or something equally direct. Lap up the coral, then catch the dhoni to some of the local favourite sites. Our first dive away from the house reef was at Himandhoo Thila, where five or six mantas (we think, it's hard to keep count) ranging up to about 3 metres in wingspan, kept us entertained throughout our dive. Those pesky rays! It was impossible to concentrate on our search for nudibranchs while they kept swooping about in search of cleanerfish, coming within a few metres of us and seemingly unconcerned by our presence. That was a characteristic of most of the wildlife spotted during the week - from massive Napoleon wrasse, hawksbill turtles and feeding octopuses at Fish-Head to a rare resting leopard shark at Kandholhudhoo Faru, the bigger inhabitants of the reefs could hardly have cared less about the presence of bubbling humans. The triggerfish and parrotfish ignore you, the spiny lobsters and morays gesticulate in their grouchy way, lone tuna and barracuda eye you with disdain, and the only creatures that made a bolt for the blue were whitetip reef sharks surprised by our sudden arrival too close for comfort. Star site of the show was the celebrated Maaya Thila. There was a certain amount of current running and the water was thick with plankton (this was January, on the turn between monsoons). Whitetips were in evidence from the start, as we finned round the thila to find the best vantage points, and soon the bulkier shapes of grey reef sharks showed themselves too. Wherever we looked, at our level, above and below, there were pelagics. In the milky mist of plankton they seemed to recede into the distance like the phantom army from Lord of the Rings. Straining to see to the further reaches of vision, I soon started to wonder whether my brain was cloning in imaginary animals. It wasn't only sharks but sleek dogtooth tuna, horse-eye mackerel and jack, stacked like so many torpedoes. There were eagle rays around too, though I didn't spot them in the melee. As big-nosed unicornfish jacuzzied in our bubbles, we watched the unfolding display like spectators at a military tattoo, as grateful for such sights in this eco-threatened world as we had been the previous day for that feast of coral at Kandholhudhoo. Maalhos Thila, one of the further-flung sites, also enthused everyone with its huge overhangs dripping with pendant blue coral (purple-pink under lights) set off by long garlands of blue-striped snapper. Surprisingly for the time of year, the currents were not that extreme - except at Eriadhu Thila, where we found ourselves in the teeth of a watery gale, sought shelter on the drop-off and enjoyed a drift along the wall before encountering a fierce counter-current round the corner. In the end we had to go with what was now a fast flow, and there wasn't much time to linger and enjoy the various visits from hawksbills and whitetips along the way, but when we crawled through an indentation to the top of the reef again it was blowing at about 4 knots and all we could do was cling on until we were ready to be whipped back up to 5m. Exciting, but you wouldn't want to do that every day. Or perhaps you would! We had started the trip enjoying the shallow corals on one side of Kandholhudhoo, and we ended with a deeper dive on the other side, where our guide Kristina set a fast pace ahead of the natural drift. She was clearly keen to reach her beloved overhangs and caverns, which pit the middle reaches of the plunging reef wall. And there was plenty to see in there: blue coral and clouds of basslets; tiny lionfish in crevices; bright blue nudibranchs and more hawksbills that refused to be impressed by our presence. If you want nitrox and no-frills, three dives a day, healthy coral, big stuff and the odd wreck, the Island Explorer option is worth considering. Just ration those addictive massages and stick to the bar when you're on the island, or you may find that you haven't actually saved that much after all! |
|
 There is still plenty of soft coral to be found in the Maldives but at Kandholhudhoo you can also see stacks of healthy-looking table corals up to a metre across  Mantas can be seen in numbers at Himandhoo, not far from Kandholhudhoo, at the right time of year.  There's nothing shy and retiring about these turtles  Sleep on Island Explorer, enjoy the reef or relax on the island. 
| |||||||
|
Intro | Liveaboards | Coral | Wrecks | Currents 
| |||||||||
 |
DIVER this month
|
Latest News
|
Holiday Offers
|
Competitions
|
Travel
|
Equipment
|
Forums
|
Learn to dive
|
Wrecks
|
UK Boat Spaces
|
Centres Overseas
|
Centres UK
|
Personal ads
|
Weather
|
Careers
|
U/W Photography
|
Marine life
|
Dive Shows
|
Dive Wear
|
Sharks
|
Diving know how
|
Opinion & more
|
Subscribe
|
Books & DVDs
|
Links
|
Contact us
|
About DIVER group
|
Divermart
|