Day 8 (March 16, 2023): Whale Sharks — and other amazing wildlife

When we started planning out Maldivian trip, as with all countries one chooses to visit, choices have to be made, in terms of the key items to see or experience.  For us, the possibility of swimming with the giant whale sharks of Maldives was a top priority.  Hence, our choice of resort in South Ari Atoll for three days of our visit.

Getting to South Ari Atoll is fairly easy by Maldivian standards, as it means one short flight from the capital.  But domestic flights in this country are scandalously expensive.  So one cannot simply flit around to this corner of the country and then off to another to capture the key experiences of the Maldives (e.g., swimming with hammerhead sharks at dawn in Rasdhoo Atoll):  choosing to go anywhere outside Male means commuting to an expensive domestic travel add-on.  Just to briefly explain why South Ari Atoll - and whale sharks - made it into our itinerary.

We quickly booked our whale shark excursion upon arrival, to ensure there would be space available.  It meant a 5AM rise in order to get a quick bite to eat and then be in the lobby for 6:30AM to complete a briefing.  Departure was set for 7AM.  

The night before saw heavy rains throughout the night,  and when we awoke, there were storm clouds still on the horizon.  We were worried that the trip would either be cancelled, or that the captain would cancel it partway through the tour, as is his right.

We headed first for a nearby island, where giant manta rays tend to gather to clean themselves on the reef.  The captain scoured the reef for an hour, but no luck.  So we had to abandon the mantas and head to another island, where a reef promises turtle sightings.  Fortunately, we did see two sea turtles during our group snorkel!  And they were amazingly graceful.

Next, we headed back towards our resort island, but on the southern coast. Here, the whale sharks are known to feed.  Sure enough, we found other boats gathered in an area - which is a positive sign.  We had to jump in the water quickly, as once seen, whale sharks make only a quick appearance and are gone.  We did manage to see one, but it was fleeting.  The captain then took us to another nearby area and sure enough, we had great success this time!  In the water we went and immediately were swimming a few feet above a massive whale shark. We had two such encounters with the shark, and both lasted long, by whale shark standards.  

Next, we sailed further west to an area where manta rays tend to gather.  A cluster of boats was an encouraging sign, so yet again, we were in the water in minutes and saw some manta rays.  Pam saw three, and I saw just one.  But still, it was amazing.

So that was our tour!  It was an incredible day, and even the weather cooperated.  We were no longer back on the island and at our unit when the skies opened up.  It poured torrentially all afternoon!  Had that happened earlier in the day, our whale shark adventure would never have happened.

South Ari Atoll (see bottom left in the map above) is the place to visit in Maldives if you want to see whale sharks.

This is the dhoani that took us on our six-hour snorkelling tour today. Our captain was simply excellent, he knew the waters in this part of the Maldives like the back of his hand. The resort had equipped the boat with chicken, biscuits, cake, soft drinks and coffee. 

On our way to the pier this morning, by total chance, we spotted a lion fish. These things are quite poisonous, but they are also extremely rare to see in the Maldives. We were so excited to have spotted one. 

Passing by the long and skinny island of Dhigurah, in the southeast of the chain of islands that comprise Ari Atoll. 

We passed a more traditional dhoani on our trip. They really are splendid-looking boats!

There were 10 passengers on the tour, as well as two snorkelling guides, two deckhands, and the captain. This tour can accommodate the maximum of 20 people.

Arriving back at Nalaguraidhoo Island (where Sun Island Resort is located) after our six-hour tour. 

All the room attendants here are male, which is quite different from North America. They work incredibly hard and are eager to please with all our room needs. We were very touched by this sandcrab towel ornament and note left by our room attendant, Ahmed. 



The food here at Sun Island has been wonderful! The variety is impressive, and the presentation/quality equally so.