Safaris don’t always get off to a good start. However, that is exactly when one has to do one’s best with the hand of cards one is dealt. Helmut’s flight to Dubai was delayed due to bad weather in Europe, resulting in him missing his connecting flight to the Maldives.
Therefore we could leave Medhufushi only the next day.
 Nevertheless, we had a thoroughly enjoyable first dive at Medhufushi Tila which featured mobulas, turtles & a leaf fish.

So we head south & dive Valley of the Ray on the way, encountering several mantas during the dive. Half way to the Thaa Atoll, the exhaust pipe of the dhoni breaks. However, we make the best out of the situation & do a night dive instead. Meanwhile the dhoni crew worked flat out, managing to repair the damage.  

Oh yes, we almost forgot to mention: Holger is the “new” dive guide on board for this tour. He has been working in Medhufushi for 3 months already & in the future will feature regularly on board the Sheena. He still, however, doesn’t have a licence to drive the dinghy & it looks like he had better start taking some lessons. We visited a local island this evening.

Carol didn’t have a good start to the day. She’s got a bad ear infection & has to go to the doctor, from whom she received a prescription for antibiotics & analgesics for the next couple of days. Not so many sharks to see in the Thaa Atoll, but numerous other funny things.

The Thaa Atoll doesn’t offer the best conditions to see sharks this time of the year. So we’re heading back north again to dive the channels in the Meemu Atoll. We are on a safari boat after all. ;-))

Finally we found exactly what had been missing this tour, in the channels in the north – strong current, eagle rays & sharks galore.

So a great end to a fantastic week, despite not getting off “on the best foot”. Great diving, satisfied guests & a dive guide that can finally drive a dinghy.