The first tour of the new year started with a German group of five. Two of the five, Sabine & Jurgen are Sheena repeaters from last year. Once we received the last arrival in the afternoon, we had a quick lunch and some time for the stomachs to settle and we started with an easy dive to sort out the weights.

The best of today was a dive with many white tips and a school of 18 eagle rays, on the second dive, followed by the third dive, in German we would describe as “HAI AUTO BAHN” (Shark high-way). Beautiful weather and good dives left big smiles and enthusiasm for tomorrow as we watched the sun set with a beer in the hands.

We cruised over to Vattaru while enjoying breakfast. A manta glided underneath us exactly on the last minute of the dive. Alimathaa uthuru kandu was with a medium current and huge greys cruising along the edge. The channels are very promising this time of the year in Meemu and Felidhe with the north east monsoon bringing big pelagic with crystal clear water.

We have seen almost everything, except for schooling eagle rays, on both of our two morning dives and the search for them came to an end in the afternoon at Fushi kandu, with 7 eagle rays in formation on the channel corner hovering in the current. The visibility keeps getting better and better.

We did “Golden Wall” twice today! Once for the huge grey sharks on corner and second to see the wall but we had to go for a plan “B”, the current seems to have reduced to a minimum and it was better to cross the channel. The laziest day with long breaks ended with our night dive at Anbaraa House reef with crabs and small critters.

After saying good bye to Felidhe we tried our luck one more time for mantas in Vattaru, and got the whole “rays show” Eagle rays, feather tail stingray, whip tail ray and manta. The Sheena Crew had a surprise waiting for the evening meal. And we were honoured by the presence of a “Caesar”

The perfect angle of current gave us an effortless channel cross, with uncountable baby grey reefs and white tips. The last dive felt like in an aquarium with good visibility and zero current, with schools of barracudas, Napoleons, sharks with loads of fusiliers and eagle rays.