Filitheyo – Sheena

Sun is shining, weather is beautiful, sheena is ready to welcome new group of 13 divers for a week trip to meemu and Vaavu atoll. 

Guests arrived late, so we had no time for a check dive, though had a relax time on the sun deck, swimming and snorkeling in the turquoise  lagoon. 

Filitheyo outside

Barracuda kandu

Western highlights

Sun has rised to a beautiful day in Faafu atoll. For the first dive of the trip as check dive, we jumped outside Filitheyo, with a mild to medium incoming current. Weights adjusted, equipment works fine and decent to the reef edge. There were few white tip reef sharks, coupe of grey reef sharks, an eagle ray and a stingray, at the reef front. Few more white tip reef sharks and a baby shark resting under a coral block inside the channel. And as always we had our bat fishes at the safety stop. 

Barracuda kandu was with a very small incoming current with visibility 20 meters. Three big white tip reef sharks were playing around in the deep. Batfishes were every where. Two baby white tip sharks were found under a big table coral. We got greeted by a big eagle ray at the end of the dive. It was a great dive too. 

For the last dive of the day, we sailed from Faafu atoll to the west side of Meemu atoll. With a mild to medium current flowing out of the channel, dive started on the west tip of the thila. There were loads of fusiliers, big dog tooth tunas hunting the fishes, school of barracudas, big eyed travellies. Lots of living corals to see in this last dive of the day. 

We spend the night with the stunning view of a small uninhabited island ( fenboa finolhu)

Kingdom of fish

Valley of the ray 

White tip station 

Kingdom of the fish with a medium out going current and visibility around 15 meters, was amazing. We had lots and lots of fusiliers swiming along the divers all the time. Couple of white tip reef sharks, huge tunas, and the reef tip full of different kinds of snappers. For the second dive, we drove down south of Meemu atoll. Valley of the ray with a mild out going current and visibility like more than 15 meters, was perfect. We counted 10 Manta rays at the cleaning station making loops, flipping and circling around. This was an amazing 60 minutes with the gentle giants. For the last dive of the day, we sailed to the north side of meemu atoll. White tip station was with a strong incoming current. Plenty of grey reef sharks, a handful of white tip reef sharks, sliver tips, big napoleons, barracudas, eagle rays, sting rays.. everything was at the mouth of the channel. 

Happy corner

The golden wall

Fottheyo

On our way to happy corner, a big school of dolphins ride with us along the dive Dhoni, we had fun following dolphins. 

We had medium out going current in the channel. Visibility was more than 25 meters. Big grey reef sharks were swiming just few meters from the divers, a school of 15 eagle rays just hanging in the current. Many barracudas and big eyed travellies were at the corner. Was a very happy dive. Then we sailed up to Vaavu atoll and dive at the golden wall. Current was mild to medium, we met four white tip reef sharks at the corner, then a big napoleon came close to us. The colorful soft corals on the deep blocks was nice to hang in while watching a school of bumphead snappers. Then we drifted along the golden wall full of yellow and pink soft corals. 

Last dive at fottheyo with a good incoming current was amazing as always. It’s was so cool to get through the overhangs covered with big soft corals on its roof. Five white tip reef sharks were sleeping on the sandy part, more white tip sharks along the reef, few grey reef sharks were swimming in the blue, one massive napoleon was curious coming close to divers. And we were really lucky to see a big group of about 20 to 30 dolphins passing by. 

Fottheyo

Fushi kandu

Miyaru kandu

Alimatha house reef

Early in the morning we jumped to fottheyo kandu and spend a good half an hour in the blue waiting for the Great hammer head sharks and yes! We had luck this time  three big boys showed up. Then went back to the reef to see some grey reef sharks, barracudas and couple of stingrays resting in the sandy platue. 

Second dive at Fushi kandu was just amazing, so many grey reef were in the blue, there were big sharks and about 30 to 40 baby grey reef sharks just at 20 meters of depth. We met a large school of more than ten eaglerays in the blue and a big pregnant eagle ray just hovering on top of our head in the shallow. It was just breathtaking. 

Miyaru kandu was with a mild incoming current. Visibility was 10 to 15 meters. More than 30 big grey reef sharks were swimming just few meters away from us. We had big dog tooth tunas, a barracuda, one huge marble stingray on the channel floor as well. 

Last dive at alimatha house reef at night is crazy good.  Those big nurse sharks swimming right beside divers touching our shoulders as amazing. Stingrays looking for food in the sandy part was great.  A large school of big and small nurse sharks swimming over our head was awesome. This was one of the best day of the trip. 

Bodu Miyaru Kandu

Vattaru Kandu

Western highlight

With a mild incoming current we jumped to the north corner of the channel, we were greeted by a school of 15 baby grey reef sharks as we descend. Couple of white tip reef sharks were swimming behind the baby sharks, a honeycomb Moray eel at the channel edge. More grey reef sharks really big ones were along the channel edge a bit deeper than 30 meters. There were barracudas, big dog tooth tunas, two eaglerays and two sting rays on the reef. It was fantastic. 

Right after the first dive we drove down south to Vattaru atoll. On the way to vattaru, along the outer reef of vattaru atoll, we saw a big ghost net stuck on the reef. So we had to have a look. One big loggerhead turtle was entangled by the rope was helpless, so our dive guides went in the water and saved the turtle, awesome job done by Flo, Kathi and Ali. 

With a mild out going current we jumped inside the channel at vattaru. Unfortunately there were no mantas, but we had three manta mobulas in the channel. Two big napoleons, a white tip reef sharks, many groupers, and a lots of reef fishes. This was a very relaxing beautiful dive. 

Last dive we did at western highlight as we expect incoming current from the west side of the atoll. The thila was full of fusiliers making their way down and back agin to the surface. Nice to see so much live corals. One eagleray, school of barracudas and plenty of jackfishes. 

After this dive we made a candle light beach dinner at fenboa fonolhu island. This was a beautiful end of the day. 

Kingdom of fish

Filitheyo thila

Fist dive in the morning at kingdom of fish was with a mild to medium current and clear visibility was awesome. Thousands of fusiliers at the current split swimming up and down, through divers and from time to time, huge dog tooth tunas Attacking and diapers the fishes. Soon they get back to a one ball of fishes. Could watch this for hours. 

For the last dive of the tour, we sailed back to faafu atoll, where we began our trip. 

Filitheyo thila was with a mild to medium incoming current, the smaller thilas were full of snappers, fusiliers and jack fishes. Big tunas and couple of white tip hanging at the front. A big napoleon wrasse visited us while crossing to the big thila. There were plenty of other snappers at big thila. An octopus while we were at safety stop. 

This was another amazing trip with amazing divers.