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Top Class Cruising in the Maldives
Four years on from my first visit to the Maldives, I find myself back on M/Y Sachika with Top Class Cruising to spend a week cruising and diving the Central Atolls.
Sachika is every bit as comfortable, spacious and clean as I remember. Even the basic rooms have more than enough space for two people to share, with all their equipment that comes with going on a dive trip. There is no dive deck due to the fact that all the diving is done from a separate Dhoni. This allows for spacious rooms with huge ensuites for all guests.
For those willing to upgrade to the upstairs suites you will find a bit of luxury with four poster beds. The main draw being when you open your curtains in the morning you are rewarded with a stunning view over the silky smooth waters of the Lagoons. How about an early rise to enjoy the stunning colours of sunrise glistening off the water?
The staff onboard worked tirelessly to keep Sachika clean and tidy for us to enjoy our week. Cleaning up after 21 guests must surely take some work. The kitchen staff produced wonders daily with flavoursome food on offer at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The curry dish that I was particularly fond of proved popular as it would need refilling every time it was served. Just the right amount of spice for me with a nice kick to it.
The creme de la creme came on beach BBQ night though, as we enjoyed the sunset on a desert island followed by an amazing BBQ meal laid on by the staff. It was truly delicious. One thing I would like to add as an advisory is that one of our guests was vegetarian and felt her needs weren’t really catered for. She felt she just had the basic rice and noodles to choose from. Maybe the chefs could do a few vegetable curry dishes instead of meat? After all, it was the sauce that was truly delicious and it would be every bit as tasty with vegetables instead of meat.
The Dhoni Dive Boat has enough space for 25 divers to comfortably kit up without causing too much aggravation for each other. It is equipped with a compressor onboard meaning that once you have a tank and your kit is secured it will stay there all week to be filled for each dive. No need to keep changing tanks. There’s also comfortable bench seating at the back of the boat for chilling out before and after diving, and a sundeck on the 2nd floor.
The Dhoni staff are very accommodating and always there to lend a hand. Making sure to provide water to all divers after a dive to prevent dehydration. Remember to bring your own reusable flask though to save using too many plastic cups. Little things go a long way.
Being an Italian owned and run boat, the dive manager and guides are made up of a mixture of Italians and local Maldivian guides. I found myself with Big Ali who was my guide four years ago. Still as professional, he would make recommendations for the dive and depth but was happy to go with the majority of our group and how they felt. He was also very easy to spot underwater wearing white fins, shorts and rash vest so he stands out amongst other dive groups.
I helped to organise this trip with my local Scuba School in Studley and all the guests spoke highly of the other guides onboard – Little Ali, Chiara and Matteo. Dive sites were well briefed before each site and we knew exactly what to expect. Big Ali’s knowledge of what current to expect to jump into was amazing and always right.
The trip all ran smoothly with Chiara as Dive Manager and three dives a day was comfortable with ample time to relax on the spacious sundeck in-between dives. The boat has plenty of shade to take a break from the sun and plenty of sun loungers to go around. If you want to really chill out and drift away, you can hop into the jacuzzi and look out over the varying shades of blue water. You want to make sure you are on the sundeck for sunset and then stay for the night when it is clear. Turn the lights off on the top deck and marvel at the stars. A bar sits at the back of the third floor with comfortable rattan furniture allowing for more chill out space with drinks readily available.
All in all an amazing week onboard Sachika with some incredible diving and interactions. Check back next week for part two when I tell you all about the diving!
Sean’s trip was organised by The Scuba Place. For more information and to book call +44 (0)207 644 8252, email reservations@thescubaplace.co.uk or visit www.comedivewithus.co.uk.
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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