Blog-update: Do you love snorkeling? Then you would love the house reef at Filitheyo!

Diving

Publicerad: 2009-10-21

All islands in the Maldives offers turquoise, crystal clear water. A calm day, you can easily see 40 feet down. But different islands have different good house reefs. Filitheyo has a house reef of top class...

The reason behind Filis great house reef, are the large, deep channels that cut through the atolls of the Maldives. They serve as major highways, both for water and for fish.

These channels was the reason, that the Maldives, after all, escaped the tsunami in 2004 relatively well (although about 100 people tragically lost their lives). This island state is the world's flattest country with an average altitude of only about three feet. It is easy to imagine what a tidal wave of fithteen feet could do here. But that did not happen. Instead, the masses of the tsunami passed through the channels.

manta in the maldives

Filitheyo is situated just off one of these channels. On the north side of the island, the house reef drops almost 200 feet straight down. Large deep means many fish. And big fish. That is why whale sharks have been sighted just off the reef. The same applies to manta rays. Something that we ourselves can testify. When we stayed here last, a large manta - with a wingspan of two meters - passed just a short distance away from us.

This morning I went snorkeling at dawn. It's a great time to see how the reef comes to life.

the maldives barracuda at house reef

The morning highlight was undoubtedly the great barracuda I came across. It was huge that I first thought it was a shark. Nearly one and a half meters long. But even if the barracuda can grow very large, there is nothing to be afraid of. It is not known to attack humans. In addition, there is lots of natural food for them in these waters.

the maldives blue fin travelly

I also saw a group of three bluefin travelleys chasing a large school of fish. Usually you see them coming in pairs, patrolling along the house reef. Travellyes bluefin can grow to 80 centimeters. They shimmer of neon blue and are incredibly beautiful. And fast. That is why they are a favorite of many anglers because they offer a tough fight. But today it was they who were the hunters. Completely fascinated, I saw how they coordinated the hunt.

(Later in the day, I got the chance to see the same thing, down from below. I got a guided tour with Oli, manager of the dive center, and when we are at 22 meters depth, Oli signs that I should look up. Ten feet above us is a repeat of the attack this morning).

I conclude with a snorkel tips:

Modern snorkels have a valve that makes it easy to blow out water that happen to enter. But here in the Maldives, these snorkel tend to leak and let in water. The reason is the fine coral sand. Sand grains are so small that they can penetrate and interfering in the valve. And a valve that is not dense leaks. So when we come here, we make sure to have with us easy, cheap basic-snorkel (we chose Mares Samurai, as featured above).