Trip Report Carpe Vita Real Time Review: March 7-18, 2021 Trip to Maldives Deep South

[chillyinCanada]

Are you getting up early every morning for the hammerhead hunt dives?

 

[Dan]

There have been night dives on every Carpe Vita trip that I have been aboard, just not every night.

I have done the south itinerary, however, in the opposite direction to that which you are doing.

I found some incredible coral formations near the end of a dive, once we were out of the current.

You must be neat there now. Leopard sharks too on that dive, iirc.

I asked DM about the coral bleaching situation there at Addu, he said there mostly in the shallow. The corals at deeper locations aren’t as bad. I’ll check it out today.

Looking forward to see the Leopard sharks. I saw one in Palau at 144 foot depth on EAN32. DM thought I was nuts, but I asked him if I could get closer to it and he let me go down there for 2 minutes to take the picture & get the hell up afterwards. So I guess you don’t get oxygen intoxication, yet, at PPO2 of 1.72 for 2 minutes. Trip Report - December 24-31, 2017 Palau Trip Report

 

[Dan]

Are you getting up early every morning for the hammerhead hunt dives?

This is the Tiger Shark dive, they told me. However, the dive schedule is still the same like yesterday.

 

[chillyinCanada]

This is the Tiger Shark dive, they told me. However, the dive schedule is still the same like yesterday.

Hmm, I don't recall a tiger shark dive but I do know that Fuvahmula offers tiger shark action.

 

[Dan]

Hmm, I don't recall a tiger shark dive but I do know that Fuvahmula offers tiger shark action.

I just heard this from a couple from Denmark who were there 2 years ago. It’s not Tiger Shark feeding dive like in Bahamas. It’s more like like you said and I hope to see one there today.

After seeing them in Cocos, I would get my head on swivel & make sure my blind spots & back are covered. Trip Report - Diving in Cocos Dec. 2020 Trip Report
https://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/diving-in-cocos-dec-2020-trip-report.603402/
None of the DMs talks about early morning hammerhead hunt dives. I guess no more such thing is happening.
https://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/diving-in-cocos-dec-2020-trip-report.603402/

 

[Dan]

Dive 4 at south wall of Fuvahmulah
Clear bluewater. Fining around in the blue & saw nothing but a few Dogtooth Tuna. When my gas reached 750 psi at 100 ft depth, it’s time to drift up to the surface. Bottom depth was 101 ft with 42 minutes of dive time. Water temperature was 85F.

 

[Dan]

Yes, a couple. It’s their first time on liveaboard, so quite interesting experience for them. I‘ll ask them about their COVID return protocol later.

They said it would be 2 weeks of quarantine when they get home.

 

[Dan]

Dive 5 at 11am was at southeast of Fuvahmulah near the pier entrance of a dive resort, where they were chumming the bay to attract the sharks. We were right outside the pier, few feet from the reef edge. Finally we captured some great Kodak moments. We saw a few of Tiger Sharks, Reef Sharks and Silver Tip Sharks, Giant Trevalies scooping the chums. Bottom depth was 114 ft with 54 minutes of dive time. Water temperature was 86F.

Dive 6 at 2pm was a repeat of Dive 5. Bottom depth was 116 ft with 60 minutes. Another great dive.

We left Fuvahmulah and sailed northwards right after Dive 6. Arrived at Maareha around 9pm.

 

[Dan]

Day 3
Dive 7 at Maareha Kandu
Reef hooking style dive like in Blue Corner, Palau. We started in the blue around 100 ft depth, ascent to the ridge of reef wall around 60 ft with reef hook on hand, ready to deploy and hooked on a rock crevice as the current picked up and ran horizontally at the top of the ridge. Once we hooked on then we just hung above the reef and enjoyed the parade of sharks, barracudas passing by until zero NDL, then released the hook and went to the shallow for safety stop. Saw lots of turtles during safety stop. Nice morning dive. Bottom depth was 101 ft with 57 minutes of dive time.

 

[Dan]

Dive 8 was a repeat of Dive 7. We saw more Reef Sharks in the blue. A Napoleon Wrasse was hanging around us for a few minutes.

Bottom depth was 94 ft with 52 minutes of dive time.