Maldives – Meerufenfushi
by Stuart J Wall

It was my first visit to the Maldives and we selected Meerufenfushi or “Meeru”, as it is commonly know for our family holiday in July 2004.
The island was founded in 1978 and being only 1.5 Km in length and 60 Mtrs wide is located on the Eastern side of the North Male’ Atoll and is considered as one of the larger resorts with 227 guest rooms. We researched the usual tour operators brochures and website information and decided on Meeru for its facilities and its short transfer which is an hour by speedboat from Male’ airport some 76 Kms away. The accommodation we opted for was the standard room which had all the comforts we would need as I would be out diving all day and my wife would be chilling out under the sun with her sun tan oils and John Grisham books, but the option of land, water and honeymoon villas were available for those if required. We did however decide to take the all-inclusive package and found that the little extras that were provided such as a free “his & her’s” massage at the Duniye Spa, night fishing trip and love boat trip were excellent value for money.

The food at Meeru was of Buffet style and the selection was vast with an assortment to suit all tastes and cultures, although there was the option available at the Asian Wok restaurant at the tip on the island for A la Carte at an additional cost if required.

The booking was made over the internet with Hayes and Jarvis and I kindly received a 10% discount for the simple operation, however after paying our deposits and on advising the tour operator that I was a BSAC club member we received a further 5% discount, I must admit that this was beyond belief as I thought that once our deposits were paid that no adjustments would be made to the confirmed price.

After two hour delay in our departure from Gatwick we flew direct with Monarch Airlines on the 10 hour flight to Male’. On passing through passport control in Male we soon realised that we had chosen the rainy season as the heavens opened like I had never seen before, we hoped that this would not be the start of a nightmare holiday from hell but as quickly as we collected our baggage and passed through immigration and security the steam was rising from the pavements that we stood upon in the early morning sunshine. The Hayes and Jarvis Reps were there with their assistants in abundance to provide assistance for all ongoing transfers, and after a short refreshing drink we were escorted to the nearby jetty where we boarded our large speedboat for the one hour journey to Meeru. We sat in the aircraft type seats and en route we were briefed on the check-in procedures on arrival at the resort. On arrival we assembled in the bar area where we received our complementary refreshing drinks.
We then identified our baggage and were then escorted to our rooms. The rooms with their king size bed, table and chairs were very spacious, all en suite. They each had a telephone for internal and international calls, a mini bar and a safe deposit box to secure any valuables. Once unpacked we chilled out on the abundance of sun lounges that were scattered along the beach before exploring the island, this was easy and no SDC in navigation was required here as we circumnavigated the island in less than 20 minutes. My main objective though was to check the dive centre out and get my self registered for diving that following day.

The Dive centre was a modern complex set just back from the jetty and beach amongst the towering palm trees, the Swiss owned company was Ocean pro and provided a vast range of Padi courses up to Divemaster level along with the daily excursions that were provided for the qualified diver.
The centre caters for all levels of diving and the maps that are posted on the notice board daily indicate for each dive the relevant levels of experience along with the presence and strength of any currents, which may be encountered at the dive site.
They carried around 12 instructors, which were of various nationalities and offered a vast range of reasonably new rental equipment for hire, including dive computers and Delayed Surface Marker Buoys, which were a mandatory requirement for diving with the centre. Luckily enough I did my research and had all the equipment with me that was required, with 3OKGs of baggage I knew once again that I had been unchallenged by the check in staff for Monarch who I have always personally found to be quite accommodating and lenient towards the diving fraternity. After my certification status and logbook was verified by one of the instructors I was briefed on the centres rules and regulations, and on receiving my weights along with a crate to pack my equipment in I was escorted into the wet room where I was allocated a station to hang up my equipment and store my crate when wet or not in use. I was then advised on the procedures for enlisting for a dive. Basically you put your name on the List, indicate if you require an International connection for your cylinder and must have your kit packed in the box and placed in the spot allocated for your boat 30 minutes before you meet and assemble for the dive, “please ensure that you are at the centre 20 minutes before the boat is due to leave”. Hey man I thought I was on holiday not at a military training camp!
Nitrox was provided free of charge at the centre, however you needed to be at the centre at 5pm the day prior to the dive to analyse your cylinders, this was another strict laid down procedure and operation where an instructor had to be present to witness you verify the contents of your cylinder. I must be honest that there were a few guests I had dived with or spoken to in the resort who confirmed that I was not the only person who had complained about the regimental set up and the poor attitude and unhelpfulness of a few of the instructors if their daily routine was disrupted away from the norm.

Never the less, the day came for my first dive and it was to be at Reethi Gaa from one of the Dhonis, I always thought these Dohnis looked so unsuitable for diving in comparison to the dayboats of the Red Sea but they did prove to be an ideal diving platform providing shelter from the sun or the rain on route to all the local dive sites that can all be reached in under an hour. I, like others, found it ironic that a centre that seemed so focused and strict on safety never once mentioned a buddy check, but one thing that was mandatory for all qualified divers regardless of their Agency or level of certification was a check-out dive to display competence in Mask and regulator removal, followed by breathing from an alternative air source as a victim and a donor. This was completed shortly after entering water in around 6 to 12 metres of water before descending to our maximum depth to proceed with our scheduled dive. Unfortunately I was disappointed in the dive itself, maybe this was the check-out site and all sorts of excuses went through my mind to verify the situation, but then it dawned on me that this was the aftermath of el nino and the effects of global warming from which it had suffered, I was not reading some Dive article here but was witnessing for myself that the corals were really badly bleached.
After returning from the dive and after meeting up with my wife for lunch we reassembled for the afternoon dive to Turtle Point, once again I witnessed the effects of bleached corals trying to rejuvenate themselves in sea temperatures of 30 degrees centigrade at 30 mtrs. We did however see plenty of turtles during the dive, desperately searching for nutrients adorned by these waters in an average visibility of 15 – 20 metres.
In my attempt to search for the better dive sites I put my name down for a Two Tank dive for the following day.
Transportation to the dive site was to be by purpose built fast speedboat to access the farthest of dive sites from Meeru, just over an hour away, doing a dive at one site, having an hour or so surface interval before completing the second dive and returning to the resort for lunch. I thought this format for the day's diving was better suited to my own personal situation as it enabled me to spend the rest of the afternoon with my wife. The day arrived and the boat was fantastic with 2 x 200 mercury engines it could certainly skim those turquoise waters, I did find the boat to be a little crowded with maximum spaces filled but within an hour or so we reached our first dive site at Maagira Reef. My buddy for the day was to be Ingrid who was the base leader, she had the day off and we were to dive independently from the rest of the group. We entered the water for this drift dive and right adjacent to us in the blue was a passing eagle ray gracefully gliding past us. I was soon to discover that we had reached a better dive site where the corals were rejuvenating themselves in abundance, as we paraglided past an array of hard and sort corals, reef sharks were unperturbed by our presence and I lost count of the morays that looked up at us from their sheltered holes as we sped past overhead. As the current subsided over a plateau we were released and spewed out into the blue amongst an abundance of blue fusiliers being gracefully shepherded by a school of hungry jacks. We surfaced after an hour and were picked up by the boat, this time I was more contented with the standard of dive that I had just competed and we transferred to use the nearby facilities of Sun Island where we off gassed and discussed our sightings with the rest of the group over a cappuccino in the café overlooking the crystal seas of the Indian Ocean.

After an hour and 15 minutes we were re-entering the water at Lankan Manta Point, a cleaning station for Mantas. The plan being to descend as a group and wait patiently around the huge table coral where the Mantas assembled for cleaning. Unfortunately there were no signs of the Mantas so after a 10 minute wait we decided to continue with our drift slowly meandering amongst the abundance of corals and the turtles that frequently passed us like scheduled number 10 buses. After a while Ingrid and myself decided to revisit the Cleaning station to see if the Mantas where at home, we were duly escorted by around 15 sizable black tip reef sharks that soon lost interest in our presence. After a short wait at the cleaning station the first manta arrived in all its elegance along with its entourage of remoras and other parasite eating dwellers. As it glided and circled gracefully above us the second manta waited patiently flexing its gills in the gentle current. The first manta then disappeared into the blue as the patiently awaiting manta homed in to receive the same manicure and treatment before leaving us all alone on the reef with an abundance of coral dwelling reef fish. As we completed our mandatory safety stop released our delayed surface marker buoy and surfaced through our own exhaust bubbles the smiles were evident that this was another dive that received our full approval, however on breaking the surface the torrential down pour that greeted us soon brought us back to our senses until the boat picked us up and we headed back to Meeru for lunch more than contented.

The following day I was back to the Dohnis with a dive in the morning and one in the afternoon. The morning dive was at site called Chicken Island, this was a gentle drift but again the corals hear had suffered damage by the bleaching. The usual reef dwellers were in attendance and a large napoleon Wrasse gave us the pleasure of his company. After lunch we headed out to a local wreck that we were advised had been purposely sank to accommodate divers. The wreck which was a cargo ship was buoyed and sat upright on a sandy bottom in around 35 meters of water, it still had all its masts still in tact and its flag flew gracefully in the gentle current, but it was still far two early for the sort corals to adorn its presence. The wreck sits right next to a small reef so after circumnavigating the wreck we explored the sheltered lee side of the nearby reef before to shelter from the prevailing current before returning back to the wreck and the buoy where our Dohni had moored to once again complete our mandatory safety stop prior to surfacing.

On returning to the resort I once again I reflected on the contrast of the diving that was on offer an what I had experienced there in Meeru, there were without a doubt the big fish and pelagics out there but the corals I found were a little disappointing in comparison to the Red Sea, maybe the corals were better at other Atolls unknown to me - I was soon to find out.
As we initially booked for a 2-week stay at meeru we were advised by the Hayes and Jarvis Rep that the resort had a tendency to overbook so therefore quite often it offered guests the opportunity to upgrade to sister resorts on other islands and Atolls. That evening the chance of an upgrade was advertised in reception at Velavaru resort in the South Nilandlhe Atoll so we added our names to the list of potential candidates with a view that, although we were happy where we were, it was an excellent opportunity to experience a week in another resort at no extra cost and at the same time experience the delights of a seaplane transfer which went along with the package.
The next day I spent with my wife on the “Love Boat” one of the day's excursions included in our all inclusive package, the day was excellent spending the day being wined and dined on a motor cruising yacht stopping at various reefs and sandbanks for snorkelling in the middle of the Indian Ocean, unlike other trips of this nature the boat was not overcrowded and all food and drinks were included in the package.
After a spot of dolphin watching and a sunset punch and the proverbial torrential downpour, we returned to our resort to find out that we had been accepted for the upgrade to Velavaru. It was then a case of cancelling my dives for the following day and settling my account, as we were to fly to Velavaru very early two days later.

As for the diving, well I had completed my last dive in Meeru, the price per dive worked out @ $30 but discounts were offered after the 6th & 7th dives or by completing 6 days consecutive dives. As the Dive centre in Velavaru was to be with Ocean Pro the same company I was given a copy of my receipt from the Base Leader Ingrid and told that I would receive the relevant discounts on offer at my new resort.
In all we both really enjoyed our week stay in Meeru and were really more than happy with the friendly service given on the island by all their hotel staff.
Travellers must be aware that July is the Rainy season but in all we only had a total of around 5 hours rain, however when it did rain it was torrential. The temperatures on the Island well exceeded 35 degrees but the constant light breeze ensured that you were more than comfortable.
There were a few children present at this resort but apart from the swimming pool there was limited entertainment to keep them occupied, although on an evening there were often entertainments like the Crab Racing or the occasional disco and Maldivian night where guests tended to socialise and mingle being attended to by the cocktail waiters in the bar.

Further details of the resort and the diving can be found on the following website:
http://meeru.com/

The tour operator used was Hayes and Jarvis and they offer a discount to all BSAC members, there web site is as follows: http://www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk/index.asp

Should anyone wish to contact me I would be more than happy to answer any queries or offer any advice, my e-mail address is as follows: stuwall@shearwater51.fsnet.co.uk

Happy Bubbling and safe diving

Stuart J Wall

BSAC Advanced Instructor No 3206
Padi Instructor No 617339


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