The Emirates flight from London Gatwick Airport departed 45 minutes late. It wasn't a big problem, as it reduced the planned 4 hours transit time in Dubai!

At Velena Airport, we (24 prospective divers) were collected by the Blue O Two representatives and guided out of the building, across the road to the port, and onto a waiting Dhoni (Blue Shadow) that took us to Blue Voyager (anchored further out in the harbour); our home for the next seven days!

Before disembarking the Dhoni and onto Blue Horizon, the first request was for us to remove our shoes, as they are not permitted onboard Blue Voyager.

Once on board, we were given a welcome briefing and introduction to the Blue Voyager and asked to complete the necessary forms. After being reunited with our luggage, which had been taken to our respective cabins, we had lunch.

The afternoon was "Introduction to equipment" time; i.e., fitting of the Bouyancy Control Device (BCD) and regulator, for those who needed them (including me!). At 18:00, we were invited (actually, required!) to get into our wet suits, complete with BCDs and weights, and jump into the water for a 'check dive' - to see how much weight each of us needed for our dives. Based on my last dive, I started with 6 kg, but I was too bouyant! I ended up having to carry 4 kg in my hands (making 10 kg in total) in order to submerge!

All this fun was followed by dinner. After relaxing on the upper deck afterwards, most of us retired at about 20:30; we were going to be woken up at 06:00 tomorrow morning!

Sure enough, we were woken up at 06:00, with a briefing at 06:15.

First Dive - Kurumba
The dive site is located just outside the Hulhule Island harbour (to the north of the airport runway). I had no intention of taking any photos or video while at this dive site. At the briefing beforehand, we were told that our Maximum Dive Depth (MDD) was 30 metres (lower depths are not allowed in the Maldives) and the Maximum Dive Time (MDT) is 60 minutes - no longer!

I thought 60 minutes from a 12-litre air tank was a bit optimistic, but to my surprise, my first dive lasted 50 minutes! Kev, my dive buddy (one of the six of us from Ocean Turtle Diving), helped me quickly get accustomed to diving after a break of six months. During the dive, we saw:

• Three White-tipped Reef Sharks (Triaenodon obesus)
• Many yellow and blue Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus)
• An Eagle Ray (Aetobatus narinari)
• Other marine life.

Second Dive - Kuda Haa Thila
This dive site is on the west side of the Malé atoll; I took the video camera down with me this time. I saw:

• Lots of Red-toothed Triggerfish (Odonus niger)
• A couple of Honeycomb Moray Eels (Gymnothorax favagineus)
• Klein's Butterflyfish (Chartodon kleinii)
• Blue-faced Angelfish (Pomacanthus xanthometopon)
• A Napolean Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus)
• A Black-spotted Pufferfish (Arothron nigropunctatus)
• Imperial Angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator)
• Neon Damselfish (Pomacentrus caeruleus)
• Madagascar Butterflyfish (Chaetodon madagaskariensis)
• Clark's Anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) and
• Yellowhead Butterflyfish (Chaetodon xanthocephalus).

The Kuda Haa (Part I) video ends with me zooming in for a close-up of a Nudibranch/sea slug (Phyllidia alyta) that Ali (in the multi-patterned shorts) spotted. How he noticed such a small creature, amazed me; but he probably knows what to look for!

In the two Kuda Haa videos, note how very few leg kicks he performed (thus conserving valuable air), unlike me! Mind you, his fins were larger than mine! I did notice that when using the camera, my air consumption increased noticeably! The video also shows how steep the reef wall is.

Third Dive - Madivaru/Rasdhoo Atoll
Oops! I forgot my dive computer! I therefore had to rely on my buddy for dive time, depth, etc.

The ship anchored here for the night, as we were to do more diving at this site tomorrow.

First Dive - Madivaru/Rasdhoo Atoll
We were in the water at 06:50 (before breakfast)! As there was a strong current, I had to exert more effort to get to our observation location. In doing so, my air consumption was a lot higher than usual. However, once at the required location, we hooked ourselves to something solid on the reef, and waited, and watched many Grey Reef and White-tipped Sharks, about a dozen Devil Rays and a Moray Eel.

Because I had consumed a lot of air getting to that spot, the air in my tank was soon down to 50 Bar (from an initial 200 Bar). Fifty bar is the minimum (and safety) level at which one should return to the surface. Although I was happy to stay longer, I was aided back up to the surface, using Ali's secondary air supply, for part of the ascent. After spending 3 minutes at our safety stop, in one respect, I was glad to get back at the surface without completely running out of air! Back on board the Blue Shadow, I finished that dive with only 20 Bar in my tank!

Second Dive - Maaya Thila
For some unknown reason, I went straight down. Before I knew it, I was at a depth of 30 metres; time to put the brakes on and inflate the BCD!!! While swimming around, we saw:

• Grey Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos)
• Whitetip Sharks (Triaenodon obesus)
• A Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).

Third Dive - Fish Head
I didn't participate in the third dive as I wasn't feeling well; probably dehydration due to not drinking enough water! After the dive, the anchor was raised and we set sail for...

Fourth (Night) Dive - Fesdu Lagoon
...the Fesdu Lagoon, to watch manta rays feeding! It was an absolutely amazing time, even though the visibility was considerably reduced because of the amount of plankton in the water; as can be seen in the first two (underwater) videos.

For this dive, we were told to sit in a large circle, on the sea floor, and place our torches in the sand, pointing upwards; as can be seen in the first two video clips. However, there is always someone who thinks he is above everyone else!!!

The manta rays did not seem to be affected by the torch lights. At one point, a manta ray's 'wing' actually brushed my arm as it passed over my head. While sitting on the sand, I was amused by the amount of plankton present, and how it was behaving in the torch lights; similar to what insects do in front of lights (on dry land). For me, the whole experience (of approximately 45 minutes) was truely wonderful.

After dinner, the rear sub-surface floodlights (of Blue Voyager) were switched on. Again, the plankton was visible. But, we were treated and spell-bound by what was to come - a 'performing' Manta Ray; watch the third video!

A fantastic day! One wish accomplished, one still to achieve.

First Dive - Moofushi Manta Cleaning Station
During this morning's briefing, we were informed that the sea's current at the Moofushi Cleaning Station was stronger than normal (whatever 'normal' is). Because of this, we were advised to use our reef hooks (used to 'anchor' divers to solid rocks, particularly in strong currents), once we were at the dive site.

We were in the water by 07:20 and I immediately noticed how strong the current was, compared to previous days. So much so, I consumed most of my air getting down to the rendezvous point. By the time I had positioned and anchored myself (at a depth of 23 metres), I was left with 70 bar in my tank (from 200 bar)! After about 15 minutes, I started to panic (either because I was not comfortable in the strong current, or I was getting low on air - or both!), so I indicated that I wanted to return to the surface, which I did. Thus, I didn't have very long to observe the sea life.

Second Dive - Mahibadhoo Rock
Our second (morning) dive was at a manta ray cleaning station. It was a great dive; watching manta rays swimming around us! However, once we had got into position (with our reef hooks), the few manta rays that were swimming around disappeared after about five minutes!

My interest then turned towards watching a (black) Starrey-eyed Parrotfish (Calotomus carolinus) and one (or was it two) Flutemouth (Fistularia commersonii) that passed by, very close to me; watch the second video.

Third Dive - Lilly Manta Point
Our third dive was at another manta ray feeding station, but there were no manta rays to be seen. The current wasn't as strong, so we didn't need to hook ourselves to the sea floor. In fact, a number of us simply lay on the sea floor waiting, resting and playing. The way some of the other divers were lined up, looked like something from a James Bond film! While waiting, I noticed how 'alive' the sea bed was; many little crabs and other small creatures busily running (or swimming!) around.

First Dive - Dhigurah
We were in the water by 07:00! This was an uneventful dive, save for the fact that towards the end of the dive, I was unable to stay down! Ali saw that I was having difficulties, and came to my aid. He went straight to the cause of my difficulty and opened the bleed valve at the top of my BCD - to release the air inside it!

On my initial descent, I had partially inflated my BCD at the bottom of my dive; to prevent me from going below 30 metres! However, as I gradually started returning to the surface, I forgot to release that air - at the same time, not realising (forgot!) that it was expanding! It was the expanding air that was increasing my bouyancy, and made it more difficult for me to remain below with the other divers! Another lesson learned!

Second Dive - Maamigili
The crew had received information that whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) had been spotted in the waters around Maamingili. I captured a few video moments of us, onboard Blue Voyage, looking for any signs of a whale shark. While on our way to the site, we were told that the whale shark is an endagered species and we must not go closer than 3 metres from the head and 4 metres from the tail. Neither must we touch them; so as not to stress them. We were also told to only use our mask, snorkel and fins; no SCUBA diving.

When we arrived, there were many other tourists snorkelling in the water, appearing to get as close as possible to the whale shark. We (divers) did not like what we saw: numerous frenzied and stupid humans, trying to get as close as possible to the creature!

As the battery in my camera was flat, I am thankful to Kevin Dean, who took some video of the whale shark, which I have added to my video clip, and Marja Jaurakkajärvi for her three still photos.

After the whale shark had swam away, we too, left the area and headed west. Much to our delight, the crew spotted another whale shark, not far from the Dhoni. Added to that, we were on our own - there were no other tourist or dive boats around! Not knowing precisely where it was, a number of us immediately jumped into the water; I didn't even wait to put my fins on! To my utter surprise, the whale shark was heading my way, mouth wide open - another sight I shall never forget! I stayed motionless and in awe as it swam past!

Except for seeing the snorkelling idiots, we had an amazing time here (Maamigili); seeing three whale sharks in total - two adults and a baby.

Third Dive - Alimatha
At Alimatha, we had another night dive; this time to experience a feeding frenzy with Nurse Sharks (Nebrius ferrugineus)!

On a number of occasions, a shark would pass between me and the diver to my left. I happened to stroke one of the shark's back. To my big surprise, the skin had a rough, leathery feel to it! I expected it to be smooth, because of a shark's sleek outline. You learn something new every day!

Also in attendance were:

• Whiptail Stingrays (Himantura fai)
• Bluefin Jacks (Caranx melampygus) and
• Forktail Rabbitfish (Siganus argenteus),

all of which can be seen in the Shark Feeding Frenzy videos.

Another fantastic day! The second wish accomplished, plus the sharks!

First Dive - Miyaru Kandu
Another uneventful dive, swimming along a steep wall.

Second Dive - Kuda Giri Shipwreck
Up until now, I have never been interested in wreck diving, so this dive would decide one way or the other for me! The main deck is at a depth of 30 metres, so my target was not to go below the level of the main deck. As experienced on my second dive three days ago, my descent (again) was quite fast, so I had to apply the brakes once I was at main deck level! I can honestly say that after swimming around the wreck, and identifying and admiring its various attributes and structures, wrecks still don't interest me. However, I'm going to keep an open mind for possible future wreck dives.

Third Dive - Fish Tank (Chicken Island)
The Fish Tank dive site, also known as Chicken Island (or Thulusdhoo, to give it its proper name) had a chicken factory. Now-a-days, it is a tuna canning factory, complete with a jetty.

At the end of each processing day, those parts of tuna that cannot be used (classified as waste) are thrown back into the sea from the jetty. As you can imagine, sharks and other flesh-eating sea creatures have a 'whale of a time' (pun not intended)!

There was a slight current, so after about 10 minutes, it was time to use the reef hook. Even though the depth was about 1½ metres, and the water was only 1-2°C cooler, I began to feel cold after a while. Still, watching the eels and rays feeding, took my mind away from the lower temperature.

It was possible to have two dives this morning (as a few of us were not leaving until Monday), but I decided not to, for two reason: I had already packed my suitcase, and SCUBA divers are not permitted to fly within 24 hours of their last dive. Even though my flight was at 15:00 tomorrow, I didn't want to risk it. Therefore, today was a rest day.

We were woken at 05:00 and onto Sea Shadow just before 06:00. I found it a sad time (as I have said many times before) saying "Goodbye" to our hosts Sophie and Albert (Photo MV-038).

After leaving the side of Blue Voyager, we headed for the airport. On our way, the cloud formation above Malé resembled the shape of the United Kingdom (Photo MV-039 and Photo MV-040). As the seconds passed, the shape of the cloud changed into the shape of a possible cartoon character (that of a male or of a dog).

We had an uneventful flight to Dubai, where 'the Basingstoke Six' found somewhere to eat - for brunch.

I had a window seat on the port (left) side of the flight back to London. Because we took off in a north-westerly direction, I was fortunate to just make out the Burj Khalifa (as can be seen in Photo MV-041).

We all arrived safely back at London Gatwick, at which point, we said our final Goodbyes. What a wonderful week!