Azure sky, turquoise water, white sand beaches and lush green palm trees – this must be paradise. Hundreds of islands bunched in 26 atolls, their emerald lagoons dotting the Indian Ocean like chains of pearls. This absolutely dreamy holiday destination can only get better when you submerge in the ultramarine waters. Many people visit the Maldives to swim with the giants – whale sharks and mantas, but for divers this is a mecca for shark diving. Why? Because of the unique location of this archipelagic nation. Situated right on the equator and literally in the middle of nowhere, the atolls are the tips of huge underwater mountains which are constantly…

So you’re going on a liveaboard! Have you ever been so excited about a holiday that you forgot to take the obvious? Or stressing out at work to finish all your deliverables before you go on vacation that packing is the last thing on your mind? Or maybe this is your first scuba safari and you are wondering what to pack for a liveaboard dive trip? I am a master in packing and I have still managed to go on an exotic holiday to a remote island without my sunglasses or to realise on the day of departure that I don’t have the cable to charge my camera. And usually…

Happy Hour at Hanifaru Bay! “A shrimp cocktail for all the mantas, please.” Hanifaru bay is the biggest manta feeding hotspot in the world. However, the underwater bay is actually quite small. While the uninhibited island Hanifaru, like many other islands in the Maldives, is just a tiny sand patch. The grandness comes from the number of reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) that show up just in time for plankton happy hour and have a lavish feast together with some fellow filter-feeding whale sharks. The site is a protected marine park and the whole Baa Atoll, where Hanifaru bay lies, has been declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve. This remote atoll…