The traveling manatees by Nancy French: Rasdhoo, Republic of the Maldives

View at sunset from Bikini Beach overlooking a nearby
resort island.

Deciding which island to visit in the Maldives was challenging with 200 inhabited islands to choose from. Accommodations on the islands, snorkeling options, and accessibility of the island from the airport were all things to be considered. Some islands require access by seaplane or private speedboats which can substantially increase your cost. Even though seeing the giant manta rays had been a priority for us, we were resigned to the fact that we may not see them since the peak season is from June to October. After reading countless articles and reviews, we finally decided to book our stay on Rasdhoo.

Arriving in Male at 7:30 AM, we had a couple of options to take us to our island home for the coming week. Public ferries at the terminal in Male City will transport guests for $4pp but it is a 5-hour ride. For $30pp, public speedboats make the trip in under 1.5 hours and depart from the dock next to the airport. Opting for the speedboat, we had

Public speedboat area next to the airport

ample time to claim our luggage, get through immigration, and exchange some money. This country also has a closed currency, so purchasing Maldivian Rufiyaa can only be handled once you are there. Luckily, 2 banks at the airport can make the exchange, and with a receipt, they will buy back any excess at the end of your trip. We also found that US dollars were widely accepted, but the local money was always given in change. If you accidentally leave the island with extra Maldivian money you have a souvenir, because it cannot be exchanged anywhere else. Dhivehi is the native language, but for the most part, everyone we interacted with at the airport, at restaurants, and at the lodge spoke English, and in other situations sign language worked out just fine.

"Main Street" heading away from the dock in Rasdhoo

By selecting one of the inhabited islands, we knew ahead of time that our experience was going to be different than what is offered by the luxury resorts that are frequently seen in promotional ads for the islands. Those vacations can go for thousands a night. With some shopping around, deals can be obtained, but then everything is added on, and not cheaply. As a Muslim country, alcohol is strictly forbidden, except on the private islands. Travelers who think they can pack their own liquor to sidestep this restriction will find that their liquor is confiscated on arrival. Secondly, the mode of dress on the inhabited islands is conservative. Since our island was tiny, maybe 1/2 mile length by 1/3 mile width, you are never more than a couple minutes to the waterfront. Walking to the beach in a bathing suit was strictly taboo, especially for women. There is only one "bikini" beach set aside for tourist to hang out in swimwear, though a couple of nearby resorts blend into the bikini area expanding the

Sunset at the Rasdhoo marina area

touristy beachfront a little. In practice, the dress code was more liberal than we expected, at least on this island, we could walk around in shorts and t-shirts without a problem.

Unfortunately, we both acquired food poisoning somewhere during the flights or layovers in India, so the first couple of days were low key as we recovered. Upon arriving at the Rasdhoo Dive Lodge, we were given an overview of the services available and introduced to Irey (eeray), our snorkel guide for the coming week. After dropping off our luggage, Irey provided a tour of the tiny island, pointing out stores, restaurants, and the beach areas.

Spotted eagle ray

The following morning Alan was able to join Irey on his first offshore snorkel. Though the waters were a little choppy at the first destination, the second stop yielded clearer waters, and a variety of tropicals, reef sharks, eagle rays, and turtles. The next day, we were both able to venture out with 2 snorkel stops on the agenda providing a repeat of the sea life seen by Alan the day before. Still feeling the effects of food poisoning, we skipped lunch and dinner for another day. Offshore winds the following day resulted in the snorkel trip being canceled, so the day was spent walking the island, hanging out at bikini beach, and snorkeling in the calmer waters near the shore. A hundred feet out from the shoreline, the water dropped off deeply and swimming along the edge of the reef, we spotted a number of species we had

Green turtle

never seen before anywhere. A massive grouping of Indian black triggerfish passed by with a vibrantly colored parrotfish in its midst, a picture which is imprinted only in our minds, since our water camera had been left behind at the hotel. Finally, feeling like eating, we enjoyed a dinner of fresh grilled snapper prepared with a tantalizing marinade prepared by the Indian chef at our hotel.

Each morning we were awoken at dawn by the morning prayers at the nearby mosque. Five times a day the call to prayers was broadcast from speakers so the devout on the island would hear the call. Fridays are the primary day of worship, and shortly after noon most of the businesses on the island close down for the midday prayer. Speedboats and ferries run a different schedule on Fridays so this can be an important consideration for arrivals and departures.

Giant Manta Ray

The following day, we went out on a dive boat ostensibly to go snorkeling with the Manta Rays. High waves caused the boat to turn around though and head to calmer waters. Colorful tropicals, sharks, eagle rays, and turtles were once again seen. On our final day, we headed out in a smaller boat with Irey and another couple to snorkel with the Mantas. We spotted our first one near the surface alongside the boat, but he swiftly moved away. A few moments later Irey prompted us to "jump now!" We were able to follow the ray briefly until he moved into deeper waters. Climbing back on board the boat, we now understood that when we got the word that they were near we had only seconds to get in the water, and we were ready. When Irey said "jump", we flew off the side of the boat and were able to successfully follow the lovely manta for several minutes as it gracefully glided thru the water and finally dove into the deep.

Fruit bats were a common sight.

Irey had invited us earlier in the week to enjoy afternoon tea (a Maldivian tradition) at his home. We walked barefoot through the house, to the back where we put our shoe back on to sit in the open-air kitchen area located at the back of the property. His wife prepared hot sweet tea, a cake, and kulhi boakibaa, a spicy hot tuna, rice, and coconut patty. It was a lovely way to end our visit to this unique country.