03:36.44N 72:57.16E
Helen writes...We left Nilandhoo on the afternoon of the 26th August. The
timing of high tide and the shallow depths we were anchored in dictated
when we moved. Initially we had anticipated leaving in the early hours of
the morning, but the high tide was at 5.30am and we were not convinced
there would be enough light to navigate our way back out of the harbour
channel. We had taken the dinghy out on a trial run at 6.30am that
morning to check the light, and the previous day had snorkelled the
channel. On our arrival we had got down to 2.4 metres through a harbour
channel that contained coral heads and sand banks so trying to get a
better understanding of the underwater landscape would help us on the
exit. In the end we opted for an afternoon departure. The 40 miles to
the next destination did not really warrant another over night passage,
but the light was better and at least we could hit the rising tide rather
than a falling one.
One of challenges in the relatively clear waters of the Maldives is the
ability to judge depths of the water. When exiting and leaving any
harbours or atolls, I stand on the bow of the boat communicating with
Bryan at the helm via our handheld VHFs. I wear a pair of Polaroid
sunglasses, which help pick out the differing shades of blues, greens and
yellows in the water that indicate where coral heads (or bommies) lie.
Our pattern of communication involves Bryan advising what our current
depth is, and I will advise where I see shallower patches and give hand
signals which direction I want Bryan to head. Our electronic charts are
inaccurate, and many times we have found islands in the wrong place or, in
some instances, completely non-existent. We have anchored on what the
chart tells us is “drying height” (i.e. is above water at the lowest tide)
but found in some instances this has been as deep as 11 metres and doesn’t
“dry” at all. Leaving Nilandhoo, and entering Dhangethi as is turned out,
would give us our shallowest depths of the entire trip. With a boat that
needs 2 metres for clearance of the keel, sailing over coral and sand that
is only 0.4 metres below that really makes your heart skip a beat. We
can’t get it wrong. If we hit a shallower patch at best we would
bump/scrape the bottom of the keel if it is sand. But it is a different
story if we hit a patch of coral. Typically a very shallow patch of coral
looks yellow from the surface. Slightly deeper coral, maybe 5-6 metres,
is usually dark blue or black. The same depth with a sand bottom is
usually the picture postcard azure blue. Deeper sea, usually over 30
metres is a dark blue. The underwater coast line here can drop from a few
metres to 30 metres like the side of a cliff edge. At times we have
passed over a sea floor that to me looks like only a few metres deep, yet
Bryan will be recording a depth of 10 metres. This is why we have adopted
the VHF radios so that we can share what we are seeing to reach a decision
about what route we opt for.
Arriving at Dhangethi, we entered the atoll (Ari) via a narrow channel,
with reef either side of where we wanted to pass. From outside the
lagoon, it looked deceptively like there was no gap at all, so we got as
close as was safe to do to confirm there was indeed a route in. Once
inside the atoll we needed to enter the lagoon that runs the full west
side of the island. The lagoon is surrounded by the yellow coloured water
that indicates the shallow coral heads. With only a stick to indicate a
likely pass through, plus some information from a previous boat that had
anchored here, we inched through as Bryan counted down the depths....20
metres, 10 metres, 5 metres, 4 metres, 3 metres. At this point I shut my
eyes and held my breath!!!
Inside the lagoon, and the darker blue water, we were back in depths of 8
to 10 metres and found our spot to anchor. We plan to stay just a few
days before making the final passage (overnight) to Male. As with all the
islands we have visited, Dhangethi has a different feel to the others.
Ari Atoll has more tourist resorts than other atolls so Dhangethi caters
more to the tourists that visit from the local resorts. Consequently, our
presence attracts less interest than it has at the more remote islands.
The island itself is neater with hardly any graffiti on the walls, and far
less litter on the beaches surrounding the island. The main strip from
the jetty into the island has a series of souvenir shops. The island’s
only restaurant charges 5 times what we have become accustomed to – ouch!
The visiting boats are the local dhoni boats heading to and from the
resorts, and the safari dive boats.
Ramadan is restricting our movements a little. We are tending to stay on
the boat more during the day and head to the islands in the evening after
iftar. It has been very overcast again since arriving in the atoll, and
on our arrival yesterday it rained for several hours, which at least gave
us a chance to top up the water tanks and get some washing done. We did
get the chance to visit the island’s cultural centre, which is a purpose
built heritage village depicting how islanders would have lived some 500
years ago. It is well done and was an interesting visit.
Tomorrow we set off for Male. This is a 50 mile trip so will be an
overnight. Tides dictate we will leave around 2 pm. Our final week in
Maldives....
