Showing posts with label Ari atoll. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ari atoll. Show all posts

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Ari atoll

On the 5th morning we arrive Rangali Island in Ari atoll and anchor outside the Conrad-Hilton resort. We also had company from the Greek yacht m/y Magna Grecia who was also anchored off the resort. The resort has been built on 2 natural Islands connected by a bridge and a 3rd Islet has been constructed artificially to house a restaurant.

The Conrad-Hilton resort on Rangali Island

The entrance to the resort lagoon goes by the artificial islet and from there one can make his way straight to the jetty constructed. The resort sends a launch out for every new arriving yacht to escort the it tender into the bay, the resort do not allow jetskis into the lagoon (understandably). There is also an underwater restaurant where guests can watch fish while dining or the fish can watch humans eating. 

Aerial shot of Rangali Is. (Copyright Conrad-Hilton resort)

The 6th Guests spend ashore on the resort and crew gets a short respite to work on some gear maintenance and take some rest. During the evening the resort launches a wonderful fireworks display that lasts for minutes, probably for its Russian guests who are celebrating their Christmas. Upon return we are told the by some guests that the food was "pathetic" as in the food ad been dry and bland, it also had apparently been sitting in the chafing dishes far too long. Always a difficult issue to tackle when everything is imported...

The underwater restaurant (Copyright Conrad-Hilton resort)

On the 7th we pick up anchor early morning again and sail for North Male’ atoll where Guests disembarks at noon. After this the covering and stowing starts and deck and interior are busy to set everything into standby  mode for our next guest visit. 

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Dive Madivaru

In the afternoon on the 5th we dive the Madivaru dive site just south of the Conrad-Hilton resort on Rangali Island. The tide is flowing out so we drift dive. 

Oriental sweetlips


During the dive we spotted Turtles, Moray Eels, White tip shark and to top it all off, a Manta Ray. She came suddenly upon us and majestically swam past us against the current. The corals were not too great, understandably due to us being on the outer side of the atoll.

Turtle & Oriental sweetlips

Turtle head

Turtle

Moray eel hiding under huge table coral

Sabre squirrelfish

Nemo again, Maldive anemonefish

Manta Ray

The visibility was abt 10-13m. When surfacing we notice the dive boat some 500m distance off and it eventually took the crew 1.5hrs to find us.