A short story that led to these very special trips…
In Huvadhoo Atoll, in the South of the Maldives, whale sharks started showing up at the back of fishing boats at night to feed on the plankton gathered in the bright lights the fishermen were using to attract small fish. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, the fishermen didn’t think so since the whale sharks interfered with their fishing. The solution they came up with was brilliant – alert the liveaboard dive boats to the action taking place. So, long story short, liveaboards started putting up lights at the back of the boat to attract these magnificent creatures away from the fisherman. The whale sharks, busy feeding, don’t seem to mind a bit that snorkelers and divers are enjoying this unique chance to be up close and personal with them.

During the special Deep South Trips between Male and Gan during February and March, this activity takes place but, for most boats, only 1 night during the charter as the focus on those trips is on seeing as many different shark species you can see. That’s why it was decided to place Carpe Novo Explorer in Huvadhoo atoll for most of the month of May, 2016 – so we could try a few nights each charter to have this very special encounter.