Enjoy a New Year Cruise on Theia Liveaboard

This year, bring in the New Year in the Maldives on the scuba diving holiday of a lifetime on Theia liveaboard.  This unique scuba diving trip will combine world-class scuba diving with a great party atmosphere on the most luxurious and stylish dive vessels in the Maldives.

Places are limited on this special New Year’s cruise so book your place today!

New Year's Eve Dive Party on Theia

New Year Dive Holiday: December 27 2010 – 8 January 2011

Places are limited on this special New Year’s cruise so book your place today!

The Theia 12-night “Dive ‘n’ Party” Cruise kicks off on December 27 and lasts until January 8th, giving you the perfect winter getaway and great New Year’s Eve party in paradise.  Expect an incredible dive holiday with delicious cocktails at sunset with the best chill music and then, after dark each night, be prepared to party with sounds of Ibiza and best in house music.  The provisional schedule of events for the dive safari is as follows: (This is subject to change.)

Enjoy the Island Paradise of the Maldives on the New Years Cruise on Theia

Theia New Year Cruise: December 27

Arrive and check-in on Theia.  Theia departs for the North Male Atoll and guests enjoy lunch on-board followed by some snorkeling, a general briefing about the safari and have the opportunity to get to know each other over some sundowner cocktails at Theia’s Sky Bar.

The Skybar on Theia is Great for Sundowners!

Theia New Year Cruise: December 28

Guests begin the day with the orientation dive, which allows the staff to acquaint themselves with everyone’s diving ability and allows guests who have not dived for a while to refresh their skills.  The dives will take place at Nassimo Thila and Manta Point dive sites.  The evening will play host to a Poker Night on board.

Theia New Year Cruise: December 29

Dives on the third day of the cruise will take place at HP Reef, widely considered to be one of the very best dive sites in the Maldives – a great place for spotting eagle rays and Lankan Manta Point, a cleaning station for many enormous manta rays.  After a day of great diving, guests will enjoy some relaxing sundowner cocktails to the sounds of great house music.

Diving with Manta Rays at Lankan Manta Point

Theia New Year Cruise: December 30

On December 30, the New Year Theia liveaboard cruise will move to the South Male Atoll after first completing a dive at the amazing Okobe Thila, where you are likely to see eagle rays, napoleon wrasse, and schools of smaller reef-dwelling fish.  Once in the South Male Atoll, divers will enjoy an afternoon dive at Kandooma Thila and then in the evening will play a great Fishing Game, before getting a good nights’ rest before the highlight of the cruise, tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve party!

Theia Liveaboard is the Maldives' Most Luxurious Dive Boat

Theia New Year Cruise: December 31

Before beginning the New Year’s Eve celebration, Theia will stop off for a morning dive at Guraidhoo Corner, a great place for spotting grey reef sharks and eagle rays.  Then, the boat heads to Maadhoofinolhu, where the New Year’s Eve celebrations will begin with a beach buffet and relaxing on the beach all afternoon.  Later, pre-dinner cocktails and chill-out music before a stunning New Year’s Eve dinner on the beach and beach party.  Dress code: white.

Grey Reef Sharks at Guraidhoo Corner Dive Site

Theia New Year Cruise: January 1

Happy New Year!  After an amazing New Year’s Eve party under the stars, it’s time to get back to the water.  Theia will begin traveling to the South Ari Atoll and along the way will search for whale sharks, one of the prime attractions of the Maldives.  The dives today will be held at Kudarah Thila.  In the evening, guests will enjoy a Black-themed evening with Sangria and a crab race, a quirky event that is often the highlight of a Maldives’ dive holiday.

Whale Sharks in the Maldives

Theia New Year Cruise: January 2-4

Great scuba diving continues on January 2 with dives at 5 Rocks,  Thinfushi Ethere Thila and the cruise continues for the whale sharks.  The next two days will include dives at Broken Rock, Dhigurah Thila, Vilamendhoo Thila and Dhigaa Thila.  Guests will also enjoy a unique island visit to a secluded island where there will be a visit with a local community.  The evening on January 4 will include a Margarita party and a beach dinner on Raidhigaa Island.

Theia New Year Cruise: January 5-8

The last few days of the New Year’s Eve 2010 diving holiday on Theia liveaboard include some of the finest dive sites in the Maldives, including Pannettone, a wreck dive at Fesdhu and the legenday night dive at Maaya Thila, where grey reef sharks can be found prowling the reef for their evening meal.  A stunning daytime dive at Maaya Thila will also feature among the activities of the last few days as well as several dives at the manta ray cleaning station at Rangali Madivaru dive site.  The cruise ends on January 7th in Male with a shopping trip in Male and a visit to the historical sites in the city.

Ocean View Guest Suite on Theia

Theia New Year Cruise Package

This amazing New Year 2010 Dive Holiday on Theia includes the following:

• Total 24 dives
• All meals
• Island visit
• Beach Barbecue
• Sunset and Night Fishing
• Island visit
• Whale shark search
• Traditional music on Local Island with Maldivian Bodu Beru Band

All activities, dive sites and routes can change without prior notice.

The total cost for the USD $3,480 per person.

Places are limited on this special New Year’s cruise so book your place today!

Ambassador of Germany, Jens Ploetner, Pays Courtesy Call on Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed

Ambassador of Germany to the Maldives, Mr. Jens Ploetner, has paid a courtesy call on President Mohamed Nasheed. The meeting was held this afternoon at the President’s Office.

Meeting between German Ambassador Ploetner and Maldives’ President Nasheed

In the meeting, President Nasheed and Ambassador Ploetner discussed the friendly relationship between the two countries and ways to strengthen the current relationship between the Maldives and Germany. Mr. Ploetner gave additional details on the President’s upcoming official visit to Germany.

The President was joined at the meeting by Vice President Dr. Mohamed Waheed, Special Envoy to the President Ibrahim Hussain Zaki and Political Advisor to the President Hassan Afeef.

Long-Awaited Theia Sets Sail on Maiden Cruise

Luxury liveaboard safari ship, Theia, made her maiden voyage on January 11.  The long-awaited super cruiser is a beautiful ship reminiscent of private yachts often seen cruising the Mediterranean or Caribbean.

Theia Liveaboard

Theia Liveaboard Features

Theia has 8 cabins on board, of which 2 are luxurious ocean view suites located on the upper deck and 6 are cabins on the lower deck.  In total there is accommodation for 18 people.  All rooms have air-conditioning, hot water, en-suite bathrooms and exterior windows.  They are all stylishly decorated with dark woods and fresh green and white colours.  Internet access is available on board, as well as a TV and Hi-Fi system in the lounge area.

Theia Guest Room

Theia Diving Holidays

The first diving holidays on Theia are scheduled to begin in February 2010.  You can reserve your space here.  All diving holidays on Theia are different, but they all promise to show guests the most pristine, untouched areas of the Maldives, finest scuba diving sites and most spectacular scenery.

Whale Sharks are Often Spotted in the Maldives

Food and Activities on Theia

All diving trips on Theia include three meals a day, snacks and all dives (2 or 3 dives each day).  Meals are prepared by well-trained chefs and highlight many of the local, fresh ingredients you can find in the Maldives, including a lot of fresh fish and tropical fruits.  The kitchen creates many great meals, combining local flavours with western favourites.  There is a full bar on the ship, but alcoholic drinks are charged additionally at the end of the trip.

For more information about Theia, and to reserve your space on this amazing liveaboard, click here.

Unbelievable Scuba Diving in Maldives on Galileo

The Galileo Liveaboard reported more spectacular scuba diving in the Maldives today, Sunday, December 13th, 2009.  Cruising around South Male Atoll, guests on board were treated to some amazing sights.

72 Grey Reef Sharks Seen at Bodo Kandu Dive Site

Grey reef sharks are common in the Maldives, and are a major attraction, especially since you can get really close to the sharks here, and they are surprisingly friendly.  Today, at Kandooma Thila Dive Site in the South Male Atoll, guests of the Galileo Liveaboard were treated to a spectacle of 72 grey reef sharks.  This was an amazing experience for all guests on board.

Grey reef sharks at Bodo Kandu

Galileo Scuba Diving Safaris

There are some great special offers on diving safaris on the Galileo Liveaboard, making your dream scuba diving holiday in the Maldives more accessible than you might have thought.  All prices include scuba diving, meals and accommodation, as well as a selection of other activities.

• January 4 – 18 2010 – 14-night Galileo Diving Safari – EUR 1,764 per person

• January 18 – 25  – 7-night Galileo Diving Safari – EUR 756 per person

• February 25 – March 4 – 7-night Galileo Diving Safari – EUR 882 per person

Note: This safari starts and ends in the Laamu Atoll (south Maldives), so you need to purchase a return flight from Male International Airport to Kaddhoo.  This will cost approximately USD 250 and is not included in the price of the safari.

• March 4 – 11 – 7-night Galileo Diving Safari – EUR 882 per person

Note: This safari starts and ends in the Laamu Atoll (south Maldives), so you need to purchase a return flight from Male International Airport to Kaddhoo.  This will cost approximately USD 250 and is not included in the price of the safari.

Galileo Liveaboard Information

For more information about the Galileo Liveaboard ship and the dive safaris operated around the Maldives, visit the Galileo Liveaboard information page.

by Matt Walker Editor, BBC Earth News

The once secret life of a huge, recently discovered species of manta ray has been unveiled.

Biologist Dr Andrea Marshall has discovered that the giant fish, which she first described as new to science last year, undertakes huge journeys.

As well as making the longest migration known across the Indian Ocean, the fish gathers in large numbers to feed and survives attacks by sharks.

The behavior is revealed in the BBC documentary series Natural World.

Growing up to 7m wide, manta rays are the largest living ray in the ocean and one of the largest of all fish.

Previously, it was thought there was just one species of manta ray, known by the scientific name Manta birostris.

But the more Dr Marshall swam with them, the more she noticed how different manta rays that frequent reefs and the open ocean are, both in their behavior and markings.

Mantas evolved from sting rays, and it was thought they had lost their sting. But Dr Marshall has found that the larger ocean-going mantas have retained a vestigial sting on their tails, proving that the two are separate species.

In July last year, she announced the discovery that there are not one but two species of manta ray at the American Elasmobranch Society’s annual conference in Montreal, Canada.

Manta Ray

The larger giant mantas retain the name Manta birostris, while the reef-going mantas have been newly named Manta alfredi, in tribute to Alfred Whitley who first scientifically described manta rays in the 1930s.

However, Dr Marshall’s studies have uniquely revealed a host of manta ray behaviors.

The rays sometimes swim across the ocean floor, skimming the reefs with their mouths, a behavior filmed by the camera crew for the first time.

Usually the fish feed on plankton, but what they feed on when skimming is unclear.

Dr Marshall studies manta rays off the coast of Tofo in southern Mozambique.

It was always thought that manta rays stayed in shallow waters.

Manta ray mating behavior

But Dr Marshall has discovered that the larger giant species of manta ray dives deeply, and migrates 700 miles (1,100km) in just 60 days to the Maldives, the longest migration known for a fish living in the Indian Ocean.

In the Maldives, researchers have also uncovered a unique gathering place of reef mantas, where hundreds of the fish gather.

Around 80% of the fish are female, with many pregnant, suggesting the area is a critical breeding site for the species.

Studies by Dr Marshall and colleague Dr Simon Pierce of the Manta Ray and Whale Shark Research Centre based at Tofo Beach in southern Mozambique have also revealed that manta rays living off Tofo bear huge scars inflicted by large sharks.

Mysterious giants

Manta rays appear capable of surviving such attacks and will queue up to have their wounds tended by cleaner fish, which nibble at the wound to remove dead tissue and prevent infection.

Dr Marshall’s studies have also revealed new aspects to the fishes’ reproduction.

Many male mantas follow a single female, mirroring her behavior in a bid to attract her as a mate.

Females, which give birth to a single pup after a 12-month gestation, rarely give birth in consecutive years, Dr Marshall has found.

That extremely slow reproduction could place the fish in danger from overfishing, both for subsistence and for export to be used in traditional Chinese medicines.

350.org dive rally began last night at 00:00 hrs in the capital city of Male’, Maldives and continues 24 hours. The event was held at the lagoon in front of Presidential Office. More than 150 scuba divers took part in this event including local divers and foreign expatriate divers.

350 dive briefing

A gaint stride towards 350

Divers ready to descent underwater

350 formation with safety balloons

Underwater 350 formation

A report by Maldives Minivan News

From polythene bags to nappies, a growing tide of plastic is destroying beaches and harming coral reefs and marine life in the Maldives. Talk to any marine biologist in the country and you will hear tales of plastic bags smothering corals, or turtles mistaking plastic bags for jellyfish and swallowing them whole.

“I dive pretty much every day and come back with plastic bottles and bags,” says Abbie Hine, a marine biologist at Four Seasons. “There’s a lot of stuff down there and with the incredible marine life here it gets ingested by a lot of animals.”

Most plastic is not biodegradable and remains in the oceans for centuries. Naturally buoyant, it gets carried across vast distances, breaking down into successively smaller particles which are ingested by creatures lower and lower down the food chain. Throw in the effects of climate change, ocean acidification and overfishing, and marine animals appear to be fighting a losing battle. “Scientists are now saying there’s more plastic than plankton in the ocean,” says Hine.

Hussein Zahir, a senior reef ecologist at the Marine Research Centre, attributes the rise in plastic debris to a change in lifestyle in the Maldives. While consumption of inorganic goods, such as bottled water, has increased, he says, waste disposal methods have remained the same.

Traditionally, waste has been disposed of at designated areas on the beach, or piled up on uninhabited parts of an island for natural composition. But in reality, most of it ends up in the sea. The word for beach in Dhivehi, “godudhoh”, literally means dumping site. “People think that the ocean is a big waste bin,” says Mairyam Shafiya, assistant research officer at the Marine Research Centre. A report on marine litter published by the United Nations Environment Agency in June, notes that one of the main sources of marine litter around he world is from dumpsites located near the coast.

Sea Turtle in the Maldives

Adam Rasheed, a wind-surfing instructor, from Shaviyani atoll Feydhoo, says that while there is an allocated spot for rubbish on his island, most people throw their litter onto the beaches and into the bushes. “In one or two years, we won’t be able to even walk there. It’s not only one place. It’s everywhere,” he says. “I went snorkelling yesterday for lobsters and saw two or three nappies, three to four plastic bags and some clothes.”

Cultural change

Plastic debris left over from fishing is another source of marine litter, leading to the entanglement of marine animals in fishing lines and nets. “We have found Olive Ridley turtles before. We have collected quite a few entangled in nets. Sometimes dead, sometimes alive, sometimes disabled,” says Zahir. But, he says, there is very little that can be done about ghost nets which are believed to float down from India and Sri Lanka. Discarded fishing lines, he says, are mainly left behind by tourists on recreational fishing trips.

The impact of marine litter on the environment can result in serious economic losses, especially important in the Maldives, which relies heavily on both tourism and fishing as two of its primary sources of income. A joint UN-government entitled Valuing Biodiversity published earlier this year established unequivocal links between biodiversity and the economy. It examines the tourism and fisheries sectors which provide three-quarters of the country’s jobs, 90 per cent of the GDP and two-thirds of the foreign exchange earnings.

While the government has no specific objectives to reduce the use of plastic, it is working towards establishing a solid waste management system, says Ahmed Murthaza, assistant director of the Environment Protection Agency. He adds that regulations are being drawn up to establish waste collection points and disposal, and should be completed by January next year.

“There’s a lot of work that we need to do,” says Murthaza. “We need to charge more for plastic bags and not charge for environmentally-friendly products. Changing behaviour is not a very easy thing. We don’t be able to do it overnight.” Littering, according to the UN report, has largely cultural roots with current attitudes and behaviour demonstrating that people do not feel responsible for their rubbish.

Plastic-bag free

On World Ocean Day in June, the head of the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) called for a world-wide ban on thin film plastic bags, which he described as “pointless”. Achim Steimer, UN under-secretary-general and UNEP executive director said marine litter was symptomatic of a wider malaise: the wasteful use and poor management of natural resources.

“The plastic bags, bottles and other debris piling up in the oceans and seas could be dramatically reduced by improved waste reduction, waste management and recycling initiatives,” he said. “Some of the litter, like thin film single use plastic bags which choke marine life, should be banned or phased-out rapidly everywhere – there is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere.” Steimer added other waste could be cut by boosting public awareness, and promoting the three Rs – reduce, re-use and recycle – rather than dumping waste into the sea.

Around the world, a number of countries have banned or limited the use of plastic bags. One of the biggest successes is Ireland, which in 2002 passed a plastic bag tax, around Rf4, charged at the till. Within weeks there was a 94 per cent drop in plastic bag use. France is aiming for a complete ban by 2010.

Even in the developing world, countries have been making efforts to restrict the use of plastic bags. In May 2003, South Africa set the ball rolling by banning thinner plastic bags and charging levies on thicker ones with Kenya and Uganda following suit in 2007. In 2005, Eritrea, Rwanda and Somalia all banned plastic bags. In South Asia, Bangladesh imposed a ban on light-weight plastic bags in the capital, Dhaka, while Mumbai, in India, banned plastic bags in 2000.

Stunning Coral Reef Garden in the Maldives

For Hine, most people in the Maldives simply do not think about their use of plastic. When in Male’, she says, her refusal of plastic bags in shops is met with perplexed looks. “I would love to get the Maldives plastic-bag free,” she says. “The government is very proactive on the environment and this would be a way to keep the global attention on the country.”

Underwater Cabinet Meeting about Climate Change in the Maldives

With fish as witnesses, the president of Maldives and his Cabinet wore scuba gear and used hand signals Saturday at an underwater meeting to highlight the threat climate change poses to the archipelago nation.

The Maldives declaration will be presented at a U.N. summit on climate change in December.

The meeting, chaired by President Mohamed Nasheed, took place around a table about 16 feet (5 meters) underwater, according to the president’s Web site. Bubbles ascended from the face masks the president and the Cabinet wore, and fish swam around them.

At the meeting, the Cabinet signed a declaration calling for global cuts in carbon emissions that will be presented before a U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.

“We are trying to send our message to let the world know what is happening and what will happen to the Maldives if climate change isn’t checked,” Nasheed said, according to his Web site.

Asked what would happen if Copenhagen fails, the president said, “We are all going to die,” according to the site.

The ministers signed their wet suits, which are being auctioned, to raise money for coral reef protection in the Maldives, the Web site said.

Maldives is grappling with the very likely possibility that it will go under water if the current pace of climate change keeps rising sea levels. The Maldives is an archipelago of almost 1,200 coral islands south-southwest of India. Most of it lies just 4.9 feet (1.5 meters) above sea level.

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change has forecast a rise in sea levels of at least 7.1 inches (18 cm) by the end of the century.

The country’s capital, Male, is protected by sea walls. But creating a similar barrier around the rest of the country will be cost-prohibitive.

Soon after his election in November, Nasheed raised the possibility of finding a new homeland for the country’s 396,000 residents.

The tourist nation wants to set aside part of its annual billion-dollar revenue into buying a new homeland, he said at the time.

“We will invest in land,” he said. “We do not want to end up in refugee tents if the worst happens.”

Nasheed’s government said it has broached the idea with several countries and found them to be “receptive.”

By ABC News, October 16, 2009

Vets got a surprise when they found that a monster groper washed up on a Townsville beach had a whole sea turtle inside its stomach.

The 150kg fish, estimated to be 25 years old, died after washing up on Townsville’s Strand earlier this week.

A whole green turtle with a shell measuring 40 centimetres was found inside the groper’s stomach.

While the cause of the turtle’s death is believed to have been the groper, vets say it is unlikely the turtle caused the groper’s death.

It is hoped the actual cause of death will be known next week, but it is not believed to be linked to a bacterial infection that has killed other gropers along the north Queensland coast.

A report from the Maldives News / Dhivehi Observer, October 16, 2009

The President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, and his ministers will be holding the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting tomorrow, Saturday 17 October, to draw global attention to the pressing issue of climate change.

Famed for its first-rate diving, the Maldives stands at the frontline of the climate change battle. To call attention to their country’s plight, ministers will use hand signals and slates to communicate to ratify a statement calling for rapid greenhouse gas reductions. The statement will be presented at the landmark UN climate change talks in Copenhagen this December.

Ministers have been taking scuba diving lessons with help from Divers Association Maldives (DAM) and will be awarded a PADI Discover Scuba certificates at the end of their sessions. President Nasheed is already a PADI Advanced Open Water diver.

“The ministers are fairly comfortable in the water particularly given that they’ve just started diving,” said Zoona Naseem, president of DAM and a PADI staff instructor. “None of ministers have ever been diving before except the defense minister and all of them are very enthusiastic.” Three of the ministers have expressed an interest to train for their PADI Open Water diver certificates.

The underwater meeting is part of a wider campaign by international environmental NGO 350.org.

350.org is calling on political leaders to commit to deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions at Copenhagen. The world’s top climatologists, such as James Hansen of the NASA/Goddard Institute, caution that atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide must return to the safe threshold of 350 parts per million if catastrophic global warming is to be avoided. Levels currently stand at 385ppm.

The 350.org campaign will cumulate in a global day of environmental action on 24 October. In the Maldives, 350 divers will stage a 24-hour, underwater climate protest in the Male’ lagoon. Local Maldivian NGOs will send 350 ‘Postcards from the Frontline’ to world leaders and an environmental activist will sail from Male’ to the airport island in a raft made from 350 empty plastic bottles.

After the underwater cabinet meeting on 17 October, President Nasheed will hold a press conference, where he will call for carbon dioxide reductions commensurate with the 350 target.

President Nasheed has often warned of the dangers climate change poses to the Maldives – a country so beautiful it has reached the final of the ‘New 7 Wonders of Nature’ competition.

As the President recently remarked: “If we can’t save the Maldives today, we can’t save London, New York or Hong Kong tomorrow.”