27 March Rasdhoo

04 15.85N 072 68.99E 15m sand

Our anchor came out of the water as the sun rose over the horizon this morning, our plan to head 32nm west to Rasdhoo atoll where the diving was reported to be good.

We entered the atoll through the west channel of the south pass and anchored half a mile in front of a resort close to local fishing boats. When we were joined by seven more boats a representative from the resort came out to ask how long boats were staying. With most leaving the next day we were OK to stay, but resorts don't like their guests' views to be marred by yachts at anchor.

Next day we did two dives on the wall on the south east side of the atoll and it was very good; comparatively healthy coral, a wall coming up from 40m, good visibility and eagle rays, plenty of good size sharks and a couple of manta rays.

Rasdhoo is memorable for the best diving so far in the Maldives and for the failure of four BCDs. The first was a spare jacket we lent to a diver without their own kit. At the end of the dive the left shoulder dump valve split away from the fabric. On the second dive we lent our second spare BCD to the same and before we even descended the same left shoulder dump valve broke. While David and I were floating on the surface waiting to descend I noticed a stream of bubbles coming from a small tear in the bladder of his jacket, not enough to abort the dive so we carried on and had a wonderful hour following the current along the wall. On the surface at the end of the dive I inflated my BCD only to discover the dump valve on my right shoulder was bleeding out air as fast as I was putting it in. Unbelievable. In an afternoon dive and one the following morning all our BCDs broke. It might have been possible to repair my jacket and David's could have been used, but what if they broke again? We were a half day away from Male where we knew we could buy new ones so we headed back to the city.

at the end of the day. Cheers.