Has been a pleasure for us to confirm the restart of our operations in the Maldives. We would like to convey to you the confidence, safety, convenience, and of course, the Blue Force Fleet premium quality guarantee.
We are intensively working to meet all the official new protocols to prevent the COVID-19 and we have added some extra requirements for the common good of guests and staff onboard our vessels and of course for the sake of the diving travel industry. The most important one will be the added measure, from our self, of a compulsory PCR test with negative result done no more than 5 days before embarking and now, the Maldivian Ministry of Tourism, announced that every traveler arriving at the country must bring a negative PCR test in English. This measure is compulsory and effective on 10th September 2020.
Would you like to take pictures which were something more than souvenirs?
Are you ready to take the step towards the aim of understanding the world of underwater photography and learning Rafael Fernandez’s tips to take better pictures?
Go on board the Maldives Blue Force One to make the Central Atolls route and throughout the cruise you will be helped and adviced by Rafael Fernández Caballero, who will show you everything you need, from basic concepts to understand the most complex tricks to the latest techniques to take original photos and go beyond the limitations of your camera by editing them.
Rafael Fdez. Jr won the World and European Champion of underwater photography. He has won several awards in national and international photography competitions since 2012. He has been diving since he was a little child. This young man has devoted all his free time to travelling to different places, camera in hand, getting the most of every destination. All those trips have let him take lots of incredible photographs which he has used afterwards to take part in championships and even to be published in several magazines.
During this cruise will take place this interesting Underwater Photography Workshop.It is aimed to all different levels. In his scheduled daily talks and photo reviews Rafa will show not only the basic concepts of photography and photography composition but also his personal knacks and the techniques he used in his championships. Besides, you will get familiar with a more artistic vision of underwater photography.
Thanks to living together, practicing and commenting on many different pictures, you will be able to learn in a quick, simple, pleasant and personalized way. And as we said before, learning to get over the limitations of the camera by using photography editing tools will be another aim of the workshop.
To sum up, this workshop will not only give you the opportunity to take pictures which are more than a simple souvenir, but it will give you the opportunity to take meaningful and impressive shots.
Life is not measured by the times we breathe but by the moments that have left us breathless.
This statement can respond to a philosophy of life and helps us explain what Hanifaru and the BLUE FORCE “MANTA EXPEDITION” can be.
Being able to visit such a place on the planet is something unique, special and exclusive. What happens each season in Hanifaru Bay has become one of the most amazing natural discoveries of recent times.
You cannot miss the chance, come, live the Blue Force Experience and take your breath away!
One manta ray, two manta rays, three manta rays, … and so and so counting up to six, seven or eight together in a single dive site is common on a trip to the Maldives. But when the count starts to hit forty or fifty and it’s literally impossible to keep calculating the exact number of manta rays swimming in all directions, you can only be in one place: Hanifaru Bay.
Hanifaru is a unique place in the world, here we will be able to see one of the largest agglomerations of reef manta rays (Mobula Alfredi) in the world, with an average size of 2-3 meters, only surpassed by the giant oceanic manta (Mobula birostris) that can reach more than 5 meters wingspan.
Logically, after its discovery by a scientific team, in a few years Hanifaru became one of the main attractions of the north of the Maldives, not only because of the huge numbers of manta rays that can sometimes be observed, but also because of an increasing number of whale sharks that also take advantage of the large amounts of food in the form of plankton that they find here. To avoid a more than likely overcrowding, in 2011 UNESCO declared the Baa Atoll a Biosphere Reserve.
Subsequently, the Maldivian government established strict regulations and supported scientific projects that currently continue to be developed here and in other areas of the archipielago, related to this species. Time has shown the success of such measures with the progressive increase in the number of sightings.
To swim with these giants in the famous bay, only snorkeling is allowed. Divers and bubbles would clearly affect the behavior and feeding in continuous movement of the manta rays. Not forgetting that after a few minutes in the water one realizes that diving would not be the best option to enjoy the amazing show that takes place so close to the surface.
Liveaboards do not freely access the atoll area where the mantas are feeding to avoid disturbing them and avoid the decrease of specimens in the area, in addition, snorkeling guests must pay a fee to contribute to the maintenance of the reserve. Visitors will access the water only after receiving detailed instructions on how to behave at any given time, in limited groups, and under the supervision of a certified local guide.
Although it may seem somehow restrictive, soon after and without any effort, the mantas will end up swimming close, even very close, to anyone who respects their space and their way of feeding, either collectively “in a row” or individually performing loopings without cease.You have to stay calm and observe the route the manta rays make uninterruptedly along the channel. The comings and goings are constant, so even in a short time you will even be able to recognize some individuals with unmistakable marks such as spots or even bites, some of them scarred but others also recent
Although the main restrictions are established for Hanifaru Bay, diving is allowed in other areas of Baa Atoll. So many congregations of individuals feeding in the bay explain the large number of sightings by divers outside the atoll, not only of manta rays but also whale sharks if you are a little lucky. The “official” season in Hanifaru is from May to November, although the largest congregations of mantas usually happen between the months of July and September.
The amazing Maldives open their borders to tourism on the 15th of July and they are looking forward to welcome you!
Following a comprehensive procedure, meeting the protocols to prevent COVID-19 recommended by Maldives Government and the WHO and the added measure of a compulsory PCR negative test no more than 5 days before embarking, we will restart on the 8th of August our 2020 season aboard the Maldives Blue Force One.
And… WE HAVE WINNERS!!!
Enjoy this amazing and colorful drawing. Is the winner of our contest “keep on dreaming”. Visit the link and know, as well, the winner of “the important thing is taking part”.
https://www.blueforcefleet.com/keepondreaming/
Congratulations to the winners and thanks a lot to the other participants!!
WE ARE GETTING CLOSER!!
