The Maldives

So, what is it that attracts so many people? There was only one way to find out: go there! It wasn’t far and the sea is calm in the Maldivian atolls, so I wasn’t taking much of a risk. If the zone had turned out to be unprotected, we’d have gone back to our previous anchorage.

At first glance there was nothing special, apart from tourists jumping into the water and swimming energetically. However, a little later it dawned on me. I could see that there were small dark shapes emerging from the water... 1,2,3 dolphins, and then we were surrounded by them: they were everywhere!
Spinner dolphins, well known for their acrobatics and their big groups, were on the move here.

Hundreds of them come every day to swim in this small lagoon’s translucent water, on the edge of the atoll channel. It was a real spectacle! They jumped, twirled, dived and slapped the surface of the water with their tails - day and night, the colony is always active. The tourist boats from the hotels are present in the mornings, however their helmsmen don’t show much respect for the cetaceans, navigating carelessly through the middle of the group. I couldn’t help but show my anger when a boat almost hit us chasing the dolphins while we were quietly anchored outside the zone.

But by 10 am, there was not a single boat in sight, and everyone had left. So, we were able to spend a whole day with the dolphins around us, swimming with them, observing them (without touching them) and discovering their social behavior. It was a fascinating experience!

ANCHORAGE

3°48.963’N - 73°24.076’E

Apart from a few coral bommies that are easy to avoid, this anchorage presents no particular danger. Although it is exposed to all wind directions, it is protected by the coral reef, meaning it’s not a choppy anchorage. So, you can drop your hook anywhere in this sea of dolphins, as long as you’re on sand so as not to damage the coral.

WEATHER

Situated close to the equator, the Maldives have a very unstable tropical climate, influenced by the monsoons. The weather here is divided into two seasons, the north-east monsoon and the south-west monsoon.

From November to April, the best season in the Maldives is the north-east monsoon, which is the one with which we generally arrive from Asia. The winds are stable, the sea is beautiful, the water is clear, and everything is perfect!

The south-west monsoon, on the other hand, is far less appealing. From May to October, there are more squalls and more frequent rain. As for the cyclones, they sometimes pass over the Maldives and can cause major damage to the infrastructure and housing of these small, very low-lying islands. But there’s nothing to stop you sailing during this season, which can be just as enjoyable, even if this period calls for heightened vigilance.

The spinner dolphin measures between 1.30 and 2 meters (50 and 80 in). It weighs between 45 and 75 kg (99 and 165 lbs).

Spinner dolphins form colonies that can contain hundreds or even thousands of individuals.

This species of dolphin is characterized by their particularly spectacular leaps out of the water - the reasons for which are not very well understood.