exhilarating, once-in-a-lifetime, relaxing..

by Jane Ryan (attended 27/1- 3/2/24)

The Maldives…a distant dream I thought…I’ll never be able to afford the kind of holiday I’d like to take there: swimming with whale sharks, snorkelling amongst turtles and manta rays, walking the white sands and gliding through the crystal-clear waters. A pipedream I thought…especially in the cold and dreary November we were currently in… but then my good friend sent me a link to the SwimQuest website and there was my dream holiday!

Before I knew it, I’d booked flights and a cabin on the live-aboard SwimQuest-hosted boat for a week. I then spent the month of December trying not to get more excited about the swim trip than my kids were about Christmas (I failed abysmally in this task, if you want to know!).

Finally the day arrived, the 9 hour flight speed by (okay – I admit I was mostly sleeping) and when we arrived at the disorientatingly busy airport in Male, we were swiftly met by one of our guides for the week, which enabled me to start to relax and enjoy the holiday, knowing SwimQuest would look after everything from this point on. Our guide, Rose, was fantastic – calm and friendly – taking us to the Dhoni (small boat) that would take us out to the larger live-aboard boat moored in the harbour.

The swims on the trip were brilliant – mostly crystal-clear waters and so much sea life. There were a couple of days with less visibility, but then I just focused on the swim, trying to put into practice the tips the guides had given me after our stroke analysis video session.

 

 

 

The accommodation is basic, but very functional and all the rooms are air-conditioned – I was very glad of this overnight! The food (and boat staff) were amazing – lots of food options at every meal – chicken, fish, beef, vegetarian dishes, lots of salad and steamed veg, plus pasta, rice and delicious homemade chapati like breads and fresh fruit available at every meal.

 

 

In the evenings the boat would moor up and shine a huge floodlight into the water. On our first night in the atolls, we were lucky enough to get manta rays coming and doing somersaults in the light, catching plankton. Two nights after that – a whale shark came! There was audible excitement on the boat at the chance to see and swim with this amazing creature.Most of us slid quietly into the water and watched from outside the circle of light, not crowding the gentle giant. All our eyes were fixed on the whale shark in the light, so we didn’t see the second one until it was gliding under us to join its mate, literally just feet below our snorkelling bodies! I have to admit I squealed a little into my snorkel – it was such a surprise – the highlight of the trip for me. We were all absolutely buzzing after having the privilege of sharing the water with these huge creatures – no one went to bed early that night!

 

 

Our other guide, Stephen (or Bear as he is affectionately known!) was very knowledgeable about other SwimQuest trips and we all ploughed him with questions as to what he would recommend (I guarantee by the end of one SwimQuest trip you will be wanting to book your next one, they are addictively brilliant). I am thinking about the Mathraki trip – Bear made it sound so idyllic.

 

 

 

 

Apart from the fabulous guides, the tropical waters and wildlife, the thing that made this trip so special for me was the other guests. Although I travelled with a good friend, we probably spent more time chatting to the other guests! American, Canadian and British, we all mingled and had a great time, no difficulties and a lot of bonding.

For me one of the joys of open water swimming is swimming next to other people, not being in a narrow lane, in a line, fingertips to heels. At the start of the week, I was trying to match the paralympic champion who was in our group (not a chance! But thanks for the swim tips David!) but by the end I was determined to team up with one of the slower swimmers who was often on her own on the swims. We swam the last two swims next to each other and we both loved it – there’s really nothing like looking over and smiling at your swim buddy as you move through the water side by side.

My experience in 3 words: EXHILARATING, ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME, RELAXING

>>>  You can find out all about our MALDIVES SWIMMING HOLIDAY and BOOK by clicking HERE <<<