Knowledge and protection of coral, a sneak preview of the first autonomous iBubble camera, test of an underwater scooter, encounter with the whale shark, introduction to discovering underwater photography and presentation of the main marine turtle rescue center in the Maldives… The least we can say is that the Lux Underwater festival, held from September 16 to 22 on the islet of Dhidhoofinolhu in the Maldives within the beautiful Lux South Ari Atoll hotel, lived up to its promises.Day 1: coral restoration program and presentation of the PADI organizationMarine biologist Mark McMillan explained the specifics of the Maldivian coral reefs, which host a rich underwater biodiversity: during dives, one can see green and hawksbill turtles, blacktip and whitetip sharks, the famous whale shark, manta rays, and the endemic clownfish of the Maldives (Amphiprion nigripes), recognizable by its narrow vertical white stripe behind the eyes.
He also pointed out that soft coral tends to grow faster than hard coral. But if the water warms up and exceeds 29°C, coral under stress can die. The hotel has initiated a reef reconstruction program using recycled materials.
At the end of the day, the CEO of PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), Dr. Drew Richardson, recapped the history of the leading international organization for recreational scuba diving training, which has issued 26 million certifications in 52 years of existence! Present in 183 countries, PADI certifies one million new people each year.Day 2: dives with iBubble, the first autonomous underwater cameraThe French start-up Notilo+, now comprising around twenty people with 14 in research & development, traveled to the Maldives with the first underwater drone, which accompanied divers underwater all day. iBubble, officially launching next November, is truly impressive! It allows you to film your dives… with almost no effort. Divers were able to take control of the remote and choose from various scenarios: the camera stabilizes a few meters behind the diver and films, it can also move in front to film what the diver sees, and it can also be held in hand to film a particular subject, like a regular camera.
The main features of iBubble:
– Speed: 1.5 m/s (very silent underwater).
– Weight: 9 kg.
– Can dive down to 60 meters.
– 2 lights of 1000 lumens each.
– A battery, easily replaceable, with an autonomy of one hour (the drone automatically returns to the diver when the battery is low).
– Image stabilization system.Day 3: underwater scooter rideDivers who wished could test the use of an underwater scooter along the outer reef slope of the atoll. Once it was mastered, it was off for a ride that feels like ‘flying’ underwater. Long reserved for tech divers (particularly in cave diving) and professional divers, the scooter is becoming popular, offering new sensations and allowing traversing much larger distances underwater without fins.
Day 4: meeting the whale sharkThe Lux hotel benefits from an exceptional location for encountering whale sharks year-round, as it is directly located on the most renowned reef for that purpose, through which most diving cruises pass.
After reminding that a whale shark is nothing like whales, Mark McMillan admitted that the largest living fish on earth remains unknown. No one knows where it reproduces, nor where the nurseries where it begins its long life (it can live up to 130 years) are located. However, researchers have determined that the marine reserve next to the LUX* South Ari Atoll hotel is a secondary nursery. The whale sharks present are mostly juvenile males, not yet ready to reproduce, spending their adolescence here (between 15 and 25 years) before leaving for… unknown destinations. A few years ago, a program to tag individuals started but the local population quickly opposed it, even removing the tags. To learn more about this still mysterious species, the team of the program MWSRP (Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme) has set up a database that has managed to record 388 individuals so far, thanks to images taken by many divers: the video published on the magazine’s Facebook page identified it as Jonah, a 6-meter male already seen 98 times on the reef. If you visit the area, you just need to use the MWSRP app and upload your photo (you need an image taken from the side of the animal) to identify it. This day was a reminder of the approach rules for this endangered and legally protected species in the Maldives: give the animal space, do not position yourself in front of it, do not touch it, and do not use light to photograph or film it (video in English).
Day 6: presentation of the marine turtle rescue centerDr. Claire Petros, veterinary surgeon for the Olive Ridley project, gave a particularly interesting presentation on the situation of turtles in the Maldives, particularly vulnerable to multiple human-caused dangers (boat propellers, poaching for eggs or seizing animals for aquariums, pollution notably with plastic ingestion, fishing lines, and nets…) Inaugurated in February 2017 in the Baa atoll, the Olive Ridley project marine turtle rescue center has already hosted dozens of injured individuals: after surgery, turtles spend their recovery in large tanks before being released back into their natural habitat once they have regained buoyancy control.
In practice
– Getting to the Lux South Ari Atoll hotel : upon arrival of the international flight in Malé, a person assists you in checking in your luggage on the domestic flight done by seaplane (25 minutes flight). On-site, 193 rooms are spread across one of the largest inhabited islands of the Maldives, which is nearly 2 kilometers long. Despite the number of accommodations available, you often feel almost alone on the island.– The diving center: Euro-Divers, which has 12 centers in the Maldives including the one at Lux South Ari Atoll, has new equipment (you don’t have to travel heavily loaded) and a team of international guides (many speak French).
– The dives: divers are taken to dive sites on large dhonis, traditional Maldivian boats (platforms securely hold cameras). 50 sites are accessible ranging from 5 to 45 minutes by boat. Among them are Kuda Rah Thila in the first protected area of the Maldives, which hosts a gigantic school of blue-striped snapper (Lutjanus kasmira), or Maamigili Outside where whale sharks swimming year-round.
Sandrine Leveugle-Souan
