“Snorkeling sounds like fun honey. Why don’t you go first”

While we’d figured out how to visit the Maldives on a budget, we knew we’d be doing ourselves a disservice if we didn’t get out to see the amazing blue water that the destination is known for. Besides, we’d saved so much on our accommodations, we felt we could afford to spend a little extra on a boat tour. The proprietor of our hotel guaranteed we’d see beach islands, dolphins, sting rays and even sharks. I’d seen sharks before, on a snorkeling trip to Hawaii, but they were 30 feet below me swimming in their serpentine style along the ocean floor.

The crew who picked us up in the boat were the same ones who’d brought us from the airport a couple days earlier. It seemed they were using our excursion as a shuttle service as well since we had to wait 30 minutes for two Japanese girls to finish packing and drag their oversized roller bags down the sand streets of Gulhi island. The shuttle component of the trip was revealed when we dropped the girls off at the next island. It also clarified my confusion about why they’d brought their suitcases on what I thought was a snorkeling trip.

For the next 45 minutes, the boat glided across waters of every shade of blue. I’m sure those Wham-O Magic Sand Windows from the 70s were inspired by a boat ride through the Maldives. During the trip, we got to know the other couple who’d signed up for snorkeling. They were a kind but odd couple, the girl from Russia and the guy from India. We assumed they’d met through a mail order service, though the girl would later prove that she was the Ken, and he was the Barbie.

Our boat captain alerted us that something was coming up ahead as evidenced by the number of tourists boats gathered in a semi-circle vying for the best position. It was then that we saw a trio of dolphins break the surface of the ocean in a perfect arc and enter again to rejoin the pod. Once we were as close as the other boats, our captain gave us the nod to jump into the water.

While I’d seen dolphins in the wild before, I’d never been in the water with them, especially water so clear that you could see for a hundred feet. It was magical to watch how they propelled themselves through the sea, but they moved so quickly that we had to get back into the boat in order to keep up with them. Unfortunately that meant that the Russian girl and I were the only ones to see them as we were the more comfortable swimmers and hadn’t wasted a moment when told we could get into the water.

Not to miss the next opportunity, Joan was in the water before me the next time the captain stopped the boat. Unfortunately, that meant she hadn’t taken the time to put on her swim fins or her mask. As she fumbled to get her mask on, something bumped into her. It was probably for the best that she couldn’t see the shark that had body slammed her as it headed for the back of our boat.

Before anyone could panic, the Indian guy told us that they were vegetarian sharks. I wasn’t buying it. Not just because he still seemed terrified of getting into the open sea but because I saw one the crew chumming the waters behind the boat with what was clearly not beets, staining the water a dark red color.

One of the crew with a video camera was motioning Joan to go beneath the surface so that he could video tape her with the sharks, but I think reality finally set in. Not just that she’d jumped into the ocean without a life jacket or swim fins but that she was surrounded by sharks who were clearly hungry enough to be eating whatever was being thrown off the back of the boat. 

That was enough; she swam back and climbed the ladder. The Indian guy said there was no way he was getting in that water and that the “vegetables” they were feeding the sharks looked a lot like chopped fish.

When I got back in the boat, Joan mentioned that we’d never actually signed any waivers before we went on this trip and there was probably no recourse had we gotten attacked by a shark, let alone a hospital out in the middle of this atoll.

That ended our play date with the vegetarian sharks, but, at our next stop, we were able to see them closely again from the relative safety of the shore. They were joined by a fleet of sting rays patrolling the beach. I laughed as I speculated we could have paid even less for our accommodations had we chosen this danger infested island.