Dolphins, mantas, and whale sharks, oh my!
On our third day in paradise, we had our adventure snorkel tour through the resort. For 3-4 hours, we chased manta rays, dolphins, and whale sharks near the resort and captured unreal beauty in the ocean.
Quick Breakfast
Because we had a 10am start time and obviously lazy nature, we had to rush our breakfast. In addition, we were slightly more burned than we anticipated so we had to be very careful! Since we had to expend a lot of energy for the snorkel, I loaded up on carbs and fruit rather than a sit down breakfast. I sadly missed my eggs benedict!!
Manta Point
Our tour began promptly at 10am and our guide explained the next few hours. First, we would begin at Manta Ray Point that is about 10 minutes away from the resort. From there, we would go to Whale Shark land and if we were lucky, see the majestic beasts. Last, we would try our luck at Turtle Island. Talk about an adventure!
Since we did not put on sunscreen in the villa, we rushed to put it on the boat. It was a bad decision as we were rushed out of the boat and I believe most of it was washed off of us. However, we were just in time as we saw up to three manta rays in the wild! The rays were in pairs and just floated above the sea floor. They are truly beautiful and we were amazed! Because of my GoPro, I nabbed a few great pictures and enjoyed attempting to get closer to the rays. Unlike our guide, I could not hold my breathe that long so my shots weren’t as close!
Dive, Dive, Dive!
After the manta rays disappeared into the deep unknown, we boarded the boat and drove to Whale Shark Land (not the real name!) If we thought we were rushed at Manta Ray Point, our guide gave us a five minutes heads up and told us to literally just jump out of the boat, wherever safe and possible, once he gave the signal! I like to think we looked like the ship was sinking once we approached the horde of snorkels and boats at Whale Shark Land.
We hit the jackpot! There was a whale shark!! Once we dived into the water, we joined nearly 100 others and instantly joined this chaos. If I thought I was clausorphotic on land, this was worse as little kids thought they were boss and kicked and elbowed their way to a slightly better view. The shark was amazing and literally just floated and glided in the water. It was magnificent - if you could get a moment of silence in the crowd!
Like any ocean creature, eventually the whale shark swam away and went deep into the ocean blue. I had lost MF in the crowd a long time ago so I knew if I couldn’t see her, she was likely onboard! I swam for awhile as I enjoyed the views and eventually realized I was one of the few people in our group left in the water.
Turtle Island
As we drove to Turtle Island, we saw dolphins along the way! They were jumping out of the water and swimming in the wake of our boat. One of the coolest sights was also seeing flying fish literally fly out of the motor wake and fly close to 10-20 feet! Even out of the water, we saw amazing sights that we would not have seen in the water!
On turtle island, our luck finally ran out. We stopped at another island’s “house” reef and swam about 500 yards looking for turtles. In the end, we enjoyed the crystal clear water and the many fish in the coral reefs. The visibility in the Maldives is INCREDIBLE and allowed us to see everything in the water. Mary Frances and I enjoyed floating along the coral reef and spotting all sorts of fish and creatures!
Our Review
On our trip, we hit the Maldives Miracle and saw dolphins, manta rays, a whale shark, and beautiful coral reefs! While we did have a lot of boat time going from place to place, it was very effective. The whale shark island was a little too crowded for our taste, but I realize that many who do this tour often do not see a whale shark. The resort staff was really happy for us that we saw them! If one has to do any snorkel experience, this would be the choice!
Treat Yo Self - with dumplings
Because we saw dolphins, mantas, and whale sharks (oh my!), Mary Frances wanted to treat ourselves with some dumplings!
Ufaa
One of the crown jewels of the restaurants, the Chinese inspired Ufaa offers incredible views on the beach and 20% off your lunch order if you are a Gold member. While we did not realize it when we ordered, Mary Frances was so thrilled that she could come back and use “saving” money as an excuse!
For some reason, Mary Frances had been craving dumplings and I am not entirely sure if she has ever had dumplings. From my memory, I don’t remember her eating dumplings especially on our trips where I go to the dumpling food stall and she refuses to eat it. In the end, I believe I know the real reason - she watched Crazy Rich Asians on the flight and there is a scene where the family freshly made dumplings for a party… Only Mary Frances!
At Ufaa, there are many options. We went for the pork dumpling with soya sauce and a mixed crab and pork dumpling. Obviously, we had to have the finest Norweigen water in the Maldives (which really grinds my gears!). By far, the pork dumpling with soya sauce was our absolute favorite!! In fact, it might have been our favorite restaurant food and possibly beat the excellent steak at the Vilnu. The other dumpling was good, but we ended dunking the dumpling in the soya sauce because it was utterly delicious!
Tip: Remember, if you're a Hilton Diamond or Gold member, you get 20% off your bill!
R&R in the Villa
Because we got burned by the beach yesterday, we opted to spend our afternoon R&R at our villa. Rather than nap in the AC, we decided to take advance of our lounge chairs and dip in the jazzuki if we got hot. Strangely, we had not realized that the umbrella was NOT our friend….
Afternoon Tea and Happy Hour
After MF realized that afternoon tea and happy hour were going to be the same and that she could easily convince me to get dinner, she opted to not eat and drink free food. On the other hand, I went there promptly at 4pm and stayed until 5:30 when it ended!!
For my snacks, I had several plates of olive and feta sandwiches, salmon sandwich, lemon berry tart, white macedonia nut cookie, and chocolate cupcake. I obviously had 20 chocolate cupcakes and likely ruined my dinner! Since I was alone, I relaxed under the shade admiring the view and reading my book.
At this moment, I realized that I was way more burnt than I expected on my arms and neck… I was shocked! We had used a lot of sunscreen and spent most of the afternoon under the umbrella! This was the moment where I confirmed the umbrella was NOT our friend… Ouch…
Rangali Night
After walking back and observing the sunset with BAE, we confirmed we both were burnt. Luckily, we had cancelled our whale shark tour in the morning to avoid the insane crowds but now we had another reason! I had expected that our backs would be bad, but we were between medium burnt to light red everywhere. Medium burnt was the worst!
For our dinner, the Vilnu was busy so we had to try another restaurant - the Rangali Bar and Grill. According to the forums, most people who wanted to save money, this was the restaurant of choice as it offers many choices at a convenient price.
Tip: Even if the restaurant looks empty, it doesn't mean they are available! Just book a reservation through your concierge!
During our meal, we even had live music from a range of countries and genres. We enjoyed the music, sand beneath our feet, and the relaxed attitude. For our dinner, we split the steak sandwich and half bottle of Whispering Angel rose. The steak was not as tasty as the previous night, yet we still were full afterwards.
Manta Ray Watch
Mantas!
To digest and possibly see our manta ray friends again, we walked the long way back to our villa. On the bridge, there was a crowd of folks on the bridge. Since we were all on manta ray watch, it was much easier to spot them! We again hit the jackpot and saw a few manta rays basking in the bridge lights and doing their usual somersaults. Such a cool experience to end a great day!!