A diving adventure at Raaya by Atmosphere in the Maldives

People are traveling to make memories in 2024. While everyone’s motivation for booking a trip is unique – whether it’s taking a solo getaway to recharge or embarking on an expedition cruise or safari – the trips that are trending are sure to be transformative,” said Audrey Henley, the President of American Express Travel, in their Global Trends Report of 2024. What we need is a reason to feel something, after doing a hard activity, or accomplishing a task or learning  a skill that we always felt just out of reach since childhood. One such skill for me was diving. Adventure travel is booming as one of the major reasons to travel, as travellers seek to make core memories in each of their trips.

Diving headfirst

I had dived earlier before, in the sublime island of Gili Trawangan close to Bali, Indonesia. It was an opportunity to see the turtles. However, it was my first proper dive this time, and I was a bit overwhelmed. After going through the requisite paperwork and pool session for two hours, which I successfully completed, I ended up going through to the narrow end of the sea, where we were to experience being in the sea for the first time in a dive suit. Our instructors made sure we were all comfortable, and relaxed before venturing in.

The equipment is difficult to handle alone, if you’re not used to it. After slipping around for a bit, and learning to breathe in and out of a mask, we decided to step into the water. We were able to go ahead quickly, and  then encouraged by each other, we semi-waddled, semi-floated about a metre. Most of us had learnt how to swim pretty early on in life, and this felt somewhere an out-of-body experience, a reminder of the thrilling feeling of how it felt the first time to float in water.

We were trying our best to not sink, however, the weights around our waist did seem a bit ominous, like the proverbial albatross around the neck.

After a practice session, which had been preceded by thorough theory lessons, we were ready to venture out into the sea! We filed into the beautiful Maldivian barge that was to take us into the sea that day. The weather was crystal clear. We were told to take a big step in and jump into the water, and then come up. Easier said than done!

As we took the big step, it turned out to be a giant leap figuratively for my person at the very least, if not for mankind. The instructors were afraid I would hit the boat, and while I think my tank just managed to avoid it! But really, after all this worry, we had taken the hardest step, the first, and we were ready to explore the rest!

When we took an underwater group photo

The first task of the day was to just breathe in and out and calm our racing hearts and minds. While we achieved that, by looking into the eyes of our instructor, a very convincing and positive woman called Greta, the operations manager at TGI Maldives, at the Raaya by Atmosphere resort, in my case, the rest of the team was setting up underwater to take a group picture!

We were to gather with our knees bent on a sandy mound, easier said than done! Finally, we got everyone’s flippers out of the way, waited for the sand to settle down, and took a couple of shots for PADI’s International Women’s Diving Day click.

Photo done, we went off exploring. The chaos of getting everyone in place had done one thing – put intrusive thoughts such as “What if I lose my breathing regulator” or “What if I slip down into the depths of the sea” out of our mind. We had by then existed for fifteen minutes underwater, and went on ahead to explore the rest of the sea. We had reached the end of the group when we saw a grey reef shark lurking behind one dead coral! There were these tiny fishes, luminescent in colour, which scattered if you snapped your fingers, a Yellowback Fusilier, half yellow, half blue, bringing all our childhood paintings alive!

Barracudas swam across in droves, and a giant lobster (we named him Sebastian) nodded as we went along. I will never forget that day, and this is essentially, why we travel.

Sunset Dolphin Cruise

We came back to our gorgeous villa in Raaya by Atmosphere in Maldives, only to be whisked off again on another adventure, albeit a more relaxed one. We were lucky to be greeted by an adventurous school of dolphins, who enjoyed chasing the boat and playing alongside as the sun set over the horizon.

After all the dolphin spotting, we were treated to gorgeous hors de oeuvres at the deck of the barge. Who doesn’t enjoy a salmon knick-knack while the sea tousles your hair and lulls you into slumber?

Mornings at Raaya by Atmosphere

The best part about spending time at Raaya for me, was not the diving or the dolphins. More than that, I enjoyed waking up to the sound of the ocean waves, a timeless essence of the natural island, that is conducive to imagination. Picture, this. Every morning for breakfast, we walked down to sit in the shade of screwpine trees, while feasting on delicacies. It is moments like these that make us realise the true meaning of luxury. The buffet spread at Raaya included Arabic, Asian, European and Maldivian cuisine. We particularly looked forward to the live cooking stations serving fare from all over the world. I had hot noodle soup one day, a dosa the other, and scrambled eggs with sourdough on the third! There was always an option for a cold dip in the pool or to run into the ocean before the meal. The perfect weather added to my delight.

The beds were comfortable, with private access to a beautiful beach, perfect for a solo holiday, or even a romantic one. The brightly coloured room was a refreshing change from the all-white theme of most Maldives resorts.

On a diving trip, the times spent underwater is only a part of the experience. The time spent on the shore, enjoying the memories of the moments makes it even sweeter.