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Thomas, a familiar face at Kuredu Prodivers, said to us a while ago that he didn’t want a lot for Christmas, there was just one thing he needed… We knew exactly what he had in mind: a rebreather course.

Just like Thomas, more and more (repeater) guests are giving rebreather diving a go and sign up for the rebreather introduction, which only takes one half day to complete, but rewards with a whole new perspective of diving. Divers who already know that dive sites around Kuredu can throw in many surprises are keen to go one step further to see what it feels like to be even closer to the big fish. And ‘close’ can sometimes mean close at hand!

How is this possible, you may ask.

Rebreather diving is silent diving. With a rebreather you will have only a few or no bubbles, meaning you don’t hear the tremor of the exhaust – and neither do the fish! There are several other benefits, but when it comes to big fish action, the lack of bubbles is the main reason why it’s possible to get so close to sharks, eagle rays and other marine life that patrols the sections of the reef where food is aplenty. Thomas and his rebreather instructor Armin had some amazing dives during the 6-day course; the highlights were certainly the dives at Fushivaru Thila (Lhaviyani Atoll’s manta ray cleaning station) and Kuredu Express (one of the atoll’s famous shark hotspots), where manta rays and sharks were passing by just a few centimeters away from Thomas and Armin, almost as if they didn’t notice the divers were there.

One of the reasons we love diving is that there’s always something new to be discovered: underwater scooters, full face masks, rebreathers… And with so many dive sites to choose from around Kuredu, it’s understandable that many divers return to dive with us year after year.

The Kuredu Prodivers team are glad we can help divophils (must be a word!) like Thomas advance in their diving experience and at the same time deliver some incredible encounters while doing so!

Photos of Thomas taken by Laurie Miller.