Finally, COVID restrictions lifted.

Whoop, whoop!

So, we decided to try and get some underwater footage in sunny Maldives.

Choosing our preferred liveaboard operator Emperor Divers and returning to Emperor Serenity liveaboard was an easy decision for us, as they have always been professional and friendly.

We aimed for the month of May, hoping that the dive sights would be less busy and that the seasonal Summer Monsoon weather would still be some way off.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature, probably pushed a little by Global Warming, had other plans and the season changed earlier than we had hoped, resulting in less than perfect conditions, with some rough seas, heavy rain storms and wind.

The diving was challenging in these conditions, with strong currents, unfavourable sea conditions and poor visibility.

But, this is nature... and one cannot predict, or complain.

Despite these challenging conditions, Emperor Divers managed to make a plan and we did some amazing diving and got a number of good filming opportunities, including (above) a night dive with Reef Manta Rays barrel roll feeding and the Blackfoot Anemonefish, which is only found in the Maldives.

Not forgetting the Nurse Sharks and Grey Reef Sharks shown at the beginning of this post.