Snorkeling at Bandos resort, Maldives February 5-8, 2025

Donna and I at Sonoma County Airport awaiting the Airport Express Bus to board our 17 hour Singapore Airlines flight from SFO to Singapore, where we will overnight before the 5 hour flight on to the Maldives. Below:

We had an enjoyable three night stay at Bandos Resort in the Maldives with our number one objective being to get over the 12 hour time zone shift from California before boarding Theia Dune on the afternoon of February 8 for a ten day diving trip. I got out snorkeling three times before I came down with a cold on Thursday the 5th. Below are some pictures I took while at Bandos and while snorkeling. I was pleased with the fish population. I saw multiple Blacktip Reef Sharks on all three snorkeling outings. Only shark species I saw while at Bandos. Below:

A beautiful Striped Triggerfish, below:

I was happy to see a number of Parrotfish, essential to having healthy coral, of a few different species. Below: this one was on a cleaning station, look close and you can see the cleaner wrasses.

Several Parrotfish species, below:

Above, Two Color Parrotfish I was pleased to see a juvenile Giant Clam and a couple of Spiny lobsters. Below:

Goatfish with Cleaner Wrasse, below:

Beautiful Powder Blue Surgeonfish, below:

Below: Lined Surgeonfish with a Cleaner Wrasse at its tail.

I photographed some schooling behavior while snorkeling 100 yards from our beach cabin, below:st, but always first in my heart, Donna snorkeling at Bandos, below:

Last snorkeling shots, but always first in my heart, Donna:

Some Bandos surface photos, below:

Glass Bottom Boat tour at the edge of the reef outside our room, below:

The lizards were plentiful and friendly and didn't try to sell us insurance, below:

Obligatory cannon:

The next blog will start a series from diving with Theia Dune. I made the second dive on the second of ten days be my first post cold (well, mostly post...) dive. Great dive at Manta Point, big area of Manta cleaning stations with huge schools of snapper and many mantas and even a resident baby Leopard Ray (I didn't photo it because it was swimming merrily through groups of divers). Pictures to come...Hurray, I'm healthy enough to dive again!