Veligandu News

May 2010

It’s already few months ago that you received our latest news from Veligandu. So what’s new, what’s changing and what will stay the same?

The island is still a dream. Egon, the executive chef, is still overwhelming us with his culinary delights. The good News is that he has extended his contract for another year.

The dive sites are still great, with good viz. And we’re finding more and more ghostpipefish, stonefish an leaf-scorpionfishes at every site! Our top spot ”Big Blue” hasn’t let us down either with the Hammerheads. Showing up nearly everytime to say hi to our divers.



We had a strange diver on the island too. On the 4th of april a huge Bunny was seen diving with a giant basket full of easter eggs. But even funnier was the afternoon dive looking for what he’d left behind!



So what’s new in the team? Ilham was replaced by Nooh, our very experienced and friendly divemaster. Having previously worked in rhe rasdhoo atoll he knows all of the dive sites like the back of his hands.

David, who has been with us since last December is fulfilling his lifelong dream to study marine biology and return to England. He wil be leaving us at the end of June. On behalf of the whole team I would like to thank David for all his work and english humor. We wish him all the best for his future.

Also new is our afterdive corner bench. Here we can sit, fill out your logbooks together or just have a chat with friends. Our full day trips have been a big success. Halaveli wreck and Bathala thila are a fish lovers dream!

On earth day the 23rd of April, we carried out a beach and divesite Cleaning with help of many divers. Thanks a lot to all of them.

We wish you all a good time and we hope to welcome you back on the island.

Lieneke, David, Nooh, Ali und Gio

Hello Dear Friends of Veligandu and Divers,

It’s Time to send you News from Veligandu. The Weather is fantastic, the viz is getting better every day and all our friends are back. Bob in rasdhoo reef, cleopatra in veligandu north, fritz at the housereef,and the entire family manta on north channel.

But this is maybe new for you, on three palms we found several frogfish (one of them was named Steve) and some leaffish as well.

Several Ghostpipefishes let us look even more carefully in the reef at veligandu north to find  those beautiful creatures.

But at the moment it looks like we are having a nursery for sharks in the rasdhoo atoll. Whitetip, blacktip ,greyreefsharks and as well zebrasharks are around on every dive!

To make you even more jealous listen to this, manta season is opened at north channel. Up to 5m big and very gracefull in their moves. But as well stingrays, eaglerays, feathertailrays and some torpedorays are around on all the divesites.

There is as well big news for the lovers of night dives. We offer a special nightdive on madivaru corner only for small groups. See this fantastic divesite in a different “light”, amazing!

We have as well some news for the team itself. Nadine left us to go back to her former job in lanzarote. To replace her, we found David, english but as well french and german speaking.

Finally we would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and very good new year 2010!

Best regards and hope to see you soon

Ilham, Lieneke, David and myself

Gio Voglioso
Base Leader OCP Veligandu
Veligandu@OceanPro-Diveteam.com

 

8 of October 2009

Dear divers, nondivers, divers to be, friends and guests.
This is the first Newsletter from the new baseleader of Veligandu.

Mid September the former Baseleader Mark and his wife Lika left the Island to Germany. Katja and Desiree went on a Safaritrip for a week and had very nice encounters with whalesharks.

Who are on the island in the team?

Illhalm, our very experienced, Maldivian Instructor.Because of his previous job as an safariguide he knows the Maldives like his bcd-pockets. Languages: Maldivian and English

Nadine, coming from Lanzarote enforces our team with a huge smile. So anyone who wants to be guided in Spanish or do any course in Spanish, doesn’t have to travel to spain.
Languages: German, English, dutch and spanish.

Katja is well known from last year guests. She will leave to Lily beach by end of October and enforce their team.
Languages: german and English.

Everyone knows Lieneke, her amazing Briefings are famous. After being on Helengeli she’s back with her big smile!
Languages: german, english and dutch

Last but not least, myself for those ones not knowing me. After several years in sharm el sheikh in Egypt, I came to the Maldives. Guess where exactly, yes, Veligandu! Two years later i went on Mirihi and Helengeli to see other Divecenters and Divespots. But now I’m Home!
Languages: german, English, Italian french and swiss-german.

But what’s new on Veligandu?

The hammerheads show up more frequently on the big blue, on the last we did, nine showed their beautiful moves.
Manta rays are seen on Rasdhoo reef and madivaru corner And as well huge stingrays.

On the last fullday trip we had great dives on bathala thila and Maya thila where the grey ones showed up. Between the two dives, Egon our austrian headchef gave us a fantastic buffet and on top we had the chance to snorkel with mantarays.

On 1.of October we joined Guests and local staff for the Cleaning Day. The divers cleaned the housereef around the jetty and found plenty of waste to lift out of the water. Here again thanks to all guests helping to make this event possible!

Illhalm, Nadine, Lieneke, Gio

We, Illhalm, Nadine, Lieneke, Katja and Gio wish you all the best and hope to see you soon

Gio Voglioso
Base Leader OCP Veligandu

Veligandu@OceanPro-Diveteam.com