A friend of mine teaching at a different school told me he takes students to the Maldives each year for a diving trip. So, as the Outdoor Education Coordinator at my school, I thought it was only prudent to go and personally check out the island and what it has to offer…..for work, of course!
After a little bit of research into various other islands and what they have to offer, the bookings were made for the second week of the spring break holidays to Bandos Island. I had previously been to a different island about seven years ago and was excited to get back to the clear waters and abundant aquatic life. However, this time I would be travelling with my wife Lauren and our 3-month-old baby boy, Tobias (Tobi).
A load of questions raced through my head first, like ‘how will Tobi handle his first international flight, and will it be too hot for a baby over there?’ A while ago, I wrote an article titled ‘Travelling… with Children?’ But this was from the perspective of somebody without a child of his own and with no previous experience of travelling with an infant! In any case, we made it to Dubai International Airport ready to board our overnight flight for Malé.
I was quietly pleased with how Tobi handled the flight when he drifted off to sleep shortly after takeoff and a feed from his favourite milk supply (Lauren). My biggest fear was being that guy with the screaming kid that just can’t be consoled. But it turns out, it probably should have been how bumpy the short speedboat ride was going to be across the choppy water. But once again, Tobi took it well and even had a few giggles as the boat bounced its way to the Bandos Island Marina.
After checking in to our bungalow, it was time to explore our surroundings and get a feel for what we could do while on our family holiday. It was quickly made clear to us that we would be limited with the number of hours we could stay outdoors due to the midday heat and intense sunshine. But having an extended siesta indoors each day after lunch actually made for a very relaxing time (as long as Tobi slept long enough!).
Bandos Island was ideal for us for a number of reasons. Not only was there an established link between the dive shop because of my friend, but there was also a medical facility with a hyperbaric chamber should it be needed for any dive accidents. Having the clinic based on Bandos Island never more than 5 minutes’ walk away also gave us peace of mind should Tobi require any kind of treatment. This could be for any number of potential baby ailments that new parents often worry about.
Also on hand was the Kokko Kids’ Club that had wonderful babysitters to look after little ones while mums and dads were out exploring the reefs. We arranged a babysitter that came to our bungalow to look after Tobi while Lauren and I got suited up for a dive on the house reef. This happened to be a pre-requisite regardless of what level of diver you are. The shallow reef extends out from shore for approximately 50 metres before dropping off vertically to around 25 deep.
Almost immediately, we were greeted by several black tip reef sharks which were patrolling the length of the reef, gracefully swimming in and out of our range of visibility. Healthy amounts of an aquatic life littered the reef including various species of sweetlips, clownfish, triggerfish, schooling surgeonfish and the ever-curious batfish. For a house reef, it was quite impressive and led me to investigate what other dives were on offer.
However, to get more diving in we would also need to leave Tobi behind with a babysitter for long periods, which would make both Lauren and I feel like bad parents. So, rather than spend a full day out diving again, we decided to book another short morning trip snorkeling on a nearby cleaning station for Manta. Upon pulling up, there was just one Manta having the parasites cleaned off by the obliging wrasse. But by the end, we found ourselves surrounded by no less than five huge Reef Manta elegantly circling – an unforgettable experience.
Towards the final days of our stay, we were taking turns to have the lunchtime siesta sleep while one of us trotted off around the island to snorkel the reefs, relax by the pool or just casually walk around the whole island, which only took around 20 minutes. This was also how we usually started each day with Tobi before the sun was up high enough to be hot. As new parents, we had found a way to enjoy the mornings together walking the circumference of Bandos before breakfast. He was also introduced to his first pool swims and absolutely loved dipping his feet in the warm Maldives waters.
Evenings were also a treat with live entertainment every night and lovely drinks under the coconut trees. It was during the evenings when I had some time to reflect on how a school trip might work out here after speaking with the staff. They all genuinely seemed to enjoy working on Bandos and had some great ideas on how to create the best itinerary for a visiting school group.
So armed with all of the research and information required to bring back to Dubai, it was time to say goodbye to this little slice of island paradise and board the speed boat for yet another bumpy trip. But once again, Tobi was a star and all of my paternal apprehension for braving another trip like this disappeared. Bandos Island delivers a destination worthy of the young family looking to get away with peace of mind that medical care and quality babysitting services are on your doorstep if required. There is also no doubt left in my mind about the viability of another diving adventure trip to Bandos with a school group….for work, of course! ■
Words + Photos by: Haydon Kerr
