Maldives gone

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Could you let me know with whom you booked with, i.e. the dive operator?

Have fun and take care underwater!
 
We were booked to go to Hakuraa in the Meemu Atoll in May05. Unfortunately it took a bad hit, and so won't be opened for another 6 months at least. Sadly the Manager of the resort lost his life whilst helping the tourists to safety.

We are now booked into Velidhu Resort, in the North Ari Atoll. We were offered a full refund, but felt that things will only get back to normal for these people if the tourists still visit their country. They really need the money that tourism brings, now more than ever. So if anyone is thinking of Holidaying in any of the affected countries, then please BOOK NOW.
 
Scubaroo:
Geography - apparently the tsunami didn't slow down and build in height like it did on major coastal regions.

There was an interesting report out of Phuket from a dive shop (posted on this board) trying to tell an instructor candidate that the damage was limited to some closed roads, and that they should come on over. Hard to reconcile that with the extensive coverage to the contrary, so it would be still worth checking out independently if a destination is actually viable or not. The economies of the affected areas will certainly need reviving in the near future, so re-established tourism industries will be needed to help bring them back.

the wave damaged and destroyed most of the front shops etc.

i was told that it reached the second road that runs parallel to the beach, didn't go to look though as the roads were blocked by police.
 
Here is a clip from a German News Group - The information was sent by Norbert Schmidt who operates the dive base on Bathala in the Ari Atoll. There are translated words at the end.

TT

Maldives update (from german site)

fihalhohi - OK
ellaidhoo - OK
angaga - OK
mirihi - OK
helengeli - OK
filitheyo - OK
kuredu - OK
embudu - OK
bathala - OK !
gan - OK
summer island -OK
eriyadu - OK - steg weg
hilton rangali - OK
vilamendhoo - OK
vakarufalhi - OK !
komandoo - OK !
lily beach - OK
maayafushi - OK
helengeli - OK
veligandu island - OK
huvafen fushi - OK !
rangali - OK


rihiveli - evakuiert
kanu huraa - evakuiert
soneva gili - evakuiert
taj exotica - schwer beschädigt !

dhigufinolhu,veligandu hurra und bodu huraa - steege weg

sun island - stark beschädigt
baros - schwer getroffen
olhuvelhi - stark beschädigt

paradise island - betroffen
fun island - betroffen
white sand - betroffen
kurumba - betroffen

athuruga soweit - OK

nachtrag:
vilu reef wurde - evakuiert !!!
reethi beach resort - etwas beschädigt
laguna beach - OK
dhiggiri - etwas beschädigt

"beschadigt" = damaged
"schwer/stark" = badly
"etwas" = some
"evakuiert" = Evacuated
"betroffen" = Stricken
"steege weg" or "steg weg" = Pier Gone
 
Here is another message from Norbert Schimdt at Bathala Ari Atoll. His original message in German is at the bottom and my rough and basic translation is at the top.

27.12.2004 12:47: Strong, strange current at the mentioned time, that was all. In 4 (of the 46) Bungalos of Bathala the terrace was somewhat inundated, the water hardly got into the bungalows. The Roomboy came with brooms, and in 10 minutes the thing was settled. That was the Tsunami. In Bathala and environment not the all-smallest problems.

Water (as with each strong rain) in the place near roads, after one hour had run off.

Airport: After the cleaning runway of the sand the airport was already yesterday opened at 17 o'clock. No impairment. (LTU came empty, crazy but this is not unreasonable).

Air taxi: Also today no traffic, because the reservation system had broken down.

Inhabited islands: About a dozen to be considerably flooded country-wide at short notice, victim (number completely uncertain), infants are predominantly the missing.

Damage: There were, as were perhaps misunderstood, on the Maldives no waves (crusher), only the water level rose. Therefore no mechanical destruction by waves, but simply damages caused by water. E.G. ViluReef: Conditions about 30 cm under water. Thus the electrical installations and lines were attacked, in which consequence no electric, no water, no toilet, thus uninhabitable (perhaps no destruction like one that introduces itself) larger problems nearly only with the islands at the eastern edge of atoll and particularly with artificial islands, thus such, which were artificially made or altered by pumping sand (All up finolhu to end, which means as much as uninhabitable island. In addition the resort islands such as Kuda Hura (Four Seasons) and ClubMed.), not so much when the island core is natural,

By Norbert Schmidt


27.12.2004 12:47 : Starke, seltsame Strömung zur besagten Zeit,das war alles. In 4 (der 46) Bungalos von Bathala war die Terasse etwas überschwemmt, kaum Wassereinbruch in die Bungalows. Roomboy kam mit Besen, in 10 Minuten war die Sache erledigt.Das war die Tsunami. In Bathala und Umgebung nicht die allergeringsten Probleme. Male: Wasser (wie bei jedem starken Regen)in den ufernahen Strassen, war nach einer Stunde abgelaufen. Airport: Nach der Reinigung der runway vom Sand war der airport bereits gestern um 17 Uhr Lokalzeit wieder geöffnet. Keinerlei Beeinträchtigung. Flugstornierungen von dieser Seit aus unverständlich. (LTU kam leer- hirnrissig, ein vernünftiger Grund nicht einzusehen). Airtaxi: Auch heute kein verkehr, weil das Reservierungssystem zusammengebrochen war.2 Maschinen leicht beschädigt. Bewohnte inseln: Etwa ein Dutzend wurde landesweit kurzfristig nennenswert überflutet, ca.20 Todesopfer(Zahl völlig ungewiss), vorwiegend Kleinkinder die vermisst werden. Schäden: Es gab, wie vielleicht missverstanden wurde, auf den Malediven keine Wellen(Brecher), lediglich der Wasserstand stieg. Deshalb keine mechanische Zerstörung durch Wellen, sondern einfach Wasserschäden. Z.B ViluReef: Stand etwa 30cm unter Wasser. Dadurch wurden die elektrischen Installationen und Leitungen angegriffen, in der Folge kein Strom, kein Wasser, keine Toilette, also unbewohnbar (keine Destruktion wie man sich das vielleicht vorstellt.) Grössere Probleme fast nur bei denInseln am östlichen Atollrand und vor allem bei künstlichen Inseln, also solchen ,die durch Sandpumpen künstlich gewonnen oder verändert wurden (alle die auf-finolhu enden, was soviel wie unbewohnbare Insel bedeutet. Dazu die Retorteninseln wie Kuda Hura (Four Seasons) und ClubMed.), bei denen gerademal der Inselkern natürlich ist., von Norbert Schmidt
 
I have visited the Maldives for the past 8 years now and regularly keep in contact with the instructors and dm's out there on different islands - emails from them just after the tsunami do indicate that only the islands close to the atol edge on the east side were badly affected, as far as I know this is about 6 - 10 tourist islands but around 30 - 40 'local' islands - all with varying amount of damage. Other islands had just a few inches of water trickle over them.
Check the following links for more info,

http://www.minivannews.com/news/news.php?id=142

http://www.friendsofmaldives.org/in...er_op=view_page&PAGE_id=24&MMN_position=33:32

http://www.crowntoursmaldives.com/index.php?option=resortislands&resort=5&category=2
 
I'm from the Maldives...was diving when the tsunami hit. The maldives was not hit as bad as India or Sri Lanka. Thank god for that. The resorts are operational now except for a few which got damaged pretty bad. I've been diving last week in some atoll...diving is as great as b4...it will take a long time to get back to normal way of life for us...the locals. Come on and dive...
 

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