MUCH ADO OR NOTHING

At LUX South Ari Atoll, indulgence has no limits. Whether you choose the exhilaration of a shark chase or the lulling langour of a post-massage reading session

- SAMARPAN BHOWMIK

Fishes of many hues, shapes and sizes dart in and out of the reef. The coral garden itself seems to change colour as clouds pass by overhead. I adjust my goggles and tighten my grip on the step's last rung, the only thing tethering me to the boat. A few metres ahead, a ledge marks a sharp drop in the ocean floor and beyond that, the deep dark of the Indian Ocean. I flip onto my back, and it's a different world altogether, with unending electric-blue sky dotted by cotton-white clouds.

"No whale shark, sadly, but it is a rather beautiful day to be out on the water," says Mark, swimming up to me. I try to take off my mouthpiece so I can respond, swallow some salt water, decide against it and raise my thumb in agreement. Spotting sea turtles, schools of multi-coloured fishes and snorkelling over acres of coral reefs is indeed quite the consolation.

I am at LUX South Ari Atoll, about 45 minutes by seaplane from Malé, the capital of Maldives, in the ocean with Mark McMillan, marine biologist, on the trail of a whale shark. He has been gathering data on these magnificent creatures for a few years now and sightings are fairly common, he says. I'm hoping to catch a glimpse and my luck with spotting marine life had already been fairly incredible.

The night before, just as dinner at Umami, the resort's Japanese restaurant, was winding down to a close, news arrived that a couple of manta rays had been spotted at the arrival jetty. Although I saw the irony in the situation, having just gorged on a delightful, entirely seafood-centric meal, I wasted no time in hopping onto a bicycle. My briskness was rewarded as I arrived just in time to catch the mantas put up a fantastic show. Gliding and twirling, turning loops, it seemed as if they were playing to the crowd, responding with flourishes to gasps from us.