Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Swimming with three whale sharks in 30 mins, the manta rays at the cleaning station - but in general the underwater life is fantastic

Thoughts on Group Leader

Zaff was great, he lifts up those around him. At the beginning he told us he would try and give us the best week of our lives which was a great start! He's a charismatic and open guy who taught us a lot about the Maldives outsude of the honeymoon resort experience. I felt we got a much more authentic experience - visiting local islands, hearing about life there. We watched documentaries and also had speakers from NGOs. In the water he is a graceful swimmer who makes everyone feel safe. He worked hard alongside the other excellent members of the crew to make sure we saw as much as possible but not at the expense of the welfare of the animals or the reefs. Big shout out as well to our other snorkeling / diving companions Shafi and Hussein!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just do it! The boat is not a 5 star resort but the guys kept the boat clean and changed bins in the bathroom twice a day, and made up the rooms morning and evening. The Sri Lankan chef and waiter worked very hard - nothing was too much trouble - and I loved the exciting array of dishes we got at every meal. You definitely need a rash vest if you are Caucasian plus a factor 50 sunblock or you will burn.

Suggestions

Thankyou fir a great trip, hope to book more tours with Exodus.

Most Inspirational Moment

Diving and snorkelling with mantas, up very close and playful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Zaff was very enthusiastic and tried very hard to make it a great trip for everyone.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We spent 3 lengthy sessions in our dhoni over 2 days searching for whale sharks and found none. There are alot of boats looking for manta and whale sharks and at times sightings are a scrum. If you are a diver, it is worth taking the opportunity to dive. The coral isn't what it used to be but there are lots of fish varieties, hawksbill turtles, sharks. Getting up so close to the mantas for so long was very special. You don't need to bring any equipment, it is all supplied. If you do pack your own don't bother bringing short fins, they are not suitable. If you want mobile coverage during the week buy a pre-paid sim at the airport. If you don't do that the captain will provide wifi on the last day so you can do the Maldives exit form and checkin online. I am not a great sailor but the sea conditions were not too uncomfortable, the worst times are the channel crossings at the beginning and end of the trip. The transfer to the Felicity on arrival day is at 12pmish. If you arrive earlier, you will be taken to a waiting area whist the group gathers and the boat is got ready. I had to hunt for a fair while to find Zaff and the Exodus sign at arrivals so keep looking.

Suggestions

The crew are great, very helpful and they look after you well. The food is good although there was alot of chicken and tuna. We had people with food intolerances which the boat chef managed. The Felicity is characterful but not luxurious.

Most Inspirational Moment

Swimming with Manta Rays

Thoughts on Group Leader

Saf is a fun person to be around. He has boundless energy.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for hours of whale shark hunting on the Dhoni

Suggestions

Overall was a great trip and we did see plenty of marine wildlife. Mantas, turtles, shark, dolphins and thousands of beautiful fish.

Most Inspirational Moment

Snorkeling with the gentle Manta Rays, who seemed to want to interact with us.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Despite having a tooth infection, which was obviously painful, Zak remained professional, friendly and helpful and ensured the trip went smoothly. Explaining each days activity, and especially about respecting the wildlife and whale sharks. We had good encounters that were mainly just our boat and us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The cabins are comfortable. There is storage under the beds. Very little in the way of hanging and drawers but then you dont need many clothes. You live in swim suits and shorts. Hanging space to dry stuff on the deck. There are some very early starts to avoid the crowds. Seeing the reefs and colourful fish are a given. We saw lots of Manta, reef sharks and a few turtles. Dont expect to see lots of whale sharks. We only saw 1, and that was brief, on the whole trip. There is a lot of chaos around the whale shark area when all the day boats are about. Exodus ensure we stay out of harms way if its very busy. You will not get in the water if there are lots of people in the water. This could mean missing the whale shark, but we would prefer that to either harassing the whale shark, or getting hurt in the mass of people and boats. Take ear plugs if you are a light sleeper as the aircon and fans needed to keep the rooms cool are noisy.

Suggestions

Ensure the required online forms for Male are completed before arriving at airport!!

Most Inspirational Moment

All wildlife - out of this world - amazing .

Thoughts on Group Leader

Engaging and supportive

Advice for Potential Travellers

UV top, and maybe a long sleeve if available. Sports camera for underwater filming a must. take your sea legs with you, as the crossing can be a little rocky at times - channel crossing even lost the support dinghy for a short time until recovered by the snorkel boat. You will need to complete a traveller declaration - Maldives immigration on departure from UK & Maldives - save a screen shot with QR Code for customs.

Suggestions

On arrival at the airport - Maldives, the flight arrived on time, and there was no representative from EXODUS to be seen, felt a little nervous as there was no contact number to speak to on arrival. The flight was long and i was tired and luckily i had seen another couple on the flight i noticed were Exodus. from 0845 until 12 noon local we were waiting around until the boat connection was available. this was disappointing.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many, but I will choose one. Just 4 of us had gone for an extra whale shark search, and one was spotted. I jumped in ahead of it, and it came right towards me. It swam slowly under me and it was so clear in the beautiful blue water. I felt like it was just the 2 of us in the water. I followed it for a while until it dived.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Zav was brilliant. He was funny and entertaining. Not all of the group were confident in all environments and he looked after them and ensured that they got the best experience possible.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring several swimming costumes and ensure you have something like swim shorts as well as a rash vest/ other top as the top of your legs are as likely to burn as back and shoulders. I learned this many years ago.

Most Inspirational Moment

Snorkelling with five manta rays which were feeding in the water beneath us, flying/swimming gracefully in formation, spiralling and going round in small circles near the sea bed. We were able to easily keep up with them for about half an hour. An enormous manta ray joined the loose group for a while before disappearing into the plankton haze. Visibility was surprisingly good, given the plankton, and we able to duck dive a few metres to get clearer photos. Swimming above and briefly alongside a whale shark with only our group present in the water on our second encounter with it, was also magical. We were lucky to see several whale sharks at night pass very close by at the surface by the stern illuminated by a powerful light used to attract small fish eaten by the whale sharks.

Thoughts on Group Leader

UB (Ubai) was personable, had an easy and infectious laugh and who “got” the English sense of humour, looked after all members of the group very well, and quietly and efficiently ensured that everyone was happy and that everything ran smoothly and without drama.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Practise snorkelling and duck diving, go on a course if you can, it will pay dividends when it comes to getting closer to the wildlife underwater. Although snorkelling gear is available on the boat, take your own mask (and fins ) to ensure a comfortable fit. Take a camera suitable for underwater photography and practise with it before you go. A rash vest, preferably but not essentially a thermal one (see on Amazon), is really useful for up-to one hour plus snorkelling sessions. Take along some luck with you to help you find plenty of all the creatures you want to see.

Suggestions

Our first encounter with the whale shark felt rather uncomfortable at times, having to swim along with more than fifty other snorkellers , although the whale shark itself seemed unperturbed and continued to swim along on its way. On our encounter the next day we were the only ones in the water. There was, as expected, a lot of dead coral around, though there were also plenty of signs of recovery. I should thoroughly recommend this trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Swimming for an hour and 10 minutes with Fernando the 8 metre long Whale Shark has to be the most inspirational part of my trip. Scuba diving after a 20 year break from it felt daunting until Captain Shafy took charge. His patience, confidence and expertise was inspiring. This too was an experience I’ll cherish.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader Kamey has very good English and navigates you through you Maldives experience with his laid back charm. Laid back, but hard working! On snorkelling trips he does his best to get everyone engaged in their surroundings. From identifying species to sorting your camera problems - he can do it.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You need to be able to swim for this trip, and the fitter you are the more you will get out of it. Having said that there is plenty of opportunity for chilling out on deck with a good book. Surprisingly spacious, you can find your own space on the Felicity should you so desire some time to yourself. Don’t pack much. Rash vest, sunscreen, 2 lots of swimwear (one on, one drying), flip flops for shore excursions, sun glasses and hat are a must. If your thinking of getting a waterproof camera - do! It’s great fun and they will help you with it! If you don’t sleep on airplanes go a night early and stay in a hotel in Male to gather yourself before your trip (it’s well worth it).

Suggestions

You and your belongings are safe on board. There aren’t any safes but you don’t need one. I didn’t even lock my cabin door. The food on board was outstanding- you are left wondering how do they do that on a boat. There was a vegetarian and a celiac in our group and their food looked as good as, if not better than everyone else’s! Nothing was too much trouble. There are so many places to see in the world, but the Felicity in the Maldives will get another visit.

Most Inspirational Moment

Swimming along beside ‘Fernando’, a magnificent 7.2m long whale shark.

Thoughts on Group Leader

KAMEY is THE BEST, the finished article, the ‘real deal’. He is perfect in this role - going the 'extra mile’ at every opportunity to make this the trip of a lifetime for the entire group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book it!

Suggestions

Spend at least 1 night on deck gazing up at the stars and listening to the waves as you drift off. It is so therapeutic.

Most Inspirational Moment

Inspirational ....all of it !! We managed to get an private showing of a whale shark after most of the other boats had gone :) Utterly mind blowing and blissful also the delight of watching the manta rays gliding around so elegantly. I have dived in the red sea and THIS knocks spots of it !! Some of the snorkels were like swimming through an aquarium and overall what we didn't see isn't worth mentioning quite a lot of it due to the leader Kamay and Shafy (Captain) and also Oubi pointing things out to us that we could of easily missed The two presentations were interesting and great to hear such work is being done to preserve the wildlife and the corals

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fabulous !! I thought he was warm, professional, informative and funny. He clearly is passionate about what he does but with a relaxed attitude I'm envious of his office :) Overall everyone were friendly attentive and a total pleasure to be around Let's put it this way I didn't want to come home !!

Advice for Potential Travellers

It will help to be a reasonable swimmer and wearing a rash vest or UV suit is helpful to prevent from getting burnt also giving you a bit of warmth. Don't get me wrong the sea is warm but if your doing a drift snorkel you can still get chilly

Suggestions

If you want a holiday to kick back and relax this is the one for you The boat is a good size with plenty of covered space and uncovered for this who want to get that tan It is a great way to visit the Maldives at least our island (the boat) moved around to different places rather that being stuck on one island !! I would do it again in a heartbeat !!