An unusual video began to circulate on Facebook Wednesday, attracting the attention of myriads of social media users. The video starts out with just a few sharks far off in the back ground. A few more seconds into it, I was simply lost in awe as the majestic creatures fill up the whole area. It surely is not a sight we see every day.
The video was from one of the most famous shark points in the Maldives, near Gaafu Alif atoll Kooddoo island. It was taken by a local diver, Thamreen "Kevin" Nashid of the neighboring island, Villingili.
The channel between Kooddoo and Villigili happens to be a well-known shark nest and, according to divers, sharks of various sizes are abundant all year round.
Fish guts from the day's catch, which are brought into the local fish factory of Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) in Kooddoo, is disposed at this area every day at 3 p.m. from a ferry boat. Local divers believe that this was the reason for the great number of sharks amassed there.
According to a local diver, sharks are usually not aggressive but if provoked during feeding time, they could attack. Thus, divers who go to this area should be carefulm particularly during “feeding time”. He added that divers should look out for barracudas which could be spotted at this site as well.
Kevin, who had familiarized these waters, warned that the area is dangerous when the sharks are feeding. The fish guts are dumped to an area where people usually go for snorkeling to spot sharks. He noted that, usually, only experienced divers go diving in this channel.
Due to the common assumption that sharks are dangerous, local divers do not usually go to this area despite the breathtaking sights, added Kevin.
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