Nasheed Ahmed (Lonu) | Fuvahmulah Marine Foundation
Pioneer of Diving in Fuvahmulah
Local ocean goers have shared their backyard with tiger sharks for many years and have developed an undeniably fascinating relationship with these apex-predators, enough to identify them in seconds and record their individual observations and behaviour. Nasheed, or as his friends call him, “Lonu” (the Dhivehi word for salt water), has been been swimming with sharks since day 1, but is still in awe every single time.
“I spend every day in the ocean and take photos to show to my friends and family. That way they can see what is below the surface. Learning to understand these animals has changed our lives for the better. We rely on the sharks for our jobs, we love the sharks.”
Lonu’s home, the island of Fuvahmulah, is located in Southern Maldives and boasts the most diverse coral ecosystem in the country. The reefs are home to arguably the healthiest tiger shark population in the world, alongside thresher, hammerheads, white tips and whale sharks. The local community have surfed, swam, dived and fished their way into a peaceful, harmonious relationship with a species that’s widely feared and threatened.
Fuvahmulah Marine Foundation is a locally driven non-profit dedicated to protecting and conserving this pristine marine ecosystem, co-founded by Lonu earlier this year.
As major challenges surrounding plastic waste, shark diving safety, and respecting the local dive community increase they help to facilitate sustainable change through sourcing issue specific experts and local authorities while physically directing and overseeing projects on the ground with the local community.
Whilst Fuvahmulah City Council and Fuvahmulah Marine Foundation are working towards frameworks that allow cultural and environmental preservation, the need for future visitors to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem by not only acknowledging the beauty of this island but also the fragility is of great importance for the future of this magical atoll and the sharks who call it home.
Fuvahmulah Marine Foundation
This micro culture of harmony and coexistence is a gleaming testament of an unwritten, unspoken understanding between humans and sharks. One that we can all learn from, for the benefit of both humankind and the future health of our oceans, and one that challenges existing policies around the world that opt to capture and kill sharks in coastal areas to reduce the number of predators on public beaches.
Help us keep this shark haven safe, and join us one day in experiencing it for yourself.
We joined Lonu on a life changing expedition in his local waters. Here’s how it went…
“It’s approaching 7am when we hoist our dive gear onto the dhonis. The engine starts up and we’re immediately asked to safety check our kit and get ready. We untie the ropes, ease off from the dock, and settle in for the journey of what would become an unforgettable dive and an irrefutable reminder of how we can choose to learn from nature and form a mutually beneficial relationship for generations to come.
20 seconds into our journey and only 12 meters from the dock we slow down at the mouth of the harbour and the engine cuts out. We look to the front of the boat where local dive master and guide Lonu hangs over the edge, using one hand to stabilize himself and the other to point whilst counting to eight in Dhivehi. He gestures for us to walk to him “Come, come and look, eight tigers”.
His enlightened expression and calm tone makes us unsure of his statement - there can’t possibly be a tiger shark in the harbour and only three meters away a family of swimmers and a local restaurant spot? As we find our sea legs to stand, rocking back and forth with wetsuits hanging off the bottom half of our bodies, we’re confronted by our own doubt as dark long shadows circle the dhonis.
Hoisting up his sun bleached ripped wetsuit over his shoulders Lonu points to our gear on a heap on the floor and demands we get ready to jump. Scrambling camera housings and air tanks there’s a mysterious anxious silence as we prepare to jump into the unknown, placing our ultimate trust in a man with little to say, but so much to give.”
“We jump at 7.15am, half a mile down the coast from where we first witnessed the broken shadows of Tiger Harbour. We descend to mere 30 feet where we meet the edge of the reef wall, surrounded and completely arrested by an abundance of colour and life. Breathing is steady, and eyes are wide as we swim back towards the harbour. The crackling of the reef and schools of tropical fish soon act as a calming distraction and our focus becomes our immediate surroundings. Lonu glides through the water, and gestures for us to all keep looking in front, almost like he knew what was going to happen next.
He positions himself five meters into the blue from the reef wall, whilst we perch on the outer edge, showing no hesitation he begins swimming further down before re-emerging beside us alongside a 8 meter female Tiger shark who we later learn is named Pirate due to her missing eye. Hands interlocked behind his back and perpendicular to her stripes, they swim alongside each other. An astonishing dynamic hard to explain, and a connection so indescribable even if we were able to speak underwater words would not do justice.
Before long we were surrounded by six adults. Remembering the guidelines Lonu had instructed; keeping direct eye contact at all times and giving these animals the space and respect they so dreadfully deserve, we began to settle into our dive and learnt things from this encounter that no book, movie or secondary account could ever teach.
Within 30 seconds of descending, this site soon became a place like no other. A gem sat on the equator in the middle of the Indian Ocean, home to pelagic life like no other and testament to a microculture of harmony and coexistence that we soon came to learn is in desperate need of protection.”
