’Go go go!’ shout the diving guides from the top of the boat. I rush to pull on my snorkel and flippers and, without hesitation, I jump into the water below. Suspended there is a six-metre-long whale shark. Slowly, it heads down to the cool confines of the seabed, its individual white-spot markings fading away, safe from the prying eyes of snorkellers and divers, who come in our droves to see these gentle giants of the Indian Ocean.
Taking a snapshot for my memory bank, our encounter lasts a minute, if that, but it’s enough to humble. I never thought I’d go any further than a casual dip in the lagoon – now, I want to immerse my entire being and delve into the deep blue sea. It’s my first time in the Maldives, a South Asian country made up of more than 1,200 islands, located in the Indian Ocean, south-west of Sri Lanka and India.