For many guests, diving at Six Senses Laamu is a special experience because of guaranteed encounters with megafauna including manta rays, sharks and turtles; common finds in the abundant dive sites of Laamu atoll, which guests enjoy all to themselves.

Now, the resort’s dive centre, Deep Blue Divers, is ready to present the atoll’s uniqueness in a different light. It has become the first premium resort in Maldives to introduce blackwater diving, which is gaining popularity across the globe among many dive enthusiasts.

The blackwater diving experience is different from a typical day or night dive. It takes place in the open ocean, with divers drifting with the current in mid-water.

Divers are guided by a string of LED lights attached to a vertical rope tethered to a surface-floating buoy. The lights also attract the deep dwelling, often alien-looking micro creatures, emerging vertically every night from the abyss of the ocean in search of food, in one of the greatest migrations happening on the planet.

“We are very lucky to be some of the first divers to witness this in the Maldives. There is no specific area or special time of the night to do this dive. Ocean creatures we would never normally encounter are drawn from the depths and darkness to feed on zooplankton that are attracted to the lights,” Philippa Roe, one of the senior marine biologists working with the resort’s Maldives Underwater Initiative (MUI), was quoted in a statement, as saying.

Many of these critters, usually smaller than a human thumb, are ethereal reef fish in their juvenile phase, or invertebrates such as pygmy squids, fluorescent bristle worms and rainbow-pulsating comb jellies.

“Expect the unexpected, because most, if not all, of the discoveries you make on a blackwater dive will be new to you. If you are lucky, they may be new to science as well,” Marteyne van Well, General Manager of Six Senses Laamu and an avid diver, who is also amongst the first people to experience the blackwater dive in Laamu atoll, said.

Up-close and personal encounters with these wonders of the nocturnal pelagic sea life, against the striking black background, create perfect photo opportunities for underwater photographers and a fascinating experience for the adventurous divers to feed their sense of adventure.

“No two blackwater dives are ever the same, even when going several nights in a row. And each dive yields unexpected new treasures for everyone from novices to the most experienced divers,” Sascha Janson, resident photo pro at Deep Blue Divers, said.

There is no specific training required to do a blackwater dive but any diver with good buoyancy skills can participate in this experience.

Deep Blue Divers is a PADI five-star dive centre, which is also Green Star awarded for its commitment to ocean conservation.

Six Senses Laamu is the first and one of the only two resorts in the pristine Laamu atoll. Most of the villas and facilities are built overwater, however beach villas and on-land dining are an option. All villas offer a sense of privacy and seclusion, with an amazing view to the ocean and Maldivian nature.

Six Senses Laamu offers a wide range of dining options, with cuisines from around the world, an ice cream parlour, an overwater wine cellar and a signature Chill Bar. Many activities, excursions and options are available for everyone to enjoy, both overwater and underwater, in addition to the Six Senses Spa.

Six Senses Laamu hosts one of the largest teams of marine biologists in the Maldives, the Maldives Underwater Initiative (MUI). Staff from Six Senses Laamu and its three partner NGOs: Manta Trust, Blue Marine Foundation and Olive Ridley Project work together under the banner of MUI and seek to lead the tourism industry in the Maldives with meaningful marine conservation efforts based on research, education and community outreach.