CURRENTS

Currents run for six whole months, each way. If a vessel happens to be at the northern extremity of this islands it is no great matter, for then it is only carried to Cochin, on the coast of India, or thereabouts, about a 150 leagues distance, or to some of the islands on that coast. But if they cannot make the islands of Ceylon, they are carried to Sumatra, a distance of about 500 leagues; and if ill-luck has it that these currents carry them away at the close of the monsoons, and before they make land anywhere, they are caught in the other current, as often happens, they are infallibly lost, as I have seen in a number of cases, when they were expecting to make land every night, and were without water and provisions. If the current carries them to the west, they are borne straight to the Arabian coast, which is much further off than that of Sumatra, but most often they are dead before they get there".

Francois Pyrard, Maldives, 1602 - 1607.

The currents of the Maldives are notorious for their strength. For this reasons early traders in the Indian Ocean were extremely cautious when in the Maldives region. Many ships by-passed the Maldives to the North and South when they had no reason to visit, others took on local pilots to steer them through the maze of reefs and their treacherous currents.

The exposure of the Maldives to the vast Indian Ocean ensures that an immense body of water is constantly flowing across the plateau on which these Atolls are built. Ocean currents are largely influenced by the direction of the trade winds and are of great strength. Currents in the channels near Male' have been recorded at 4 knots or more. Inside the Atoll, current speed are more settled and leisurely dives are more than norm. Tidal currents, which flow according to the height of the tide and the direction of the prevailing winds, are said to be much weaker than oceanic currents, though they cause velocity variations in the flow.

Early Arab navigators studied the patterns of these oceanic and tidal currents to help them determine their position. When in the vicinity of the Maldives they observed changes in current direction and surface patterns as the ocean's waters confronted the great underwater barriers of the Maldives archipelago.

On the eastern side of Male' Atoll, currents predominantly flow into the Atoll when the North-East monsoon is firmly set and flow outside during the South-West monsoon. The opposite applies to the western side of the Atoll. This is by no means the rule, as changes in wind direction and tides can offset the influence of the oceanic currents. If the winds ease off for a few days, then currents are more likely to flow both in and out of the channels.

During the seasonal transition months of April and November, when the wind direction and oceanic currents are less predictable, current is more likely to be influenced by the tides and similarly flow both in and out of the channels.

At Atoll passages, current streams can be quite irregular due to the islands, reefs and sandy shoals. Most Dhoani captains show great skill in reading the direction of the current and take great pride in their knowledge of the ocean. If you ask: "Oi Othee Kon Thaakah" (which direction is the current going?), they will usually wave their hand and say: "Mi Athah" (this way), or "Eh Athah" (that way)

Usually they can tell the current direction by the tiny wave patterns on the surface. If there is no wind, the current forms ripples that bend around stationary objects, like the reef, in the direction of flow. The captains can also tell current direction by the shape of the ripples and the movement of the Dhoani. If the current is flowing against the wind, then the surface appears more choppy than if the current is flowing in the same direction as the wind. If there is very little, or no current, and the captains don't know its direction, they will usually guess one way or the other, otherwise lose face. For this reason, it is always advisable for the dive master to enter the water and check if in doubt. It is better to be sure, and dive on the best point, than miss the point altogether.