Maldives Boogie

We made it to Paradise, despite all difficulties…

Flying over Paradise
Photo by Ioannis Vlachiotis

Considering that most of you are still home in lockdown and not jumping for more than 3-4 months, you probably hate me already, but that was a too awesome boogie not to share!

Maldives is a nation of islands in the Indian Ocean, that spans across the equator. This country is comprised of 1192 tiny coral islands with only 200 of them inhabited. Famous for the beauty it carries and one of the best travel destinations in the world.

They reopened their borders for international tourists on July 2020, so the idea was why not make the best of it by organizing a skydiving boogie there?!?

I jumping and being in the tropics, I feel like it is where I need to be…
Will Penny

Follow me if you can 🙂
Photo by Ewan Cowie

Logistics

The Boogie was planned almost 10 months prior; organizers faced many challenges due to Covid-19. However they successfully did it from Dhaalu Airport, Kudahuvadhoo island and all participants were accommodated at RIU Atoll Maldives Resort. Jumps were from a Grand Cessna Caravan C208B aircraft from Skydive Qatar.

65 participants (50 skydivers + 15 staff members) were thrilled flying over this exotic landscape from sunrise till sunset. Few tandem passengers were also unbelievably lucky enough to enjoy their 1^st ever jump in Maldives, as well 🙂

Maybe the first Maldives head-down record?
Photo by Ewan Cowie

5 load organizers, Airwax (Greg Crozier & Karine Joly), Omar Alhegelan, Roberta Mancino, and Will Penny did their best for a safe and memorable event.

As camera flyers, we (Ioannis Vlachiotis and Ewan Cowie) tried to capture all this beauty in our lenses, but to be honest it’s hard NOT to have plenty of good images with this background!

One word: paradise
Ewan Cowie

Maxim Slobodian swooping in this postcard photo by Ioannis Vlachiotis

Jumping in this tiny Paradise

You just can’t describe the feeling of flying over those green-blue waters, or when landing in a tiny deserted “secret” island in the middle of the ocean!

This place is 24 hours a day exactly like we see in travel magazines. Amazing colors, sunsets like from a fairy tale, white soft warm sand and clear shallow waters 20 meters away from your room!

Reefs that offer bands of color, tiny jewel-like islands rimmed with the whitest of soft sand surrounded by the clearest shallow waters that one can imagine
Ioannis Vlachiotis

Chasing a spectacular sunset
Photo by Ewan Cowie

At the resort, after every tiring day of jumping under 30 degrees Celsius, all the participants could have a wonderful dinner (breakfast and lunch were also included), choosing as much as they wanted between dozens of different recipes, sweets, ice cream and fruits. Yes, drinks too!

What a blessing to be able to jump again, especially in an exotic location with such a great team! Many thanks to our manifest girls (Natasha and Jessica), ground control and our logistic coordinator.

Some memories stick better than others. This was definitely one of them.
Anyone ready for the next one?

Photo Gallery

Images by Ioannis Vlachiotis and Ewan Cowie

Meet: Ioannis Vlachiotis

Ioannis is a passionate Greek skydiver and photographer who possesses a unique ability to capture the essence of the sport. With nearly 9,000 jumps completed in breathtaking locations, he brings a wealth of international experience to every jump.

As an AFF and Tandem Instructor, he is committed to the safety of his students and passengers, but it’s his captivating photography that has made him well-known in the skydiving community. Renowned for his warm smile and positive spirit, he aims to create images that let others experience the excitement of flight.

Ioannis is thankful to his sponsors — Sun Path Products, Jyro, CYPRES, and Vertigen — for their essential support throughout his skydiving journey.