sighting

Snorkelling is an enjoyable underwater activity, but when you make a cool sighting, it’s even more exciting. One woman recently couldn’t believe her luck during a dive in the Maldives

A trip to the Maldives can be unforgettable but when you come across a rare sighting, it really can be the cherry on top of a fantastic holiday. There’s so much to do on the islands, from water sports to dolphin cruises and even luxury spa breaks.

Now one woman couldn’t believe her luck when a snorkelling trip turned into a truly memorable experience. Snorkelling is a great way to enjoy marine life and explore underwater world, while it’s suitable for most ages, you’ll need strong swimming skills for it.

The travel influencer, known as Tasha, was recently on a snorkelling trip in the Maldives when she came across a hammerhead shark. They can be quite rare to spot and are sometimes only seen on much further islands.

Tasha was just off Thulusdhoo when she made the sighting. On top of her video, she said: “Rich because I saw one of the most rare sightings in the Maldives with my own eyes.”

Her caption read: “Still not over that we saw a HAMMERHEAD SHARK on a snorkel trip off Thulusdhoo with @Say Yes! Adventures.

“These are super rare and only sometimes seen on much further islands!!!! And I didn’t even see them in the Galapagos!”

Since she posted the clip where she gasped at the sighting, her video scooped 169,100 likes and hundreds of comments.

One said: “I lived there for 2 years and snorkelled every day and never saw a hammerhead! This is insanely lucky.”

Another added: “Craziest moment ever, will never get over this.” A third chimed in: “I would cry for days on, that’s so beautiful.”

Someone else posted: “Omg at Thulusdhoo, that’s sooo lucky!” And a fifth wrote: “This would be the highlight of my year.”

Spotting a hammerhead shark can be quite exciting and these are not considered dangerous to humans.

While the large great hammerhead is a powerful exception and potentially dangerous, these encounters are rare.

Meanwhile, the few documented attacks are typically attributed to surprise or fear, and humans are not a natural prey for hammerheads, who have a diet which consists mainly of stingrays, crustaceans and bony fish.

Average flight prices to the Maldives from the UK vary greatly, but you can expect to pay around £500-£700 for a round-trip economy flight.

Also prices range from under £300 to over £1,800 depending on the season, airline and flexibility. The average flight time is around 10 hours and 18 minutes to 12 hours and 44 minutes, but this can be longer with layovers.

At least 15 flights have been diverted as the airport remains closed until the situation is resolved, officials in Denmark say.

Authorities in Denmark have closed Copenhagen airport after unidentified drones were sighted nearby, causing about 15 flights to be diverted, police and airport officials told the AFP news agency.

“The airspace over Copenhagen airport has been closed since 8:30pm (18:30 GMT) due to two to three unidentified drones. No aircraft can take off or land,” airport spokeswoman Lise Agerley Kurstein said.

She said about 15 flights had been diverted to other airports.

Copenhagen police, meanwhile, said that “three or four big drones” had been observed flying over the airport.

“They are still flying back and forth, coming and going,” duty officer Anette Ostenfeldt told the AFP at 10:45pm (20:45 GMT), adding that police were at the airport investigating.

She could not say if the drones were military or civilian.

“But they are bigger than what you as a private individual can buy,” Ostenfeldt said.

Airport officials said the airport would remain closed until the situation was resolved. “We currently have no timeline for reopening,” Kurstein, the airport spokeswoman, said.

The incident comes as several European countries have reported violations of their airspace by Russia. Estonia said on Friday that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets had entered Estonian airspace without permission.

During a Russian air strike on Ukraine the week before, Poland said about 19 drones flew into its airspace. The Polish Air Force and NATO allies shot down some of the unmanned vehicles, marking the first time Russian drones were downed over NATO territory since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Romania also registered a Russian drone in its airspace.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) convened on Monday to address the issue of airspace violations.

Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, denied the allegations that Moscow’s fighter jets had violated the airspace of neighbouring Estonia, saying that last Friday’s flight of three of its MiG-31 aircraft was done “strictly in accordance with international airspace regulations”.

The Russian Ministry of Defence echoed his remarks, saying that “objective monitoring” confirmed that the MiGs did not breach Estonian borders.

NATO allies at the UNSC meeting condemned Russia for violating the alliance’s airspace.

“Your reckless actions risk direct armed confrontation between NATO and Russia. Our alliance is defensive, but be under no illusion we stand ready to defend NATO’s skies and NATO’s territory,” the United Kingdom foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, said.

NATO’s North Atlantic Council will meet to discuss the issue on Tuesday.

AN URGENT hunt for a 15-year-old girl is underway after she went missing last week.

The girl was last seen in Flintshire but is now believed to be 120 miles away in South Wales, police said.

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Shyla has been missing for a week with and was last spotted in the village of Drury, Flintshire, last Saturday, September 13.

She is described as around 5ft tall with an average build and her hair dyed red.

When she was last seen she was wearing grey jogging bottoms, a brown woolen hoodie and white trainers.

It’s also believed that she has connections to Barry, Penarth and Cardiff Bay.

South Wales Police are now urging anyone with information on her whereabouts to come forwards.

They also want to talk to anyone who may have seen her in recent days.

CCTV has been released showing the last time a British round-the-world sailor was seen before he disappeared.

James Nunan, 34, was five months into a global solo sailing trip when he mysteriously vanished on August 18.

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James from Reading, better-known to family and friends as Jemsie, had been at the pub, Paddy’s Anchor, in the island capital Las Palmas.

Hours later, he vanished after going for a late-night snack at the kebab shop six minutes away from the pub.

Spanish cops have now released an image of James, in their desperate attempt to locate him.

He is pictured ordering food at the kebab joint wearing a blue T-shirt with his Jack Russell on his lap.

In one photograph, three diners appear to be enjoying a meal behind him as he stands at the checkout.

It comes as official records show James reported his passport as lost or stolen at the Irish Embassy on August 19 – a day after he was last seen or heard from.

At the time, his half-sister Nikita said: “We know he’d had a drink but as a family we don’t believe he would recklessly set sail in the dark at night,” she said.

“It doesn’t make sense for it to be ‘oh he fell overboard’ because he was drunk, there are a lot of holes in the story.” 

Paddy’s Anchor previously shared appeals by James’ worried family on social media saying: “Many of you have been asking, so we want to share this post from Jemsie’s family.

“His sister is still searching for him after he was last seen here in Las Palmas.

“His boat has since been found off the coast of Gran Canaria, but there has been no contact from him since.”

A call was made between August 24 and 25 in relation to James’ boat as police found it a day later 50 miles offshore.

At first they said James’ Jack Russell, known as Thumbelina, wasn’t on board but later said she was found with the boat.

There remains no information on where James could be.

A witness came forward to claim he spoke to James as he said the Brit was drunk but not acting in any unusual manner.

He had reportedly told him about his sailing adventures and that he planned to head to Lanzarote.

Some pub staff also claimed they were told not to speak to anyone about his mysterious disappearance.

A man reportedly answered phone calls at the pub saying: “It’s an open investigation and we’ve been told not to speak to anyone and I’ve just got to go with that I’m afraid.”

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Asked if it was local police or Mr Nunan’s family who had asked him not to speak, he said: “I can’t talk about it, sorry.”

After his boat was found with the dog on board, it was towed back to Argineguin in the south of Gran Canaria.

A spokesperson for the Civil Guard said: “We are looking into this case. Several lines of investigation are being pursued.”

Jemsie had been about five-and-a-half months into his solo sailing trip when he vanished – and had been planning to travel to Brazil.

Nikita added that a distress signal was sent out in relation to his boat between August 24 and 25.

The dog found on board has since been taken to an animal shelter.

Jemsie’s father has travelled to the island searching for any signs of the missing 34-year-old. 

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has confirmed it is “supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Spain“.

The National Police in Las Palmas and court officials on the island have been approached for comment.

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