The story about GT Fishers began in September 2011 when Japanese GT-aficionado Shin Achiwa had just finished a couple of days fishing from one of the traditional Maldivian dhonis. He was in love with the Maldives, and its GT-fishing – but as the result-oriented businessman that Shin also is, he was not in love with the 5-knot speed of the dhoni and the slow-moving boat’s limited access to productive fishing spots. Back at the airport, waiting for his flight to Tokay, he envisioned a concept that would revolutionize GT fishing in the Maldives:

A fast-moving speedboat wouldn’t only be ideal for getting closer to reefs and points where swirling currents would hold more and bigger fish. It would also enable the anglers to cover much more water in a day without wasting valuable time moving slowly between less productive spots. Finally, its seaworthiness and speed would give much faster access to remote atolls that the slow-moving fleet of dhonis would rarely reach.

A few months later, a 32-foot speedboat with 400 HP outboards was acquired and the first test trip took place shortly thereafter: A six-day expedition to Noonu Atoll yielded an impressive number of GTs, as well as many other species, with several GTs weighing in at more than 30 KG. As planned, the speedboat gave access to lots of inner reef points: Spots that was basically untouched by anglers. The success of the trip was covered in the leading Japanese publication Salt World Magazine, and the first bookings came in shortly thereafter. Less than a month later a Japanese couple – honeymooning in Maldives – continued the success of the new concept when the wife outdid her husband and landed the boat’s first 40 KG+ GT.

The following year, two things happened that would help shape the future of GT Fishers: Mohamed Visham, an upcoming and very talented captain joined the operation. Later that year, and the initial contact between Shin and Thomas Søbirk of Getaway Tours in Denmark was established. Both relationships soon grew so strong that a few years later Mohamed was managing everything in the Maldives, and Getaway was handling all clients outside Japan.

Since the early days of the operation, we have come a long way. The boat has been upgraded to a bigger, faster and more seaworthy 36-footer with great stability. It also has a cabin – great for when a tropical downpour occasionally passes by – and a tiny rest room, a much-welcomed feature by our female guests. As a little side project, GT Fishers has also helped developed a series of very popular GT lures and some great rods made to their specifications in Japan.

Together with Getaway Fly Fishing, we have developed the most successful fly fishing program in the Maldives, combining the longer range of the speedboat with the easy access to reefs and islands from the inflatable dinghy we bring on our fly fishing expeditions.

Today, we pride ourselves in having an unrivalled insight into the sport fishing possibilities of wonderful Maldives. We offer the best fishing trips with either popping gear or fly rods. We do so in a responsible way, and at very competitive prices.

Our crew is absolutely second-to-none: Dedicated, friendly, English speaking and top professional. They are the real difference in what we do, and they look forward to welcoming you in Wonderful Maldives.