Maldives diving

[scubamax]

hi thr,
anyone knows the conditions of the reefs and marine life in Maldives after the disaster?

have a dive trip next month.

appreciate any feedback..

thanks

[island_sands]

hi Max

liveaboards report that all is well. The maldives had more of a rise in tide as opposed to crashing waves. The house reefs of some islands have lost coral, but the dive sites, in particular the pinnacles, are still as great as ever. Ari Atoll sites have had good reports and there have still been whale shark and manta sightings in South Ari Atoll.

Where are you going? I live in Maldives and know lots of divemasters/liveaboards etc. I will happily find out for you.

Cheers
island_sands

[scubamax]

hi ya Island_sands,
appreciate your response. Our trip is on one of the vessels thr.. but we have not decided on the dive sites..we are probably going to depend on the local DMs recommendation and hopefully still manage to see those gentle giants among other thgs..

perhaps you can recommend us some dive sites..

i have some concerns abt the water supply and dive accident medical support (should that arise)

thanks

[island_sands]

Originally Posted by scubamax

hi ya Island_sands,
appreciate your response. Our trip is on one of the vessels thr.. but we have not decided on the dive sites..we are probably going to depend on the local DMs recommendation and hopefully still manage to see those gentle giants among other thgs..

perhaps you can recommend us some dive sites..

i have some concerns abt the water supply and dive accident medical support (should that arise)

thanks

hi Max

i would say that there are very few operational liveaboards in maldives that are unsafe. The Maldivian divemasters are quite experienced and a lot of liveaboards also employ foreign boat managers to accompany them. Bandos Island has a full-on recompression chamber and hospital (it's up and running, i just called to check), it is run by German doctors and is very professional.

100ft/30m is the max by government regulation. Strong suggestion to all divers is not to be heroic as it's a long way to Bandos from some locations (maybe 3 hours by boat) and obviously you cannot be airlifted. Dehydration is the main cause of DCS cases here in Maldives and also people who have panicked in currents and have "shot to the top".

Water supply - tons! its desalinated and all the boats have their own desalinators. The boats supply plenty of bottled water for drinking purposes. Alcohol is also served on all boats, but not in male' or local islands.

Male' (the capital) is almost fully operational again as are food supplies. The Maldives government was determined that the tourist industry was not to be affected where possible.

Liveaboard is the way to go... 60% of the resorts are damaged here. however to get the best out of Maldives you'll do best with a safari boat.
If you are not doing Sultans of the Seas boats (they only do Huvadhoo Atoll right now), then you will probably be doing the Male-South Male-South Ari Atoll (whalesharks) - North Ari Atoll (Rasdhoo for hammerheads) route.

Dive sites (from my own experience):
Ari Atoll
Maaya Thila (excellent night dive as you can see feeding white tips)
Fish Head
Kudarah Thila (coral, 1000s of fish)
Broken Rock (strong current, loads of coral and a great canyon)
Manta Point (Rangali)
Bathala Maaga Kan Thila (grey reefs, eagle rays)
Maniyamas Thila
Moofushi Kandu
Gangehi
Rasdhoo Atoll (North Ari Atoll) for the hammerhead point.

South Male
Embudhoo Express
Guraidhoo Corner/South (grey reefs)
Boli Rock
Kandooma Thila

North Male
Voshimas Thila (must!!)
Kuda Faru (ingoing current only.. must!)
Kuda Thila (soft coral, beaut)
Rasfari (silver tips)
Maldives Victory Wreck (must!)

if you are going to Huvadhoo Atoll...ooohhhh don't let me start... it's just great.
You can also PM me for more information.

The weather is great right now, hasn't rained for about three weeks, its calm,no clouds... and it's plankton season on west side of atolls so loads of fish and rays.

enjoy your trip! Maldives is great.

[scubamax]

Hey Island_sands
many thanks for the speedy info.. very reassuring...
i will definitely be here in abt 1month's time,
i hope the weather will remain sunny..

any gd dive sites for Macro stuff as well.. my buddy and I are into both big and small stuff..

will let you know the name of the boat when i get the info..

are u by any chance a DM/instructor yourself?

cheers

[island_sands]

I am.. i worked as dive instructor here in 2001 and again in 2003... I went to the Caribbean in between and it didn't compare..

Feel free to PM me if you need any more info (and the lowdown on the boat that you are booking!)

[scubamax]

hehehe i love the telepathic powers you have.. will PM you when i am ready to hear the "low-down" of the vessel..