Thank you, funny thing is I am no good at video editing, and have gigs and gigs of video from 4 or 5 trips that hasn't been looked at still 
Liveonboard recommendations
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TabeaK
Contributor
The Explorer Ventures Boat, in particular the Carpe Vita. Had the best dive vacation of my life. Very luxurious boat, decent food, good team and excellent dive crew when we went. They have a separate Dive dhoni - so all your dive related gear is out of the way and they even move the boat to refill tanks so you are not bothered by noise. They take surface intervals serious, so for our 4 dives/day, diving started very early (5-6am). They do cover a lot of ground in between dives as well due to the Maldives' geography of spaced out atolls. Diving in the Maldives means blue open water and a lot of current. Gorgeous colors and wild life. I did all my certs in the Maldives, so I was pretty used to the currents, but there was a couple on our boat who had only ever done shore diving and they were pretty freaked by the currents.
If you rather wanna do an island, find one with a good house reef, not all of them have them. Also, I'd recommend an island in the South Ari atoll as that has the best dive sites to go to on the daily boat dives. I went to Athuruga a few years back and it was brilliant.
If you rather wanna do an island, find one with a good house reef, not all of them have them. Also, I'd recommend an island in the South Ari atoll as that has the best dive sites to go to on the daily boat dives. I went to Athuruga a few years back and it was brilliant.
no real plan
New
I'm currently backpacking around Asia and diving as much as I can.
Is there a "backpacker" liveonboard option for the Maldives or should I say "more budget concious" one? I'm not expecting cheap cheap, but maybe one that is known to still be great diving and safe but maybe not as fancy cabins or food?
I also have no scuba gear with me, so would need to rent it all too.
Cheers
Is there a "backpacker" liveonboard option for the Maldives or should I say "more budget concious" one? I'm not expecting cheap cheap, but maybe one that is known to still be great diving and safe but maybe not as fancy cabins or food?
I also have no scuba gear with me, so would need to rent it all too.
Cheers
Well, well, If you find one, juste let me know. The Maldives are more and more "exclusive" in terms of attracting tourists. So I wish you good luck. Backpaking in the Philippines, Malaisia or Indonesia is cheaper.
no real plan
New
Haha. Backpacked all 3 of them. Keep seeing cheap flights to Maldives from KL. So if I can find a cheap liveonboard then I'm sorted!
I often book things last minute. Any boats not ever full and just do a last day price to at least get a bit more money? Or am I clutching at straws?
I cannot help you. I am planning six to twelve months ahead . Never done last minutes diving vacations.
. Never done last minutes diving vacations.No Real Plan, the thing is that majority of people who go to the Maldives book it long in advance, since it's not a usual tourist destination like Thailand, Indo, etc... Many boats are fully booked months in advance...
Your best bet is to establish direct communication with various boat owners there and tell them what you want/ need. They will tell you if they could maybe accomodate you. Then you need to email regularly to ask: do you have a free spot? And be ready to jump on a plane at a few days' notice...
I just got back from MV Orion, which seems to be a middle range liveaboard. It's just been taken over by Emperor Divers.
I really enjoyed it, although the current did take getting used to. My dive guide was decent enough (and figured out I like knowing about the animal behavior), the dives well briefed, the dhoni in good shape. The food was better than I was expecting (had Roatan style dive camp food quality in mind), and we saw a whale shark, a dozen mantas, turtles, literally a hundred sharks in one dive, you name it. Ended it all up with a cool clown anglerfish (frog fish). I could have done with more diving over the days on board, but it was fairly deep and tiring so I can see why they don't do 4 a day consistently. I also could have had a quick tutorial on deploying an SMB, but I got there in the end. Using a reef hook was also a new skill, but not bad.
I would recommend them.
I really enjoyed it, although the current did take getting used to. My dive guide was decent enough (and figured out I like knowing about the animal behavior), the dives well briefed, the dhoni in good shape. The food was better than I was expecting (had Roatan style dive camp food quality in mind), and we saw a whale shark, a dozen mantas, turtles, literally a hundred sharks in one dive, you name it. Ended it all up with a cool clown anglerfish (frog fish). I could have done with more diving over the days on board, but it was fairly deep and tiring so I can see why they don't do 4 a day consistently. I also could have had a quick tutorial on deploying an SMB, but I got there in the end. Using a reef hook was also a new skill, but not bad.
I would recommend them.
I meant to also say that Emperor does have a lot of boats in the region of low budget and mid budget, and do deals if the boat isn't sold out.
Emperor Divers Maldives Liveaboards - Special Offers
I've only done the Orion, so I can't vouch for all their boats!
Emperor Divers Maldives Liveaboards - Special Offers
I've only done the Orion, so I can't vouch for all their boats!
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