General questions about the Maldives ...

Looking into possibilities for next year's dive trip has led my eye to the Maldives. For those who have been there, some questions ...

- Time frame is early February ... we're looking for a 7 to 10 day stay. Is this a good time to choose a trip to the Maldives?

- Liveaboard seems to be the recommended way to go. But in looking at several 7-day packages I notice that they seem to be a bit light on the diving. 17 dives in seven days? C'mon ... for the price of a liveaboard I want more than two or three dives a day. Are there some options for more diving on liveaboards that I'm just not seeing?

- If we opt for a land-based trip, where would be the best place to base it? Male and Ari atolls seem to be the most popular. Does anyone have any recommendations for places to stay that would offer diving that's both good and plentiful?

Any additional information would be most appreciated.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Hi

I've been to the Maldives a few times - so I'll try to help answer some of your questions.

Firstly, Feb is about the perfect time to visit the Maldives. Prime season is late Nov thru early April.

Maldives Liveaboards are great, but you could (unusually) get more dives in on a shore based trip if you were so inclined. The current tends to really kick off around sunset, so liveaboards tend to only offer the occaisional night dive - hence the 3 dives per day norm. In the resort I stayed at this feb, we did a.m & pm. boat dives every day plus optional early morning & night dives on the house reef. Less variety of locations, but more dives.

I would also avoid the more luxurious liveaboards for the Maldives. They have a bit of a reputation for taking the easy dives. To get the best out of the maldives, you really need to dive some strong current (channel) dives.

My favourite was Sea Queen. Not up to the hospitality standards of Aggressor/Dancer, but they dive some seriously good sites.

If you are going shore based, i would avoid Male area. There are some great resorts etc but you do not get the 'desert island' feel as you do not generally escape the flight paths, shipping lanes etc. Book somewhere that requires a sea lane transfer (rather than a speedboat transfer).

Only my personal opinions, but i hope some of it is helpful to you

John

Thanks John ... any suggestions on land-based areas that would be off the beaten track, have a reasonably nice house reef, and be accessible to some of the better sites you mentioned?

I'd really prefer a liveaboard ... but going all that way for only 17 dives seems such a waste ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Bob, I agree with mantajohn about Sea Queen, and I am in complete accord with you that when you travel so far you want to do serious diving. I'd like to suggest this particular tour: Michael AW underwater photography, digital, expeditions
I've been on three tours with this organizer, and they've all been outstanding. I know you said Feb, and this tour is in September, but just take a look, and make sure to watch the vid.

One of the issues with doing the best diving that the Maldives has to offer, especially during the northeast monsoon season, is timing.

To do the best diving here during that time of the year you need patience and understanding. You can do a channel dive on the right tide and have the best dive of your life and you can come back in 3 hours and have had the tide switch and you think you are in a saltwater quarry in Texas.

With this in mind, factor in that the "good dive sites" are not piled up right on top of each other like in some places (Bloody bay, Little Cayman for example) and moving around is not always as easy as pulling the anchor and dropping it again 30 minutes later.

Four dives a day can be done if you start at sunrise so your fourth can possibly be an "early night dive", going in while it is still light before dinner if the weather or current is looking unfavorable. Even this is difficult if you are moving in between atolls that day. Most boats here do not do much moving at night, but it can be done with the proper planning (which affects that day's diving also).

It is a very unique destination that is very rewarding with the right understanding of how it works. Sometimes here quality trumps quantity.

By the way...when you say "for the price of a live aboard..." Have you priced out the land based resorts here yet?

beautybelow:

By the way...when you say "for the price of a live aboard..." Have you priced out the land based resorts here yet?

Click to expand...

I'm looking at a few different packages ...

Kuredu Island Resort (Lhaviyani)

Vilamendhoo Island Resort (Ari)

Vilu Reef Resort (South Nilhande)

All of these also offer 7 day resort + 7 day liveaboard packages.

Any thoughts on which would be a better choice for a February holiday? Or do you have any other recommendations I should look at?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Hi again

The night travel point is very important. i've done 3 weeks of lob in the Maldives & never once travelled at night. i suspect its not allowed?

If you want to dive your socks off try out the 12 night itineraries on Sea Queen/Sea Spirit.

Schedules and prices for Maldives Liveaboards MV Sea Spirit and MV Sea Queen

These would be my first choice. Some of the classier lob's seem to spend quite a bit of time anchored off one resort then the next. These 12 night itineraries head well off the beaten track. Accommodation is good but more to European than north american standards! Catering is focussed on Sri Lankan style curries.

For resorts, this co has a pretty comprehensive resort finder on its website: Maldives Direct

Many more Brits than SB ers go to the Maldives. This is the best UK dive forum. You might find some good resort recommendations on there.
YD Scuba Diving Forums

Cheers

John

I have no specific recommendations for resorts. Or for liveaboards for that matter. My comment was actually meant to say that the price of the average resort here for a week of eating, sleeping and diving is probably higher than the price of a live aboard for a week.

Traveling at night is not illegal but is very difficult. You can easily navigate between the atolls but once inside it is very risky. If you are lined up at the end of the day right near one of the channels you can slip out after dark and enter another atoll's channel and anchor right inside, but if the weather turns bad before you are anchored you have an issue for sure.

I have been looking at the Maldives for a while, but my problem is that I never know exactly when I can make it. My day time job has me setting up a factory in Hyderabad which is in the center of India.

I’m over there every 8 to 10 weeks (4 times in the last 8 months and at least another 3 or 4 trips this year) and can make it to Male easily, but I rarely have more than a 2 week look ahead and have been as short as neing told a 9AM to make tonight’s flight out of NY. When there I may be able to figure out if I can break away to the Maldives by a Wednesday or Thursday, So I have to do it on the fly, call when I know I can make it and see if there is a room/bunk open. So far I just haven’t been able to get the time, money and opportunity in the same trip.