Boat traffic, surface marker buoys

We are doing the "Best of Maldives" on the MV Orion in late April. As much will be drift diving, SMBs are required, of course. However, we were wondering about the amount of boat traffic in the general area as it relates to inflating the SMB under water vs. at the surface. Will surface inflation be sufficient (i.e. reels will not be necessary)?

It depends where you will be diving in the Maldives, but in any case, the boat traffic can't be compared to Egypt for example, even if in some places, it can be intense.
Of course, the SMB is there to signal divers to other boat, but also to signal yourself to your boat. As currents can be strong, you can drift pretty far, pretty quickly, especially if you are diving a channel with an outgoing current.
Being outside an atoll drifting in the Indian Ocean with a strong outgoing current, without a SMB is not a good idea (even with a SMB in some case... sometimes, the swell is bigger than the boat, thus the boat can't see you, even with a SMB. Better to not drift to far outside at any time.)
In any case, I believe it's better to have a reel and to inflate the SMB at the safety stop. Your boat will start to move towards you, and with a good captain, even protect you from other boat if needed.

Enjoy you holidays, I've heard the MV Orion is very good!

I agree with LaMissJude.

There is a lot more boat traffic around Maldives dive sites. On a recent trip we were diving a house reef wreck when a group of surfacing divers were nearly taken out by the resort's zodiac/banana boat.

I suggest using a finger spool from the safety stop. Much less bulky than a reel & very easy once you get the hang of it.

Enjoy your trip. Do post a trip report on Orion when you get back.

Most boaters do not know what a dive flag is and almost none will know what a SMB is so if you think sending one of these things up first is going to help you are mistaken. It may very well have the opposite effect, a boat operator without a clue may see this thing come up and move to your position to get a better look.

Most boaters do not know what a dive flag is and almost none will know what a SMB is so if you think sending one of these things up first is going to help you are mistaken. It may very well have the opposite effect, a boat operator without a clue may see this thing come up and move to your position to get a better look.

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In many places (inc my own country) I would share your concerns. But at a Maldives dives site, I would be confident that the vast majority of boat drivers would understand and respect a dsmb.

We just got back from the MV Orion "Best of Maldives" trip. During your first dive, you will be asked to employ your SMB during your safety stop. They will brief you thoroughly when to use your SMB - pretty much: always during your safety stop, so the boat can see you where you are and going due to the currents and get closer to you. Also if you see other divers around you using the SMB - there is no need for you to do it (I think the distance is about 10m between divers). Boat traffic in the Best of Maldives route is not too bad. Each boat uses their dhonis to get to the sites and also to pick you up. Captains are very mindful of SMB and actually it is safer to inflate during safety stops than only once you are popping up at the surface.

One other tip - get a reef hook! There are several channel dives, if you are not able to hook yourself on a stone - your dive is over after 5 min. During our first channel dive the current was 4.5 knots and without a reef hook you had no chance to hang on but would have drifted right into the channel and needed to surface.

Enjoy the Orion, it is a great boat with great people working on it.

+1 for a reef hook. A must for any serious diving in the Maldives.

Could I ask should my hubby bring his own reef hook when we go on honors legacy in March ? Thanks !

i suspect that honours legacy will give you a good mix of dive sites inc some high energy channel diving most days. In which case a reef hook each would be a real plus.

We we tend to use them in 2 places. Firstly hanging on at a reef edge at around 28-30 metres checking out the sharks in the blue. Saves air and saves the reef.

The other place is on the top of a Thila at the end of a dive. The current sometimes really picks up as it crests the thila, so a reef hook can be very handy.


hope you have a great trip. Please do post a report when you get back. It's a brand new boat, I'm sure many people would be interested to hear how it is