Considering Maldives Liveaboard over Xmas & New Year

Hi all!
am thinking about doing a liveaboard in the Maldives over Xmas new year.
I heard the weather could be very changeable though, so not sure if it is better to postpone til a different time.
If I do go, would it be better to do a north tour or a south tour?
Is it the season for whale sharks or mantas at that time?
Thanks very much for any help you can give.

Dr Dive sez: returned from a January trip there. Weather was the same day to day, warm, clear, calm. January is mid-summer there.

The itinerary is set by the boat, based on various factors, and all the boats follow a similar N vs. S choice plan, so you're pretty much at their mercy. That said, they know their backyard better than you, and are invested in putting you on the big critters. It's what people come for.

We did a mid-south route. We saw mantas and whale sharks, each in different locations.
We sailed with the Maldives Princess. Good boat, but it runs continuous trips, so it can look a little more worn than the publicity photos show, but is clean, sound, and was mechanically reliable. Meals are hearty, plentiful, and on time. Menu is local, and not Americanized, though you'll see some familiar items. The staff is awesome, and will bend over backward to make you happy.

Diving is done from a separate boat, a dhonnie, that is purpose built for diving. Your gear lives on the dhonnie, and they fill tanks, etc. between dives.

Dives are live boat, drift dives. Groups are loose, tend to spread out, and the boat looks for you where they expect you to surface. They don't follow your bubbles, but the DMs usually come up close to the boat. If you separate from the group, you may wait a few minutes for pick up. Take a SMB, as big as you have, and a whistle. Don't be afraid to make your presence known.

That covers your questions, but if you have more, let me know. I've included some video links for the Go Pro videos I took while there. Enjoy, and good luck with your trip. Definitely think live aboard will be better diving than land resort, and easier to connect with.


Maldives Videos

Maldives Night Mantas
Maldives 2014 Night Mantas yt - YouTube

Maldives Day Reef 1
Maldives Day Reef 1 yt - YouTube

Maldives Day Mantas
Maldives 2014 Day Mantas yt - YouTube

Maldives Sharks Day and Night
Sharks Day and Night - YouTube

Maldives Day Reef 2
Maldives Day Reef 2 yt - YouTube

Maldives Kudhi Maa Pinnacles
Kudhi Maa Pinnacles yt - YouTube

Capt. Jim
Dr Dive
Dr Dive Pensacola, FL - Home of the USS Oriskany
drdive@drdive.com
http://www.facebook.com/DrDiveCharters

Thanks very much for that! I love your night dive manta video, very exciting!

Yeah the weather is seldom very troublesome in the Maldives. There are some boats running good specials in December too. i.e.Ocean Divine and Maldives Aggressor

Hi all,

thanks for your help with planning my trip! In the end I did 2 LOB, first with MS Virgo, second with MS Leo. I booked both through Dive the World, who were great.

First trip was good, we had plenty of mantas, whale sharks, reasonable current. The boat was nice, food was good, the guides were fantastic and super friendly. We did a circuit around South Ari Atoll. The coral reefs are in very good condition, especially considering how much of a bashing they take from such a large number of new or inexperienced divers. The diving was enjoyable, water 29°C, lots of fish, not too much macro for those interested though, plenty of turtles etc.

We were lucky that at least half of the divers on board were quite experienced. Also we were always able to split off from the group and dive as a buddy pair.

The second week my buddy didn't come with me unfortunately. MS Leo was a larger boat with 20 divers and three guides. I was shocked that the vast majority of the divers were extremely inexperienced, many were out of air after 30 minutes. I don't think many had researched at all what the Maldives is like for diving. Some couldn't even put on their own gear alone. I could have cried watching them lying all over the coral, kicking it with fins, pulling chunks off with their hands.

On the bright side, we did an awesome night dive called the circus with hundreds of rays and sharks - that was the highlight of the trip. Best night dive Ive done.

The boat was nice, the crew was great. The food was Ok - not brilliant. The diving was good, viz was not great and currents were moderate to strong all week.

If I went back to the Maldives I would probably go to the very south, as I suspect the divers who go there are more experienced.