Maldives and the moon

[Roncone]

I am planning on booking a liveaboard trip in the Maldives in the Fall of 2014. Does anybody know how significant is the moon phase is on the overall dive experience in the Maldives? I know that the greatest differences between high and low tides occur at new moon and full moon. I was in Palau a few years ago and was told that I should have come during one of those times as the current/marine life would be predictably better.

I'm sure I will have a great trip either way, but if I'm travelling halfway around the world, I want to make the most of it. Currently, the boat that I am most interested in only has availability for a few weeks and these are not full moon/new moon weeks.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Ron

 

[supergaijin]

The inside atoll is not so much affected by tides but the channels are. IME currents are at their strongest in the channels starting the day after full/new moon and becoming extreme on the second day after. This also has to do with:

strength of oceanic current,
wind direction,
'rule of twelfths'

Something is preventing me from uploading pictures but have a look at Google images for 'rule of twelfths' and you'll get the idea. That said, usually safari boats have a fairly fixed daily schedule- ie. 8am entry, 11am entry etc. This is done to for logistics of lunch, travel between atolls etc. So even though you make predictions, it's still a dice-roll.

Extreme currents are a PITA and I try to avoid them. I like current, but when it's too strong, it's simply too strong to dive effectively. A solid 1-1.5knot current is plenty to bring in the fish- 2knt and above becomes a drama IME.

Christmas period can have some pretty decent currents as this is where winds and oceanic current can combine and different water temps can make the currents slide- I've had 3 currents going different directions on a wall as you descend from 5m to 25m.

I like to learn a much as I can about currents here but finally I predict it correctly about 50% of the time. Take all this with a grain of salt. But bring a reef hook if you're in to photography- some days you may need it.

 

[Roncone]

Thank you for the quick reply!

Given what you know, if you were me travelling from Canada, how would you schedule your trip? We are not photographers and we are not searching for extreme current. We just want to put the odds in our favour to make the most of our trip. Or does it not really matter that much?

Ron

 

[supergaijin]

I don't even know what month you're coming- Fall of 2014 means nothing to me.

 

[Roncone]

Nothing booked yet. I wanted to be fully informed before we book. We are intending to travel between September and December of 2014.

I'll give you the specifics...
The boat that we are looking at booking on has a few weeks available during this time frame, but both are exactly halfway in between full moon and new moon. We were in Palau in 2010 and encountered very little current and we didn't see as much as we expected. We spend a week hearing: "You should have come at new moon or full moon". I didn't want to repeat that if I could avoid it. In this case, it might mean trying a different boat or waiting until 2015.

 

[supergaijin]

It depends really on which atolls you're going to and what you hope to see. Right now we have the end of the SW Monsoon and the weather can be 'iffy' in Nov. September can be fairly rainy IME but that doesn't necessarily affect the diving in a bad way. I used to really enjoy the western side of Ari during September... but wind can be a factor when planning to dive west-side channels. If there's been a storm or strong west winds, outside the atoll the oceanic swell can be daunting for the 'dhoni' boats that are often used as liveaboard tenders.

Mantas/ whalesharks should still be around the N/S Eastern fringes of the atolls- especially on a rising tide.

It's rare to get zero current in the channels, even with half-moon periods- again the Maldives is affected more by oceanic currents running across the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge- we don't depend on just tidal currents. The inner reefs don't really change in current/no current. Low tide on the western channels should give it a bit of spice but.

That said, some of the pinnacles or 'thila' in the west Ari Atoll are fantastic at this time of year as they are fed by a predominantly incoming current bringing nutrients to the corals and you'll see a spank-load of fusiliers, unicornfish, surgeons and Red-Tooth Triggers..., and there's a good chance to have mating white-tip reef sharks and or greys on the outer reefs and channels (western side).

Viz is clearer on the western edge and soupy on the eastern sides... but that's where you'll find your bigger filter feeders.

 

[Roncone]

Thank you. That helps. Much appreciated!

Ron