bmaither
Registered
Hi all,
Recently returned from an almost-other-side-of-the-world-excursion, and thought I would share a bit. For reference, I have 150 dives in Caribbean / Egypt / Hawaii, and this was my second liveaboard.
Flights
From Ottawa, Canada, 7 hours to London and then another 11 to Maldives. The return was quite a challenge, let's say. Our package was ex-Heathrow with Tony Backhurst, using Monarch. Euro space standards are a little less than in NA (and I'm a fit 175#) - get the extra-legroom seats if you can!
Food and Drink
I enjoy my food, and I enjoyed it here. The Thai cook is a sweet lady, really tries to impress. Variety was not fantastic, but what they had was very good. One strong suggestion for the boat is to serve fish - given that tuna fishing is the second largest industry in the country after tourism, I don't believe it possible that fish would cost more than beef or chicken? Draft or bottled Becks at $4 was reasonable, wine pricy at $35 a bottle. They had a good mix of other stuff available as well.
Cabins
A good size, in good form, bathrooms very nice. Beds a bit on the firm side. Lots of space for everything. And 22 light switches! Can only imagine what the wiring looks like behind the walls ... it's just an amusing point.
Public Space
Tons of it - socialize or find a private corner, no problems. On the top deck you get the sense that you are sitting on a white-washed patio overlooking the Aegean in Greece.
Dive Dhoni
All diving from here, reasonably good space for 20 divers. Check that you have all of your gear before the dhoni departs! All dives are a short trip from the mothership.
Gear
I started out in a 3/2 full, and was always very comfortable in the 82-84F water. Later in the week I went down to shorts and a skin for most dives, and was also OK. About half of boat was shorts and skins, but there were a few scuffs on people. I was using my tropical fins, but would highly recommend cold water boots/fins to deal with the currents - I was struggling on a few of the high current dives. For electrical / charging, most of the outlets are UK style, but they have one universal 240V power bar.
Bring your SMB/sausage, and be comfortable using it - you will need it. Negative entries required on several dives.
The Guides
All very nice, but certainly on the quiet side. Alex does all of the talking. If you are looking for a bit more high-touch guidance, I would be sure to engage them clearly and directly ... they do expect a high level of self-sufficiency ... which can be somewhat disconcerting on the big current dives.
OK, OK - The Diving
Currents range from gentle to huge - one dive was almost a complete blowout. Everything was fine until you got to about 50', and then holy c**p! Watch out for Emboodhoo Express, Kandooma. Plan to get some exercise, you don't always go with the flow. Three spectacular dives: 1) Manta station at Donkalho, 2) night dive with feeding whitetips/rays/jacks at Maaya Thila, and 3) a lush pinnacle at Kudarah Thila. A squadron of Mobulas at Bodufinolhu was also highly notable. We also had the opportunity for some good snorkeling with Whale Sharks a little ways from Bodu in S. Ari. Of the 18 dives, I would say 3 excellent, 4 very good, 4 OK, 6 quite average/uneventful. I'm sure Poseidon did for us what he could!
Check out some photos at:
Maldives - a set on Flickr
Recently returned from an almost-other-side-of-the-world-excursion, and thought I would share a bit. For reference, I have 150 dives in Caribbean / Egypt / Hawaii, and this was my second liveaboard.
Flights
From Ottawa, Canada, 7 hours to London and then another 11 to Maldives. The return was quite a challenge, let's say. Our package was ex-Heathrow with Tony Backhurst, using Monarch. Euro space standards are a little less than in NA (and I'm a fit 175#) - get the extra-legroom seats if you can!
Food and Drink
I enjoy my food, and I enjoyed it here. The Thai cook is a sweet lady, really tries to impress. Variety was not fantastic, but what they had was very good. One strong suggestion for the boat is to serve fish - given that tuna fishing is the second largest industry in the country after tourism, I don't believe it possible that fish would cost more than beef or chicken? Draft or bottled Becks at $4 was reasonable, wine pricy at $35 a bottle. They had a good mix of other stuff available as well.
Cabins
A good size, in good form, bathrooms very nice. Beds a bit on the firm side. Lots of space for everything. And 22 light switches! Can only imagine what the wiring looks like behind the walls ... it's just an amusing point.
Public Space
Tons of it - socialize or find a private corner, no problems. On the top deck you get the sense that you are sitting on a white-washed patio overlooking the Aegean in Greece.
Dive Dhoni
All diving from here, reasonably good space for 20 divers. Check that you have all of your gear before the dhoni departs! All dives are a short trip from the mothership.
Gear
I started out in a 3/2 full, and was always very comfortable in the 82-84F water. Later in the week I went down to shorts and a skin for most dives, and was also OK. About half of boat was shorts and skins, but there were a few scuffs on people. I was using my tropical fins, but would highly recommend cold water boots/fins to deal with the currents - I was struggling on a few of the high current dives. For electrical / charging, most of the outlets are UK style, but they have one universal 240V power bar.
Bring your SMB/sausage, and be comfortable using it - you will need it. Negative entries required on several dives.
The Guides
All very nice, but certainly on the quiet side. Alex does all of the talking. If you are looking for a bit more high-touch guidance, I would be sure to engage them clearly and directly ... they do expect a high level of self-sufficiency ... which can be somewhat disconcerting on the big current dives.
OK, OK - The Diving
Currents range from gentle to huge - one dive was almost a complete blowout. Everything was fine until you got to about 50', and then holy c**p! Watch out for Emboodhoo Express, Kandooma. Plan to get some exercise, you don't always go with the flow. Three spectacular dives: 1) Manta station at Donkalho, 2) night dive with feeding whitetips/rays/jacks at Maaya Thila, and 3) a lush pinnacle at Kudarah Thila. A squadron of Mobulas at Bodufinolhu was also highly notable. We also had the opportunity for some good snorkeling with Whale Sharks a little ways from Bodu in S. Ari. Of the 18 dives, I would say 3 excellent, 4 very good, 4 OK, 6 quite average/uneventful. I'm sure Poseidon did for us what he could!
Check out some photos at:
Maldives - a set on Flickr
