Crazy Cost of 2nd Bag when flying to Male Maldives

[DiverDun]

Love the comments. Thanks so much.
Very good comments that we should be able to scale back the cloths. The main weight is our dive gear (regs, B/W (although I usually put on an Al backplate instead of the steel one), fins, wetsuit, small-save-a-dive-kit, etc.

 

[Hoag]

Love the comments. Thanks so much.
Very good comments that we should be able to scale back the cloths. The main weight is our dive gear (regs, B/W (although I usually put on an Al backplate instead of the steel one), fins, wetsuit, small-save-a-dive-kit, etc.

I recently did a trip on the Aquacat. (OK, granted it is not as nice as the Maldives, but it is a LOB, so the rules of thumb for packing still apply.)

Since you imply that you already have an aluminum BP, then by all means, switch to that. If you only have one, then consider whether the $100ish for a second one (assuming both you & your wife use BP/W) will offset the extra baggage charges (Think long term; not only on this trip, but also on any future trips you might take.) If you have to look into buying a new BP, then also consider something like a Mares XT Ultralight soft plate.

Find out for sure if you are allowed one carry on or if you are allowed one carry on plus one "personal item". You may be able to count your camera bag as your carry on and have a "personal item" which contains little more than your mask, regs, computer, and your toiletries. Also, consider whether it is viable to "merge" your carry on things with your wife's. There may be some "wiggle room" if you consolidate.

Also, take a look at what the weight of your luggage is. If each piece of your luggage is 10 pounds or more, then it might be worth it to look at something lighter. I use a generic rolling duffel bag that is about 6 pounds for my dive luggage.

When I packed for the Aquacat trip, it was something like this:

Checked bag (48lbs)
Dive Gear (including mesh "boat bag" (I dove in Nassau before I went on the LOB) wetsuit, fins, AL BP/W, booties, & snorkel)
Clothes (T-shirts, shorts, & underwear)
Electrical power bar (for recharging batteries) (check what the power on your boat is before you go)

Carry On (a small light-weight roller carry on)
Toiletries (including any meds)
Mask
Regs & computer
Spare batteries (Typically you can not check many types of rechargeable batteries)
1 Quick dry/Wicking T-shirt
1 swim suit
1 pair of shorts
camera tray & arms

"Personal Item" (a small "Pac Safe" knapsack)
Camera with 2 lenses (Sony A6000)
Nauticam housing
2 lens ports
2 strobes

How I packed my stuff may or may not work for you and it is offered as an example of how to pack to meet airline requirements. As always, YMMV.

 

[DiverDun]

Thanks again. I was not aware that there was a soft plate. I will consider that or getting a second aluminum backplate and a soft roller duffle bag.
Interesting how your packing list is similar to mine. I have a Sony NEX5N with Nauticam housing and similar pieces.
The suggestion of the "merge" your carry on items may be the trick to win this battle. We will actually have an opportunity to leave one bag in Dubai so could go with three bags. If the airline allows us to merge our allowance we should be able to get by. We are trying to reach them for a confirmation.
All the suggestions have been much appreciated.

 

[Hoag]

@DiverDun, just out of curiosity, are you planning to fly out of YOW, YUL or YYZ? There may be options other than Emirates. If you are flying out of YUL, you could take Cathay Pacific (Typically connecting through YVR and Hong Kong), Air France/Etihad (connecting through Paris & Abu Dhabi). If you are willing to fly out of YYZ, then you could fly Turkish Airways (connecting through Istanbul), or Etihad (connecting through Abu Dhabi). Any of these may give you better options based on the amount of luggage that you plan to travel with.

 

[DiverDun]

We are flying to Dubai first and then will be flying from Dubai a few days later, so Emirates is the only airline that has a direct flight to Maldives (4.5 hours) Other airlines are 12 or more hours.

 

[Eptel]

Emirates didn't weigh our carry-ons when we flew from Dubai to Maldives a year ago. We had under 23kg bags so I can't help you with extra luggage fees

 

[DiverDun]

Thanks. This is comforting. We finally managed to get through to the airline and they confirmed we can combine our checked baggage weight, so we will go with 3 checked bags, each with 20Kg. We are now focusing on how to cut out 25% of our weight by, buying a second AL BP, looking at lighter bags etc. Many thanks to all for chipping in.

 

[chillyinCanada]

No allowance for sporting gear?

 

[carol_swimmom]

While I am by no means an expert I just booked air to the Maldives. We are flying from toronto via Zurich on Swiss air. It was much cheaper than emirates. Maybe their extra weight luggage is more reasonable too.
We were told that Lob''s are very laid back and no need for a ton of clothes. I know ours does overnight laundry as well.

 

[VKE]

Hiya
We've been going to the Maldives for the last 19yrs and for the last 18yrs taking our own dive gear/cameras etc; we've flown mainly with Emirates and with the 30kg (hold) + 7kg (cabin) and yes we use every bit of the allowance and have managed to be a 'tad' over on hold (max is 32kg) and cabin (max out); that said we work on being 1st in the que at check in and and always approach the person at check-in with a positive and upbeat 'good morning' and are super friendly. We always manage to drop into the conversation that we're divers and have our gear and we've never had an issue.

The only issues we've encountered is when we've done liveaboard trips down in the Far South where we've had a 20kg allowance or extended our trip to a resort island and had to take a sea plane but flown into the Maldives with 30kg + 7kg and yes in those instances we've on some occasions had to pay excess charges (only 1 payment) but not every time but again I'm super friendly at check in and maybe that's worked in my favour.

Things on a Maldivian liveaboard are very relaxed and casual and you really won't need much clothes; t-shits/odd casual shirt/shirts (no speedos please; can be rather distressing to other guests as Ive found out the hard way!) but bear in mind that if the boat overnights in harbour(ish) of a local island which we've done on many trips then females need to be respectful and throw on a t-shirt/ shorts(not skimpy) or something like a maxi dress as the boats presence does draw some attention and you may be offered the chance to go over to a local island.

With our hold luggage we take two bags; one has all the dive gear and the other has clothes/toiletries/medication/log books etc. We've been using the same company and do the same boat for the past 10 years so we know what's included/not included but what I would say is work out the weight for dive/camera/other items and then what ever you set aside for clothes halve what you've got as you won't need it!
What you will need is a reef hook and don't buy any alcohol in DF as you won't be able to take it into the country!

The Maldives is a truly wonderful place hence why we keep returning and the diving is some of the best we've done but be prepared to be bitten by the Maldivian bug....the bug of wanting to return!
Happy & Safe Travels and enjoy the bubbles
VKE