Maldives in October

[Idontknowza]

Hi

Im thinking of going to the maldives at the end of October, does anyone know what sort of weather and diving conditions I can expect ??

 

[Lyndon]

Great time to go...Nov 1st starts the peak season so you pay more...weather about 24-26 C.

I recommend Embudu village...Good all inclusive price and has a great house reef all along the island if you like to snorkel...quite a lot of stuff to see...its not a sophisticated hotel but a laid back place with people hardly wearing any footwear if you get my drift...I will go back again...In end October but before that its the Red Sea in my plans...

 

[TEERLKAY]

We did the Maldives last year in Oct.
We did a two week liveaboard and a few days at Embudu village.
Diving is not cheap if you stay on one of the Islands (starts around $30-40 per tank but will get a little cheaper if you get a package of 10 or more dives)

The two week liveaboard we did was amazing.....we seen everything! We went to a manta cleaning station....swam with numerous whale sharks. Reef sharks were on most dives and you would see a grey shark every once in a while! The current is very high velocity at some sites so you must be comfortable in current...For anyone, I suggest to bring a reef hook. The weather was good for the most part..out of two weeks only one day was bad enough to keep us from diving.
The viz this time of year is not the best but I had no complaints! This trip for us was the best yet.
We got a great price for the two week liveaboard for the month of Oct...The boat was called the Stingray.
Maybe we were spoiled from the liveaboard but staying on Embudu Island wasn't worth the money. I have no complaints about Embudu but just keep somethings in mind if you want to stay on an island.....it will be expensive, check out the prices of the diving before you book. Most of the islands are not that big...Embudu island you can walk around the island in 25 minutes.
I stongly suggest if your going to the Maldives to dive...do a liveaboard. The liveaboards know where to go to see the whale sharks and the manta's.

 

[Idontknowza]

Thanks people, the advice is really appreciated. Sounds like its an excellent venue and im really looking forward to it. As for u LYNDON im sure you going to love the RED SEA. i was there 4 yrs ago on a liveabord and it was amazing.

 

[Idontknowza]

Since im going on honeymoon i thought it might be a bit more relaxed if we where on a Island instead of Live aboard, besides they'd complain cause the boat wont stop rocking for 7 days,even in calm seas..........anyone been to Paradise Island ?? Looks quite nice on the net but id perfer someones personal opnion.

 

[reefwreck]

..........anyone been to Paradise Island ?? Looks quite nice on the net but id perfer someones personal opnion.

I was at Paradise Island in December 2001. Although it is one of the largest resorts in the Maldives, it was quiet then, post 9/11.

Accomodations

The accomodations were quite nice and comfortable. We were upgraded to a deluxe beach front bungalow, maybe 20 paces from waters edge. The bungalow had AC and satellite TV. There was a large bathroom with shower/tub as well as a private outdoor shower off the bathroom.

Environment

Beautiful white sand beaches, sunshine and aquamarine waters. Paradise.

Food

The food was very good with excellent buffet-style meals. Dishes were rotated from one day to the next but always seemed to include a selection of Pasta and other Western dishes (including Beef Wellington one night), seafood, Chinese food and local dishes. They also had a very good a la carte Italian restaurant at the end of the pier as well as a Japanese restaurant.

Clientele

A mix of Europeans (including Russian charter groups), Asians and those from the Middle East.

Diving

The dive operation is run by a European outfit (I forget the name). You will be required to do a check out dive on the house reef, check your weights, clear mask etc.
I would recommend bringing your own equipment. When I was there some of the equipment had seen better days. DIN tanks (steel) were the norm. I'm not sure if they have adapters. Check beforehand if this is an issue for you. I also seem to recall nitrox was available.
Guides included Germans, Japanese, British and Americans.
Diving was very good, with reef sharks, Dog Tooth Tuna, Sea Snakes, Eagle Rays, Morays and brilliantly coloured tropical fish. The Asian Diver Annual 2004 listed the nearby HP Reef as one of the top coral reef dives in Asia. Currents can be an issue, so be prepared for them.
The diving is not cheap, but worth it in my opinion. For every boat dive there is also a "boat fee" of something like US$12, in addition to the cost of the dives. They run several boat dives per day. Most boat dives were single tank dives, as the dive sites are mostly close to the resort. They were doing one full day trip a week to the Maldives Victory wreck.
SI's at the resort can be spent snorkelling where we were able to see Morays, Lionfish, Stingrays, baby sharks, Picasso Triggerfish, Unicornfish and octopus between the shore and the House Reef. They would also run snorkelling boat trips to nearby reefs.

I hope this helps.
Cheers.

 

[415Gem]

I was at Paradise Island in December 2001. Although it is one of the largest resorts in the Maldives, it was quiet then, post 9/11.

Accomodations

The accomodations were quite nice and comfortable. We were upgraded to a deluxe beach front bungalow, maybe 20 paces from waters edge. The bungalow had AC and satellite TV. There was a large bathroom with shower/tub as well as a private outdoor shower off the bathroom.

Environment

Beautiful white sand beaches, sunshine and aquamarine waters. Paradise.

Food

The food was very good with excellent buffet-style meals. Dishes were rotated from one day to the next but always seemed to include a selection of Pasta and other Western dishes (including Beef Wellington one night), seafood, Chinese food and local dishes. They also had a very good a la carte Italian restaurant at the end of the pier as well as a Japanese restaurant.

Clientele

A mix of Europeans (including Russian charter groups), Asians and those from the Middle East.

Diving

The dive operation is run by a European outfit (I forget the name). You will be required to do a check out dive on the house reef, check your weights, clear mask etc.
I would recommend bringing your own equipment. When I was there some of the equipment had seen better days. DIN tanks (steel) were the norm. I'm not sure if they have adapters. Check beforehand if this is an issue for you. I also seem to recall nitrox was available.
Guides included Germans, Japanese, British and Americans.
Diving was very good, with reef sharks, Dog Tooth Tuna, Sea Snakes, Eagle Rays, Morays and brilliantly coloured tropical fish. The Asian Diver Annual 2004 listed the nearby HP Reef as one of the top coral reef dives in Asia. Currents can be an issue, so be prepared for them.
The diving is not cheap, but worth it in my opinion. For every boat dive there is also a "boat fee" of something like US$12, in addition to the cost of the dives. They run several boat dives per day. Most boat dives were single tank dives, as the dive sites are mostly close to the resort. They were doing one full day trip a week to the Maldives Victory wreck.
SI's at the resort can be spent snorkelling where we were able to see Morays, Lionfish, Stingrays, baby sharks, Picasso Triggerfish, Unicornfish and octopus between the shore and the House Reef. They would also run snorkelling boat trips to nearby reefs.

I hope this helps.
Cheers.

I would like to dive there sometime. Are there some diving fees for each dive in the maldives. Do the live aboards have the same fees per dive? Kind of confusing. Kevin

 

[reefwreck]

I would like to dive there sometime. Are there some diving fees for each dive in the maldives. Do the live aboards have the same fees per dive? Kind of confusing. Kevin

If you're referring to my post which you quoted, I apologize for the confusion.

Check out the Delphis Dive Centre rates for Paradise Island:

Dive Rates

For example, you'll see that a single tank dive will cost US$39. There is also a boat fee of US$12, if you are doing a boat dive, rather than diving on the house reef. By boat dive, I am referring to the dive boat that will take divers from the resort out to individual dive sites several times a day. I am not referring to a liveaboard.

Liveaboards in the Maldives are usually all-inclusive packages.

 

[Idontknowza]

Thanks Reefwreck, i couldnt ask for a more detailed post.........paradise island sounds nice, i hope it wont be to busy in october.........