At home I sleep from 2-3 am till about 9 am. For some strange reason on dive trips I have no problem going to bed early (and actually going to sleep) and getting up at 7. I would say 7 am is a comfortable time to rise for me. Earlier is a bother.
Waking up on vacation--how early is too early for a first dive?
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UnderwaterBumbleBee
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Not sure if this is for a liveaboard or not? If I'm on a liveaboard I want to dive the maximum dives possible so I have no problem rolling out of bed and heading to the dive briefing with crusty eyes! Usually it seems most people are of a like mind on a liveaboard but I've noticed some people sit out morning and evening dives (I would have to be physically ill to sit out). If it's land based then I would probably prefer to get up a little bit later but mostly because I don't usually do more than 3 dives/day on land based trips.
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Some of my favorite dives involve getting in the water while it's still dark and watching the "shifts" change as daylight approaches. There's a serenity to it that you just don't get during daylight hours.
I'm a morning person ... even at home I've been known to go diving at 5 AM, especially during those times of the year when I know I'll see specific species of marine life pre-dawn. When on vacation, I like to experience as much as I can ... diving at different times of the day often give you different looks at what's down there.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
I'm a morning person ... even at home I've been known to go diving at 5 AM, especially during those times of the year when I know I'll see specific species of marine life pre-dawn. When on vacation, I like to experience as much as I can ... diving at different times of the day often give you different looks at what's down there.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
What else are you there for? If I was alone no worries let's dive dive dive. If the wife is there that changes the story. Set it ip for the people to dive if they want. When the pool is open more often the better life is. 
jimthediver
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When go on a dive trip we are there to dive. Mostly we dive liveaboards and if you are going to do 4-5 dives a day the first one is usually before breakfast, 7:00-7:30 AM. That's fine with me I am an early riser! The wife, not so much. However, she always manages to make the dive, although sometimes she's still finishing her toast and coffee on the way down to the dhoni! I love dawn dives! Some of my most memerable dives started about 5:00 AM on APO Reef in the Phillipines off the Lady of the Sea, back in the early 80's. It was spectacular watching all of the sharks coming out of the shallows and flashing down over the edge of the wall, way cool!
If you are land based, I'd go for your 6am dive if there was a particular reason, say, something to see early in the morning that you can't see later in the day. Or perhaps to avoid having many other dive boats/divers around. 7am would be preferable.
If you're a liveaboard, 6am is no problem, I don't mind rolling out of bed 10 minutes before I have to be in the water, don't even mind not brushing my teeth before the first dive to squeeze in a few extra minutes of sleep. I'm not a morning person at all, but once I am in the water, it wakes me up.
I've been up for a 5:30am dive in Malapascua to see the thresher sharks and that was well worth it.
If you're a liveaboard, 6am is no problem, I don't mind rolling out of bed 10 minutes before I have to be in the water, don't even mind not brushing my teeth before the first dive to squeeze in a few extra minutes of sleep. I'm not a morning person at all, but once I am in the water, it wakes me up.
I've been up for a 5:30am dive in Malapascua to see the thresher sharks and that was well worth it.
vladimir
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Except for the staff. It would be a shame to ask even more hours of notoriously hard-working dive staffs if there is little demand for early dives. Which is probably the point of the thread, to assess demand.What else are you there for? If I was alone no worries let's dive dive dive. If the wife is there that changes the story. Set it ip for the people to dive if they want. When the pool is open more often the better life is.
OP
Generally speaking the best time to see sharks here in the Maldives is in the dawn period-especially deep water varieties like hammers and thresher. Dusk would be good as well but surfacing in failing light in the middle of the Indian Ocean is not something I would care to do.
The reef waking up is a magical time and when the moon phase/tide is right, it can be epic.
2 dives take around 5-6 hours IME in the Maldives. The time required has many factors: group size, boat speed, distance to sites, people arriving on time etc. Our schedule is based on the fact that we rent a boat for the day and our prices are based on that fixed price of boat and crew. The day is roughly divided in to morning and afternoon. By making 3 dives in the day (2-tank AM, 1 tank PM) the third dive is as cheap as chips as the costs for running the boat are met in the morning.
To avoid any confusion, I am not running a resort dive center. We are just a small dive center with a 23 room hotel next door. This is a local island- population approx 15 000. A fairly new concept in Maldivian tourism where foreigners don't have to have permits to visit. Resorts still offer 'local island experiences' which are fairly sad affairs involving going to a neighbouring island, buying a couple of necklaces and 'doing the Maldives'. There are no other hotels on this island, there are some guesthouses being built a few clicks down the road neat the 'thriving metropolis' of Mathimattadhoo Village where there is the hospital and boasts a local restaurant. Around me there are a couple of 'tea houses' which really light up the action on a Friday night
At the moment this area is not really set up to do much besides dive. There are no tourist souvenir shops etc. People here haven't cottoned on to the potential micro-economics of tourism that you sea in SE Asia for example.
My wife posted the same question on a french forum with some 'interesting' comments- ah... the French.
The reef waking up is a magical time and when the moon phase/tide is right, it can be epic.
2 dives take around 5-6 hours IME in the Maldives. The time required has many factors: group size, boat speed, distance to sites, people arriving on time etc. Our schedule is based on the fact that we rent a boat for the day and our prices are based on that fixed price of boat and crew. The day is roughly divided in to morning and afternoon. By making 3 dives in the day (2-tank AM, 1 tank PM) the third dive is as cheap as chips as the costs for running the boat are met in the morning.
To avoid any confusion, I am not running a resort dive center. We are just a small dive center with a 23 room hotel next door. This is a local island- population approx 15 000. A fairly new concept in Maldivian tourism where foreigners don't have to have permits to visit. Resorts still offer 'local island experiences' which are fairly sad affairs involving going to a neighbouring island, buying a couple of necklaces and 'doing the Maldives'. There are no other hotels on this island, there are some guesthouses being built a few clicks down the road neat the 'thriving metropolis' of Mathimattadhoo Village where there is the hospital and boasts a local restaurant. Around me there are a couple of 'tea houses' which really light up the action on a Friday night
At the moment this area is not really set up to do much besides dive. There are no tourist souvenir shops etc. People here haven't cottoned on to the potential micro-economics of tourism that you sea in SE Asia for example.
My wife posted the same question on a french forum with some 'interesting' comments- ah... the French.
I'm retired too. But I subscribe to the saying "What gets you up in the morning is what keeps you alive. No reason to get up, no reason to live". Its too easy in retirement on sit on your a$$ or sleep your life away. When I was working I sat on my butt all day and had no time for fun. Now I work a little and have lots of time for fun. Why stay in bed? Forget the boob-tube. It has its place, but its also huge life sucker if you let it.
So many hobbies to pursue...so little time!
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