|
12
Great Reasons to Travel on a Liveaboard:
Holidaying
on a liveaboard is undoubtedly the superior way of experiencing the
unique beauty of the Maldives. Liberating, exciting and diverse at
once. A liveaboard gives you the opportunity to enjoy many different
dive sites in various atolls, allowing you to discover all the true
top scuba locations. Throw old-fashioned fears of lack of space and
poor food quality over board: liveaboards of today are floating
hotels, offering every thinkable service. Get more of the Maldives,
over and under water.
A
liveaboards sense of liberty, mobility and comfort is unbeatable.
Your
holiday starts right after landing at Male Airport. No long
transfers , just a short boat ride to the ship, followed by a
welcome drink.
Life
on board is at ease, comfortable and collegial. There is no dress
code.
The
ship comfortably brings you to the best dive sites. Because you are
mobile , way more top dive locations are open to you, without having
to put up with the hour-long trips to and from a dive site that
island divers depend on.
A
liveaboard never is a mass tourism venture. Small dive groups ,
personalized service and the unique atmosphere on board make an
outstanding holiday.
Every
room has an ocean view.
On a
boat cruise you can get to know different islands and atolls. The
landscape passes by, while you are relaxing on one of the decks and
are chauffeured to your next diving adventure.
No
mosquitoes, lots of cooling wind.
An
ideal holiday for single travellers. On a ship nobody sits alone at
a table and the group activities make making friends easy.
Comfortable
diving: diving equipment remains on the escorting boat at all times.
No hauling around heavy equipment or bottles.
During
the cruise three ships are at your service : The mother ship for
living, relaxing and travelling. The escorting boat (Dhoni, 12 –
18m length) brings you to and picks you up from the dives and is
also used for island visits. There is also always a Dinghy, a small
boat for fishing and snorkelling trips.
Short
trips to and from dive spots, the mother ship always waits as near
the dive site as possible.
And
last but not least: an exceptionally good price . A lot of things
are already included in the package price, that are charged extra on
islands: transfers from and to the boat, diving, boat trips to dive
spots, island visits, sport activities, fishing, barbecue on an
uninhabited island, etc. Here, nobody has to fear a considerable
extra bill at the end of the stay.
Best
Time to Travel:
Basically,
all year round. Average water temperature is 29° Celsius. Every
season has its advantages. While the months February, March and April
are popular for their clear visibility, other months are favoured
because of the high amount of plankton in the water - which increases
the chance of encountering sea giants like mantas and whale sharks.
Heavy
monsoon rains are rather seldom; a fast change of conditions however,
is typically Maldivian. A quick shower will definitely not hold you
back from diving, let alone snorkelling or swimming. In particular if
it happens to be followed by bright equatorial sunshine,
which is usually the case.
Travel
Regulations:
You do not
need to apply for a visa (you will automatically receive a 30-day
tourist visa upon arrival), but your passport must be valid for at
least 6 months beyond your departure date!
Important
Maldivian Laws:
The
Republic of Maldives is a Muslim country and it is important to us
that our guests respect local culture and legislation. Topless
sunbathing, for example, is not allowed. It is illegal to bring
alcohol, pork or pornographic material into the country. The use of
drugs is strictly prohibited and punished by harsh prison sentences.
Maldives
Environment:
Global
warming and the continuing growth of tourism and other industries in
the Maldives pose a serious threat to the fragile eco-system of the
atolls. For this reason we ask all our guests to help protect the
environment by saving water and electricity, not throwing rubbish
over board and taking care not to touch corals or reef animals during
dives
Top 10
Dive Sites:
The
insider selection - our team's favourite dive sites
We think
that each of the dives described below is a
once-in-a-diver's-lifetime experience. We like to see big, excited
smiles on everybody's faces after each dive - that's why we love
taking our guests to these magnificent places. There are plenty of
other amazing sites in the Maldives and it wasn't easy to narrow our
selection to only ten dive sites. Our Top Ten are just a taster of
what you can experience on a cruise with us.
Nassimo
Thila
The main attractions are
several large coral pinnacles scattered on the north-eastern side of
the thila and the abundant fish life they attract.
Fish
and Coral Life: You won't see the
water for the fish... pelages of all kinds and schools of reef
fish.
Diving Hints and
Current: Spend as much time as
possible around the scattered pinnacles and limit your depth to
maximize the bottom time (the pinnacles go down to more than 30
meters, but it is recommendable to stay around 15 meters). The
current is usually strong, dive site can be dived throughout the
year.
Type of Dive Site:
Thila
Location: North
Male Atoll / West of Lanakanfinolhu (Paradise Island)
Depth
Range: 10m-30m
HP
Reef
Spectacular reef formations -
the entire length of the reef on the southern side has beautiful
outcrops of corals and plenty of caves and crevices.
Fish
and Coral Life: HP
has it all: tons of pelages for those who are after big thrills, as
well as plenty of macro attractions for those who appreciate the
small wonders of the sea.
Diving
hints and current: Best diving on
the southern side of the reef and when the current flows into the
atoll (east to west). Most of the time there is strong current. HP
can be dived in both monsoon seasons.
Type
of Dive Site: Thila
Location:
North Male Atoll: between Himmafushi and Girifushi
Depth
Range: 9m-30m
Voshimas
Thila
Truly amazing fish life
Fish
and Coral Life: You are likely to
come across plenty of sharks (gray reef and white tip), tunas and
big schools of fish. Outstanding hard coral growth.
Diving
Hints and Current: Best to dive
when the current flows into the atoll from east to west
(south-western monsoon). This dive must be timed carefully to catch
the ingoing tide, since the fish life depends on it. Spend as much
time as possible up-current, where the fish density is incredible
and where you can watch sharks, tuna and rays parading in front of
you. A quick descend is necessary, as the top reef is quite deep, at
15m to 16m.
Type of Dive
Site: Thila
Location:
North Male Atoll/Rasfaree and Reethi Rah
Depth
Range: 16m-30m
Kandooma
Thila
Great fish life, corals and
reef formations
Fish and
coral life: Excellent, with gray
reef sharks, white tip sharks, eagle rays, pelagics and lots of soft
and hard corals.
Diving Hits
and Current: Both in and outgoing
currents work at Kandooma Thila, it's always a fantastic dive. A
quick descend is necessary because of the strong currents.
Type
of Dive Site: Thila
Location:
South Male Atoll/between Cocoa
Island and Kandooma Island.
Depth
Range: 16m-30m
Embudhoo
Express
Super-strong currents,
gray reef sharks, white tip sharks, Napoleons, rays, etc...
Diving
Hits and Current: With a strong
incoming current this is the mother of all drift dives. This channel
is 2km long and at its best when the current flows into the atoll
(north-eastern monsoon). This brings clear water into the atoll and
big fish such as gray reef and white tip sharks, eagle rays, jacks
and tuna patrol the edge of the channel. With ideal current
conditions you should be able to cross the channel from one end to
the other before ending the dive.
Type
of Dive Site: Kandu
(Channel)
Location:
first channel south of Embudhoo Finolhu
Depth
Range: 5m-30m
Cocoa
Corner
Drift dive, gray reef white
tip sharks
Diving Hits and
Current: At
its best when the current flows into the atoll. Gray reef and white
tip sharks, eagle rays and all kinds of pelagics gather at the
entrance of the channel, giving divers a spectacular performance. To
get the most out of Cocoa Corner, divers should cross the channel
and finish the dive in Kandooma Thila, which can be tricky. Only for
experienced divers.
Fish
Life: Excellent (depending on the
current)
Coral Growth:
above average
Type of Dive Site:
Kandu (Channel)
Location:
North corner of Biyadhoo Kandu
Depth Range: 5m-30m
Kuda
Rah Thila
Sea fans, caves,
overhangs, sharks, pelagics
Diving
Hits and Current: Can be dived
both in and outgoing currents, which are strong most of time, so a
quick descend is necessary. If the current permits it, divers can
fully circle the reef in one dive. With an ideal current the best
spot would be on the up-current to watch the fish life.
Fish
Life: Abundant
Coral
Growth: Very Good
Type
of Dive Site: Thila
Location:
Dhigurah Channel, south-east of Kuda Rah
Depth
Range: 14m-30m
Gangehi
Kandu
200m cave, coral outcrops, great
drift dive
Diving Hits and
Current: Best to dive when the
current flows into the atoll from west to east (south-western
monsoon). This is one of the longest channels in Ari Atoll and with
strong current divers can drift for 2.5 km, starting the dive from
the very entrance of the channel and finishing inside the atoll.
Often divers encounter gray reef and white tip sharks, sting rays,
eagle rays and even whale sharks. Leopard sharks are an exciting
species of sharks and are known to inhabit this channel.
Fish
Life: Good
Coral
Growth: Above average
Type
of Dive Site: Kandu
(Channel)
Location: Northern
side of Gangehi Kandu
Depth
Range: 5m-30m
Maayafushi
Thila
Gray reef sharks, white tip
sharks, barracudas, rays, frog fish, bat fish
Diving
Hits and Current:Dive
boats usually drop divers away from the reef so they can stay
up-current as long as possible. Its not unusual to spend the entire
dive up-current because the fish life at that part of the reef is so
spectacular. Here, depending on the current, you can watch gray reef
sharks, white tip sharks, huge tunas and many other species.
Dogtooth tuna and jacks chasing fusiliers at lightening speed is a
common, unforgettable scene here. This is also one of the most
spctacular night dive sites in the Maldives.
Fish
Life: Abundant
Coral
Growth: OK
Type
of Dive Site: Thila
Location:
North-west of Maayafushi
Depth
Range: 5m-30m
Rasdhoo
Madivaru
Unusual reef formations,
hammerhead sharks (before dawn), gray reef sharks, white tip sharks,
rays
Diving Hits and Current:
This is one of the most
spectacular reef formations found in the Maldives. Best time to dive
is when the current flows into the atoll (north-eastern monsoon),
starting the dive at the outside corner of Madivaru Island and
drifting all the way to the middle of the channel, following an
underwater ridge. Gray reef and white tip sharks, Napoleons, eagle
ray, jacks, tunas and many more can be seen on this fabulous dive.
This is also a hammerhead point - if you get up VERY early and with
a bit of luck, you can find them circling in the open water.
Fish
Life: Abundant
Coral
Growth: Good
Type
of Dive Site: Kandu
(Channel)
Location:
Outside corner of Madivaru Island.
Depth
Range: 5m-30m
|
