Maldives - diver's wet dream

Diving

Publicerad: 2009-10-21

The Maldives are dreams of diving coming true. Pure, dazzlingly white coral sand surrounds atolls in the clearest blue water you will ever see. The waters of the Indian Ocean at it's best. The reefs are home of an infinite amount of species. Unreal - but real.

maldives whale shark

The number of divers going to the Maldives are more than ever. The country is opening a number of new resorts in remote arolls to accomodate the visitors. Not really minding the myriads of tiny corals rebuilding the reef. Luckily the number of tourists are naturally limitid by the geography with tiny islands and there are still loads of reefs never seen by the human eye. If you don't want to dive and snorkel youcan still watch the fishes from your bungalow terrace or the jetty. All while little black tip sharks patrol the ebaches and the glowingly red sun disappears behind the horizon.

The Maldives consists of 26 atolls wit about 1 200 islands. Every atoll has a comparetively shallow lagoon with a sandy bottom at 35 - 85 meters. Around the perimeter of the atoll is the outer reef the slopes boldly towards the bottom of the Indian Ocean, 2000 - 4000 meters down. The reef is interrupted by channels allowing the ocean water toflow in and out of the atoll. This, the northern part of the Indian Ocean, is the only ocean in the world where the currents change direction twice a year, affected by the moonsuns. To take full advantage of the diving in the Maldives this is crucial information for picking the perfect island and the perfect time of the year.

maldives yellow snapper reef diving

Dive sites are everywhere and very seldom used by more than one diving center/resort. There is divin for absolutely everybody from an absolute beginner to hard core drift divers. Kandus, Thilas, Giris....magic.

For the inexperienced the lagoon is a great place to start diving. Small reefs, teeming with fis and corals but lacking current is ideal. The adrenalin divers seek out the channels with strong currents and sharks and rays patroling for food.

Almost every resort island has a house reef for diving and snorkeling. Every island has a diving center. You can go on morning dives, lunch dives, all day dive boat, night dive......you mention it...they have it. Some luckily placed island have manta spots near by. Not to be missed!

There are alternatives if diving is your main reason for coming to the Maldives. Safari boats. They give you the opportunity to dive up to 3 times a day and go to the very best spots. You'll also get the chance to see more of the Maldives.

Lately the authorities have opened up new areas for the safari boats and they now have access to the more remote islands and reefs. The coral bleaching from 1998 is not at all as obvious there.

The aces among the sealife is manta, grey reef sharks, whale sharks and hammer head sharks. All are sighted regularly. The mantas are around much during certain seasons.

The sharks favour strong currents on the outside reef, around the channel openings. Thats where the food is. White tipped and black tipped reef shark can slo be seen inside the lagoons. The babies stroll along the beaches all day long. Just afew steps from your door.

Maya Thila

A spectacular dive is a night dive on the world famous reef Maya Thila in Ari atoll.

The Maldives has become somewhat a paradise for honeymooners, and it is great for that. BUT when you are there you'll see that this is a holiday for anyone seeking that unreal paradise you thought was a creation of photoshop and greedy travel bureas. Go. It's still there.

Skriven av joakim, 2010-02-09 11:27:19