Dear all,
Very sorry to post yet another request for suggestions, but I am a Maldives newbie and am looking for a good option for diving in the Maldives with my family, all experienced divers (160 dives plus).
We have dived mostly in the Sinai (Sharm, Marsa Alam, Dahab, Wadi Lahmy), Indonesia (Bali, Komodo) , Thailand (Khao Lak) and been on a few liveaboards. We would like to be in a 3 to 4 star resort type of accommodation and do a lot of land-based diving, hoping to see the big pelagics , but also good coral and smaller stuff if possible.
I have read many of the earlier posts and it appears a good idea to be as far as possible away from Male, North or South. Where should we go?
We are flexible on the period, so are interested in hearing what is best in terms of climate, viz. and presence of marine life.
I am not keen on seeing the fish fed, I prefer not to see them in their natural environment rather than spoon-fed by local operators...
Finally, as for everyone else, a professional dive center is key (we only lug part of our equipment with us so must rely on rental BCDs and octopus).
Last comment: I know Maldives is dry, but a cool beer in the evening is part of the vacation experience (I've spent over 15 years in "dry" countries...), so resorts are probably a must...
Most grateful for any advice, as we start our planning for this trip!
Best,
Rene
Very sorry to post yet another request for suggestions, but I am a Maldives newbie and am looking for a good option for diving in the Maldives with my family, all experienced divers (160 dives plus).
We have dived mostly in the Sinai (Sharm, Marsa Alam, Dahab, Wadi Lahmy), Indonesia (Bali, Komodo) , Thailand (Khao Lak) and been on a few liveaboards. We would like to be in a 3 to 4 star resort type of accommodation and do a lot of land-based diving, hoping to see the big pelagics , but also good coral and smaller stuff if possible.
I have read many of the earlier posts and it appears a good idea to be as far as possible away from Male, North or South. Where should we go?
We are flexible on the period, so are interested in hearing what is best in terms of climate, viz. and presence of marine life.
I am not keen on seeing the fish fed, I prefer not to see them in their natural environment rather than spoon-fed by local operators...
Finally, as for everyone else, a professional dive center is key (we only lug part of our equipment with us so must rely on rental BCDs and octopus).
Last comment: I know Maldives is dry, but a cool beer in the evening is part of the vacation experience (I've spent over 15 years in "dry" countries...), so resorts are probably a must...
Most grateful for any advice, as we start our planning for this trip!
Best,
Rene