Maldives / Addu Atoll - In search of more individual diving in the Maldives, I landed in the southernmost atoll. The highlight is of course the Manta Point, which is part of the daily program as often as possible since there is an almost 100% guarantee for manta sightings. Other highlights for me were: a foxtail shark, bull sharks, a pack of 20 gray reef sharks and the largest wreck in the Maldives. The atoll also offers many other small surprises. The dives were very varied and sometimes rough. Due to different current scenarios, there were often surprises underwater - sometimes the situation suddenly turns in a completely different direction.
I dived with Aquaventure. It is a all-in package, the whole team lives with the guests in the "Mantalodge", so you often meet in a relaxed atmosphere. The accommodation is simple but completely sufficient (at least for a pure diving trip), the air conditioning is important - since the air is often still standing inside the island. On foot you are in about 5 minutes at the jetty and in 10-15 minutes in the restaurant where there are the 3 daily meals. Otherwise, there is actually nothing to discover on Maradhoo - so the experience consists of walking past the same corners and people several times a day and slowly immersing yourself in the life of the locals. There is a supermarket with everything possible directly on the route.
There is no defined plan for diving, there is often a check-up on site and an alternative approached if necessary. The whole diving program depends on the experience of Marc, who has been diving this atoll for over 10 years. This is also the biggest plus for me, where else can you have a guide with such a local experience - mostly the guides in the Maldives are young hoppers who change the resort or country after 1-2 years. Marc and his team react accordingly and spontaneously to the experience level of the divers so that somehow everyone gets their money's worth.
In my opinion, a clear recommendation for those who are tired of resort diving and want to dive deeper - pure diving.
I dived with Aquaventure. It is a all-in package, the whole team lives with the guests in the "Mantalodge", so you often meet in a relaxed atmosphere. The accommodation is simple but completely sufficient (at least for a pure diving trip), the air conditioning is important - since the air is often still standing inside the island. On foot you are in about 5 minutes at the jetty and in 10-15 minutes in the restaurant where there are the 3 daily meals. Otherwise, there is actually nothing to discover on Maradhoo - so the experience consists of walking past the same corners and people several times a day and slowly immersing yourself in the life of the locals. There is a supermarket with everything possible directly on the route.
There is no defined plan for diving, there is often a check-up on site and an alternative approached if necessary. The whole diving program depends on the experience of Marc, who has been diving this atoll for over 10 years. This is also the biggest plus for me, where else can you have a guide with such a local experience - mostly the guides in the Maldives are young hoppers who change the resort or country after 1-2 years. Marc and his team react accordingly and spontaneously to the experience level of the divers so that somehow everyone gets their money's worth.
In my opinion, a clear recommendation for those who are tired of resort diving and want to dive deeper - pure diving.
