Diving Maldives

[scubenewb]

Hey all!!

I'm heading down to the Maldives June 30th and was wondering if anyone has had any experience diving down there or knows someone who does. As you can tell by my screen name I am new to the sport but completely stoked about my first dive!! My brother is a dive master and has been showing me his pics and sharing stories about diving adventures so I have had the diving bug for a while but just never pulled the pin on getting out there. Well this is it, going to the Maldives and I am going to get trained up and certified! Any advice for the scubenewb? Picked up the basics, mask, snorkle, fins, booties and I already have a 2/3mm shorty so I'm thinking that should be ok for where I'm going. Anything else a new diver will require or will the dive school have everything else? I have used SABA'S and SCBA's while working in the past so breathing under compressed air and regulator setups aren't something which is completely unfamilar to me, just have to get used to it underwater I guess........ahhhh I can't wait!!!

Thanks for any input or advice you may have for the new guy.

 

[B Lo]

Sorry to threadcrap, but isn't it ironic that Maldives, a great diving destination, has the word "dives" in it? Coincidence or conspiracy? ;-)

 

[scubenewb]

More conicidence than irony but it kind of makes it a little more fitting for my first dive location I guess LOL!!

 

[B Lo]

Thanks for not bashing my reply. I really wish I had some info I could offer you about Maldives. Hang tight and one of the pros should step in at any moment to educate us.

More conicidence than irony but it kind of makes it a little more fitting for my first dive location I guess LOL!!

 

[super7]

All the dive services I've dove with in the Maldives mandated you to carry a dive computer. You should be able to rent one, but if you are going to continue diving for the foreseeable future, I suggest getting one.

Early July would be in the rainy season ( the locals have 27 seasons called "Nakaiy"!!) but don't be too let down. You will likely have squalls pass daily, but raining throughout your stay is highly unlikely. I've heard that planktons are more abundant in rainy season, meaning you are more likely to encounter mantas than in the dry season. For the same reason, visibility is said to be better in the dry season, but the best visibility I've experienced in the five visits to the Maldives, exceeding 40m/120ft, was in early September, the wet season. Conditions are known to differ between the atolls, so don't hold me responsible

Enjoy your dive!

Kaza

ps. as for B Lo's joke, I've heard a local dive master jokingly say "it's spelt 'mal' + 'dive' "

 

[JB]

You spoilt brat!! Dived the Maldives some 15 years ago, and nothing I have dived since has compared. 28 - 29 degree celsius water (in February), crystal clear visibility 50+ meters, pristine coral, millions of fish. Please get trained before you waist this magnificent place doing OW course!! or if no time do a referal. Standard pattern of dive is slow put-put out to the site on a Dhoni, chatting and eating coconuts, drop off the outer edge (current, but if you are land based the guides will know the best spots depending on the tides), hang on at about 30 meters watching out into the blue, squadrons of eagle rays, barracuda, white and balck tipped sharks on parade (if you're lucky a manta or 2), when close to no deco time let go and drift slowly up and through the channels into the lagoon, after >1 hour (since you don't have to fin) safety stop on pristine coral at 5 meters, then the Dhoni picks you up!! More coconut and chatting on the calm slow put-put back.
First dive was like diving into an aquarium, vis unbelievable, and a wall of pristine coral from 5 meters to as far as the eye could see down and to the sides, the drop off is about 2000 meters in reality. Looking at my logbook I did wear a wet suit 5mm farmer john without the jacket. If I went back I would probably use Sharkskin.
As you can see I'm very envious, I prefered Alimatha to Kuredu, but there are heaps of resorts now on all the atolls, to my mind smaller (less guests) the better. Good luck and enjoy, after this everything else will seem pretty ordinary.(Computer mandatory, they will hire you one and safety sausage mandatory, since you will be drifting.)

 

[super7]

JB has a point here.
You don't want to waste your time training OW in the Maldives. You'll be grounded in class instead of enjoying the beach, doing skills in shallow sand bottomed lagoons instead of diving the reef. If you can manage, get OW cert before boarding your flight.

On the other hand, going AOW there is worthwhile IMO. After AOW you'll get to dive as deep as 30m, the same bottom depth per local regulations, instead of 18m recommended for OW divers.

BTW you're not allowed to dive wearing gloves over there.

Kaza

 

[scubenewb]

Thanks for the info everyone. I have already started the online PADI course as I am in Russia right now and I will be doing the closed water portion in Calgary before I leave for the Maldives. I will take the open water segment there and I will do the advanced open water course there also. I will be continuing diving as I know many divers and am always being hounded to go. Any suggestions on a good entry level or intermediate Computer? I am going to get my enriched air certification if I can as well so a computer compatible with this would be necessary. I know all of the stores and brands claim the best but word of mouth on these types of equipment hold much more merit in my mind. Oh should I be investing in a BCD and octupus right away or not necessary?

Once again thanks for all of the feed back!

 

[B Lo]

Thanks for the info everyone. I have already started the online PADI course as I am in Russia right now and I will be doing the closed water portion in Calgary before I leave for the Maldives. I will take the open water segment there and I will do the advanced open water course there also. I will be continuing diving as I know many divers and am always being hounded to go. Any suggestions on a good entry level or intermediate Computer? I am going to get my enriched air certification if I can as well so a computer compatible with this would be necessary. I know all of the stores and brands claim the best but word of mouth on these types of equipment hold much more merit in my mind. Oh should I be investing in a BCD and octupus right away or not necessary?

Once again thanks for all of the feed back!

Price wise, the Veo 2.0 seems to be solid. I just bought one as it does Nitrox, is backlit, has a user replaceable battery, may be upgraded with an overpriced cable in the future to allow for PC connectivity, has a two year warranty, has two different calculation options (one more conservative than the other), was just released a few months ago, etc, etc, etc. I haven't yet received it, but from the specs it looks solid for the price.

 

[B Lo]

As for the BCD and octo, you might want to try a few or at least rent equipment at a couple different stores first. If money isn't super tight, I'd suggest Atomic or ScubaPro. They are both top notch for regs. For BC's, it's more your preference.

Edit: Cressi regs don't deliver air nearly as well in my opinion. Also, the Oceanic line is mixed. Some of their regs are much better than others. Just try them and see what you like. If you want to buy sight unseen, go ScubaPro (S555 or better second stage) or Atomic (Z2x or B2 if you like swiveling LP hoses).