PK1
Registered
I just finished a 7-day trip on the Emperor Explorer. I was originally booked on another Liveaboard, but they had a large group cancel at the last minute and the three remaining divers (myself included) were rebooked on the Explorer, joining a 10-day trip already in progress.
The POSITIVE: The Explorer is a beautiful boat with large cabins and bathrooms plus LOTS of storage space, a most welcome amenity on a Liveaboard. The crew and dive guides were super friendly and attentive and food was very good. The itinerary took us to North Ari, Baa, Raa, Rasdu and North Male atolls for 3-4 dives per day plus a snorkel with Mantas in Hanifaru Bay. Visibility wasn't great and currents were tricky on a number of dives, but that is par for the course for diving in the Maldives.
The NEGATIVE: Despite the above, I will not repeat with this operator. The reason; the tour director was tone deaf on an issue of environmental sensitivity. Let me explain. For a number of years, Liveaboard and other tourism operators in the Maldives have engaged in a practice known as Light Pooling which involves shining a bright spot light onto the water at night in an effort to attract marine life, particularly Mantas and Whale Sharks. Guests are woken up and given the opportunity to get in the water with these animals. Indeed a thrilling experience. However, there is one problem. The practice is now illegal, at least as it applies to Whale Sharks. Last year, the Government of Maldives promulgated an amendment to the Protected Species Act establishing regulations and a code of conduct for Whale Shark encounters. Among the clauses in the amendment is one that specifically prohibits use of lights to attract Whale Sharks, anywhere in the country. The prohibition was enacted due to concerns that Light Pooling may disrupt the Whale Sharks normal feeding behavior and diurnal pattern.
The first night that the spot light was turned on I asked the tour director whether he was aware that Light Pooling is now prohibited. He insisted that this was not the case. So I showed him a copy of the new regulation. His response was that he had not received any such information and to basically ignore what I had shown him. Light Pooling continued all of that night (in fact attracting 2 Whale Sharks) and the next. I am aware that the Maldivian environmental authorities haven't done much to make tourism operators aware of the new rules. So I was fine to give the Emperor Explorer tour director a pass for not being aware of them. But I certainly do not give him a pass for deciding to ignore the new rules after being informed of their existence. I believe it is incumbent on the international dive community to hold dive operators accountable for their actions with respect to environmental sustainability. As it is, the Liveaboard dive industry is often rightly criticized for the limited benefits it provides to local economies, as compared to land-based dive operations. It's a shame when lack of environmental sensitivity has to be added to the mix.
The POSITIVE: The Explorer is a beautiful boat with large cabins and bathrooms plus LOTS of storage space, a most welcome amenity on a Liveaboard. The crew and dive guides were super friendly and attentive and food was very good. The itinerary took us to North Ari, Baa, Raa, Rasdu and North Male atolls for 3-4 dives per day plus a snorkel with Mantas in Hanifaru Bay. Visibility wasn't great and currents were tricky on a number of dives, but that is par for the course for diving in the Maldives.
The NEGATIVE: Despite the above, I will not repeat with this operator. The reason; the tour director was tone deaf on an issue of environmental sensitivity. Let me explain. For a number of years, Liveaboard and other tourism operators in the Maldives have engaged in a practice known as Light Pooling which involves shining a bright spot light onto the water at night in an effort to attract marine life, particularly Mantas and Whale Sharks. Guests are woken up and given the opportunity to get in the water with these animals. Indeed a thrilling experience. However, there is one problem. The practice is now illegal, at least as it applies to Whale Sharks. Last year, the Government of Maldives promulgated an amendment to the Protected Species Act establishing regulations and a code of conduct for Whale Shark encounters. Among the clauses in the amendment is one that specifically prohibits use of lights to attract Whale Sharks, anywhere in the country. The prohibition was enacted due to concerns that Light Pooling may disrupt the Whale Sharks normal feeding behavior and diurnal pattern.
The first night that the spot light was turned on I asked the tour director whether he was aware that Light Pooling is now prohibited. He insisted that this was not the case. So I showed him a copy of the new regulation. His response was that he had not received any such information and to basically ignore what I had shown him. Light Pooling continued all of that night (in fact attracting 2 Whale Sharks) and the next. I am aware that the Maldivian environmental authorities haven't done much to make tourism operators aware of the new rules. So I was fine to give the Emperor Explorer tour director a pass for not being aware of them. But I certainly do not give him a pass for deciding to ignore the new rules after being informed of their existence. I believe it is incumbent on the international dive community to hold dive operators accountable for their actions with respect to environmental sustainability. As it is, the Liveaboard dive industry is often rightly criticized for the limited benefits it provides to local economies, as compared to land-based dive operations. It's a shame when lack of environmental sensitivity has to be added to the mix.