Maldives liveaboard opinions?

[hallboy]

Check with the company organiszing your liveaboard: sometimes they accept only people with at least 50 sea dives. And get a Sausage. And stick to the DM. Whatever you have under your belt it won't help. Stick to the DM and do the same he does.

 

[tzeyap]

Thanks guys. Yeah I have read that you can be pushed upwards or downwards by the current.

What should be the correct reaction in such situation? Do you fin to readjust to the correct depth or ...?

Cheers

Buoyancy control !!! Do not fin against a 2/3 knot current. Could end up hyperventilating and reg may free flow.
If you absolutely need to ,fin across current to anchor yourself on rocks. Get yourself a reef hook and a pointer which you can use to anchor yourself. ( Only if you absolutely have to or want to stop to see something ) be careful not to damage any part of the reef or corals. Sausage is a must.
Plenty of good tips have been given in this thread. Try to buddy up with someone who has some experience of drifts.
Remember the tips . At all times monitor depth and air. If you are not afraid of the current ,you will breathe easier and enjoy the dive.
Drifts can be really fun. you will get to experience what it feels like to be superman !!!!
Your Dm will normally take you to a sheltered area at the end of the dive just before you surface. Don't forget your safety stop.
Enjoy your drift dive!!!!

 

[blues_diver]

Just got back from the one-week LOB in Maldives. My eyes is telling me I am on firm ground now, but my brain still "think" I am on the LOB, hence I can feel my head is still swaying!!

We stayed on the MV Island Safari Delux 1 - a 30m Luxurious LOB. We were supposed to stay on a bigger boat - the MV Nooranee Queen, but the booking agent told us last minute they need to do some minor repair hence the transfer.

Anyway, the MV Island Safari is fantastic and the crew is fantastic. The crew are attentive and the dive guides very experience. Plus the food is good! I will recommend anyone who want to do a LOB in Maldives to go on the MV Island Safari.

Considering now is the raining season, we only have 2 days of raining during the whole week trip. And that raining was only for 1-2 hours a day. the rest of the week was bright and shiny. Lucky us!

The visibility was so so only as this was the Monsoon period. We were told by our dive guides that during the dry season, you can get very good visibility - which gave us a good reason to visit again

In any case, I would say all the dives are good. The array of fishes were simply amazing. The main highlight of the trip was we went snorkelling with a WHALE SHARK!! - almost 5 metre long and my first sighting . We spent almost 2 days in South Ari Atoll looking for the whale shark and finally rewarded for our patient! The Captain and the crew was amazing, they were practically trawling the South Ari Atoll looking for whale sharks. Admired their persistence and patient. This is what I called good customer service!

All in all, a very good trip for me.

Cheers

 

[blues_diver]

Thanks All for the drift diving tips. Practically all our divings in Maldives were drift diving and it was fun. Except some time, we have to do some kicking to cut across the current or get to where we want to go

Cheers

 

[Zippsy]

told ya it'd be good! Glad you enjoyed the trip. Next on your list should be other great spots in south east Asia like Sipadan, Layang Layang, Similans, Sangalaki, Malapasqua, Puerto Galera, Cebu, Bali, Flores, Wakatobi, Manado, Lembeh, Gangga and or dozens of other places that I think really beat the Caribbean. After that, graduate to the south Pacific!

 

[blues_diver]

told ya it'd be good! Glad you enjoyed the trip. Next on your list should be other great spots in south east Asia like Sipadan, Layang Layang, Similans, Sangalaki, Malapasqua, Puerto Galera, Cebu, Bali, Flores, Wakatobi, Manado, Lembeh, Gangga and or dozens of other places that I think really beat the Caribbean. After that, graduate to the south Pacific!

Thanks, it was a good trip. Wow, so many places but so little time and money! But it will be worth it, I guess hehe

 

[tzeyap]

Thanks, it was a good trip. Wow, so many places but so little time and money! But it will be worth it, I guess hehe

Diving in Asia can be surprisingly affordable ;particularly in SE Asia. plan your trips and do your research and you will be very surprised on the really very low cost of diving some of the best dive destinations in the world. there are several threads on SB Asia abd there are many SB members who will be happy to help with info.

 

[divo]

My buddy and I are planning to do a liveaboard in the Maldives for our next trip, but have no idea which one. Any recommendations (either positive or negative) from people who have done that recently would be greatly appreciated.

Wombat, you wouldn't happen to be my long lost friend Mike W would you?