Maldives Liveaboard Question

[finn3]

Hello!
Im also thinking of using my remaining 2-3 holidays this year to do a liveaboard in the Maldives, sometime between October and December. I was also considering Egypt and Socorro before, but Egypt LOBs seems kind of unsafe recently and Socorro very expensive, since they raised park fees this year unfortunately..

So between October and early December they mostly seem to be doing the Central Tours. Are those recommended and interesting? I like to see healthy coral reefs and would be very happy to finally see a whale shark, since I was never lucky before (last year in September in Galapagos they didnt show up). I heard that in Maldives Whalesharks will be surrounded by big crowds usually though. Is that also the case for diving liveaboards, or more for people who go out for snorkel whale shark trips? Or do you even see them often while diving?
Apart from that I would also like to see the sharks in the south of course (Tigers, Threshers and Hammerheads) in Fuavahmulah but is it a good time to go there during that time? I heard before that during that time of the year conditions are rough there, like too strong currents?
Any help would be very appreciated, thanks!

 

[rongoodman]

If you're retired you're exempt from the park fees at Socorro.

 

[cetacean]

Hello!
Im also thinking of using my remaining 2-3 holidays this year to do a liveaboard in the Maldives, sometime between October and December. I was also considering Egypt and Socorro before, but Egypt LOBs seems kind of unsafe recently and Socorro very expensive, since they raised park fees this year unfortunately..

So between October and early December they mostly seem to be doing the Central Tours. Are those recommended and interesting? I like to see healthy coral reefs and would be very happy to finally see a whale shark, since I was never lucky before (last year in September in Galapagos they didnt show up). I heard that in Maldives Whalesharks will be surrounded by big crowds usually though. Is that also the case for diving liveaboards, or more for people who go out for snorkel whale shark trips? Or do you even see them often while diving?
Apart from that I would also like to see the sharks in the south of course (Tigers, Threshers and Hammerheads) in Fuavahmulah but is it a good time to go there during that time? I heard before that during that time of the year conditions are rough there, like too strong currents?
Any help would be very appreciated, thanks!

@finn3

Nov/Dec are the beginning of the dry season in the Maldives. It's a great time to be there (warm, no rain, little wind). Unfortunately it's also when there will be other tourists descending on the Maldives.

The central atolls are very good by LoB, and you will have a chance to see whalesharks in the South Ari Atoll, however if there is a whaleshark around during the day you will also have several snorkel (day) boats around as well. The only chance you will have seeing a whale shark without other people is if one is attracted to your boat lights at night (this can happen and does happen somewhat frequently). No day snorkel boats around at night...

The southern atolls (much farther south) are more remote, more pristine, and much less crowded... however there is only a small chance you will encounter a whale shark in these atollls (I've seen one in 4 trips). The other shark action is excellent, just no whale sharks). It's not that these atolls have particularly strong current our rough water, it's that to see most of the sharks you have to dive in/out the passes, and this will mean you are going to have current (at times strong current). Depending on what your experience in the Galapagos was like, the strongest currents you're likely to experience in the Maldives is comparable to the strongest currents you experienced in the Galapagos, just much different underwater topography.