Maldives or wait for Galapagos?

[circusoflife]

Hi,

I recently was planning a trip to the Galapagos, but I am now wondering if I am better off just going to the Maldives for my premier dive DESSERT of 2005.

For the sake of comparison, I am already going to BKK in Jan 2005. I will be diving the Andaman Sea (PhiPhi, Hin Muang/Hin Daeng), then spending a month all over the Philippines (Puerto Galera, Leyte, and Visayas, Coron if lucky) before returning to BKK.

The peak season in the Maldives runs Dec-March, with April a lull before the Southwest Monsoon starts. I'd probably be there in mid-April. Airfare BKK-Singapore is <$35 on the new discount carriers and Singapore-Maldives is about $400US RT. Daily costs by my best estimate for 2dives/day and accomodation is US$150-US$200/day, unless I can find a real budget guesthouse in Male (I don't need a plush or even half-plush resort) which could bring it closer to <$125/day.

If I were to go to the Galapagos it would be May/June timeframe so waters fairly warm (Upper 70s, but with thermoclines). I would already be in Northern South America / South Caribbean. So I would need to get to Guayaquil or Quito, cost TBD. Airfare Quito/Guayaquil - Galapagos is around $300-$350 RT. So airfare/transport is a wash. I reckon daily costs if liveaboard - $150-$200/day (Liveaboard would not be going to Darwin or Wolf) or if land based 2 dives/day staying at an inexpensive place in Male at $100-$135/day (This rules out the more distant dive sites).

So Maldives is a little more spendy probably. More of a honeymooners place too which I don't care for since I am going solo in all likelihood.

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My impression other than water temperature difference is that I would see larger schools of pelagics in Galapagos but no colorful coral, whereas on Maldives I would get alot more fish, and some pelagics.


Anyone who has been to both care to comment?

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Further complicating matters is I might have a business reason to go to Guam (US$415 RT from Manila), I could squeeze in a trip to Chuuk or other Micronesian place (Already been to Palau). Not sure on the costs on Guam or Chuuk yet. Though I know it is more hard corals and wrecks.

 

[adrianwd75]

Circus.

I was in the Maldives on a liveaboard July 03....(see below) and am off to the Galapagos in October...

I agree with your comment "My impression other than water temperature difference is that I would see larger schools of pelagics in Galapagos but no colorful coral, whereas on Maldives I would get alot more fish, and some pelagics."

As a personal preference the Maldives were amazing, but I am looking forward to the Galapagos more...but then I am shark person.

See below the trip report

Was on the Sea Queen in July, cannot recomend then highly enough.
A very good trip...culminating with 20 Manta the last day of the last dive.
The boat was clean and very well run, excellent dive guides, the food was good and crew very friendly.

The diving involved some strong currents, but was well worth the effort.

SS91 DIVE SITE ATOLL NOTES from Maldives Scuba Trip report.
http://www.scubascuba.com/edit/reports/tripnotes/SS/2004/SS91-28jun04.htm

28-Jun-04 Monday
dive 1 Orimas Thila N. Ari Anemones, squat & clown shrimp, scorpionfish
dive 2 Ellaidhoo HR " Bluefin jack, snapper, baby squid, morays

Day 2 Tuesday
dive 1 Maaya Thila N. Ari Eagle ray, frogfish, jacks, w.tip sharks, barracuda
dive 2 Gangehi Channel " Variegated shark, stingray
dive 3 Maaya thila ND " White tips foraging, morays, wahoo, barracuda
The dive was outstanding....many white tips out hunting, all sizes, they were swimming under me and catching my reef rope.

Day 3 Wednesday
dive 1 Bathala Thila N. Ari W.tips, big eye jack, eagle ray, mantis shrimp
dive 2 Fushi faru " Napoleon, turtles, white mouthed moray
dive 3 Madivaru Rasdhoo Leaf fish, big eye jack, turtle

Day 4 Thursday
dive 1 Madivaru wall Rasdhoo Big tuna, leaf fish, bonito, octopus
dive 2 Rasfari N. Male Giant barracudas, eagle rays
dive 3 Occaboli Thila " Several Napoleons, bannerfish, tunas

Day 5 Friday
dive 1 HP Reef N. Male Eagle rays, jacks, Napoleons, baby sweetlips
dive 2 Manta Point " Mantastic! 12+ mantas cleaning
dive 3 Club med out " 1000's Convict tangs, honeycomb moray, lobster

Day 6 Saturday
dive 1 Maldives Victory N. Male Photo albums,cigarette cartons,schooling jacks
dive 2 Sunlight Thila " Manta cleaning, Durban shrimp
dive 3 HP Reef " Eagle Rays, snappers, jacks

Day 7 Sunday
dive 1 Nassimo Thila N. Male Giant trevally, Napoleons
dive 2 Manta Point " Phenomenal! 20 Mantas cleaning!
All I have to do is close my eyes and I am back there...or I put the dvd on..!!...great end to a great trip.
Visit to Male

Day 8 Monday to airport
Total Number of Dives 19

Email me if you want extra info.

Adrian

 

[Otter]

Obviously post-tsunami, you better re-verify the facts around the Maldives....

 

[adrianwd75]

Obviously post-tsunami, you better re-verify the facts around the Maldives....

Re the Maldives and post-tsunami....the Islands were relively lightly hit compared to every where esle....all the uk run dive boats are fine and operating, Male airport was closed for a couple of days.

I would say please carry on going there if you were planning to as it is an amazing place, if you are a couple the islands are great as well as the liveaboards...if you are on your own then do a liveaboard...the diving is fantastic...no doubt at all.

Adrian

 

[Doc]

Anyone who has been to both care to comment?.

I did Maldives aboard the Discovery 2 which is no longer in service as well as a Japaneese based SWATH vessel which has since moved. I can't imagine doing the Maldives as a land based, there are several viable liveaboard choices that would allow you to see miriad wrecks and widely varying environs.

To the contrary, I have also been to the Galapagos many times, and although I enjoyed the liveaboards, I found them extremely expensive and confining. Since you aren't inclined to endure the arduous passage to Darwin and Wolf, anyway, why not consider land based? I had a world class experience on three trips with www.scubaiguana.com, see our trip report and website at http://www.geocities.com/johnofrancis/galapagos.htm

Galapagos isn't just limited to shipboard experiences, and yes, we saw Hammerheads, Mobulas and all the rest of the stuff.

I have no specific info on the tsunami and its effect on the Maldives, but I did see one report of a total of 41 dead on the many, many low lying islands that make up this island nation. If one reads their official national press report, if you read between the lines, it looks like they didn't want to discourage any donations of money- but it also looks like they suffered little or no damage. The Male airport was closed "as a precaution" for 12 hours. For the low lying piece of land that this is on- obviously not a big impact.

 

[circusoflife]

Thanks for the replies. I'm still all systems go here. Will post report on reef conditions later this year. Obviously no longer going to PhiPhi, but still going to Ko Lanta.

There are some excellent sites reachable by staying in Male - per LP guide I've studied. I have found a good place to stay <US$50/night and 2 boat dives w/ guide ~ US$60.

Check here for more info on post tsunami
http://www.tsunamimaldives.mv/

I'm hoping to find a discounted last minute liveaboard while there or shortly before arriving to reach the sites further afield. Or maybe a heavily discounted resort in another region. I'm really looking forward to the Kandu / drift diving.

On another note...I have added a 3-4 week Papua New Guinea (And maybe the Solomons) jaunt to the end of my Asia trip. Figured out how to get there very inexpensively from BKK and then getting around and diving / lodging inexpensive too. I guess I could call this the post-Tsunami tour as PNG had a tsunami a few years back which killed 2500 or so.

Galapagos is out for the time being. I was reading the new Norbert Wu dive book which inspired me more to go to PNG area. One description for a site in the Solomons called a dive off the Russell Islands - the sistine chapel of the underwater world. The description said Palau's Blue Holes and Sipadan's Turtle Tombs were mere pretenders. Never been to Sipadan but have done Palau's Blue Holes - which I thought was cool especially with Blue Corner after. But if the holes are mere pretenders.....wow!

Anyone been to the Solomons? That site in particular...I'll do a search on the scubaboard.

Another motivator is that I just did 2 boat dives up here in the chilly PNW. 5 foot visibility and my computer says the water temp got down to 39F! I thought it stayed in the high 40s but maybe some kind of thermocline or something...brrrr...wearing a wetsuit too!

Saw a couple of moray eels and an octopus in a wall, but it was more of gear check dive. So from that perspective it was successful. No Morays or Octopi coming out to play unfortunately.