... I still cant remeber how it's pronounced!
UWSojourner:
I have the opportunity to go to the Maldives in October. Warm water dives only in Cayman and Maui to date.
Is the trip worth it now? Or are there other destinations as good or better first?
Any thoughts from your experience would be apprecitated.
I would save your money, keeping Maldives on the list, but first hone your diving skills to equal the intended venue and challenges that it may bring.
Most all diving there requires their version of a dive boat, a "dhoni" which as long thrashing wooden boat with large expanses of wooden decks and freeboard (the water to the deck level) that you have to take off your gear and pass it on up.
Most of the recoveries require you to swim out and away from the reef, blow your safety sausage from depth (or you'll maybe get seasick if you fool around on the surface) and do your 5 minute stop while waiting for the pick up.
There are some resorts that have theoretical shore dive reefs, but most divers who read this board consider a live aboard the best option. Largely because of cultural prohibitions regarding the mixing of women members with the crew, and the prior shepherding by male crew members by female family members- the cooking on board can be 'spotty'.
You are likely to see larger critters there, so it isn't so much an issue of observational skills that should be honed, but more that you have reached a level of technical competence that will allow you to relax in the challenging environment and enjoy the many wrecks and beasts.
I would rate it less challenging than Galapagos or Tobago, but way beyond the easy breezy shore dive off of CoCoView. If those aforemenbtioned places represent a 10 and a 1 in terms of ease, I would call the Maldives a 6.5. Depending on where you were in Maui, it could rate a 1 to 6 in difficulty. Cayman was most likely a 1.
Consider also the impending possibility of socio-political climates at that time of this year. This is a fairly fluid area in those terms.
I would log lots of dives, do them in the Caribbean, then go exploring when you feel you're ready.
The main city of Male had excellent prices on gear from the EU. Many buy computers at good prices & then switch them from metric to ASA.
The duty free at Dubai (if you're routed that way) was a good place to have a visa card.
The transit lounge at Heathrow is truly Purgatory.
