Nautilus 1 or 2 - Maldives Liveaboard

[mantajohn]

I'm looking at either one of these liveaboards for a trip in October. i would be very grateful for any feedback/information about their trip from anyone who has been on either vessel.

thanks

John

 

[galguppy]

Hello,

If you have not read the threads in this forum, urge you to search using the following:
Roman Rudakov
Baani
Gundi Holm

The Nautilus 1 & 11 ships look really good and they probably are BUT be careful that you book through a dependable tour operator. The current discussions are mainly over Maldivesliveaboards.com run by Holm and unsafe practices.

That having been said, that still does not address the overall lax safety standards in the Maldives at this time.

The boat may be good but you have no guarantee of the qualifications of the dhoni crew and those operating the compressors.

After reading these threads you will understnad and will avoid booking with maldivesliveaboards.com run by tour operator Gundi Holm. You will see there are a lot of good reasons given by those with first-hand experience.

Good luck. Safe Diving. Perhaps choose another destination and give the Maldives some time to set some safety standards.

Galguppy.

 

[mantajohn]

Thanks for your concern & flagging up the other threads to me. Much appreciated. It was, in fact, reading these threads that prompted my caution/posting in the first place

i have been resort diving in the Maldives many times & have come across some very high quality operations indeed. if anyone is thinking of resort diving in the Maldives, i can recommend the dive centres of Werner Low - they are really well run.

i want to try out a maldives liveaboard this autumn. Its really hard to sort out the good guys from the rest when surfing liveaboard sites. Nautilus looks very good. i was looking for some feedback from other SB'ers who had dived with Nautilus to confirm whether it is is a correct impression.

if anyone has been on them - i would really appreciate a posting or pm

thanks

john

 

[galguppy]

Hi John,

Further,

I checked your profile and I do not know where your home is but interestingly I was looking at the March 2008 of Diver, an excellent dive magazine from the U.K. There is an ad by Tony Backhurst (a well known tour operator from the U.K.) and they advertise the Nautilus 11 as being available for booking in 2008 exclusively to Tony Backhurst Scuba Travel. Their packages usually include the flight from Gatwick so it would probably depend on where you are travelling from. Or...you could contact them and make other flight arrangements, perhaps. Prices from 1395 pounds and include scheduled flights.

The ship is brand new and looks excellent with a dhoni tender. In light of everything that has happened and the revelation of the poor safety standards in the Maldives you might want to enquire about the certification, maintenance, staff training, compressors, etc.

Best of luck.

Galguppy

 

[mantajohn]

Thanks Galguppy

i'm now booked on the Nautilus 2 for a week in the autumn. I'll post a trip report when i get back

John

 

[mjarens]

Greetings John,

Congratulations on your booking. When are you going, Sept or Oct? Let me know.

I bailed on waiting for the T&C trip, and booked a Papau New Guinea trip for mid-Sept.

Marta

 

[Doc]

Other things to consider when going:

You will be moved from the airport island (yes, that's what it is) to meet up with your liveabaord. They might not be able to predict, but maybe they can. How will you make that transfer? They rarely but sometimes use float planes, sometimes 17 mph boats, sometimes 65 mph cigarette boats. It can be 5 minutes, it can be an hour or more.

Just be instantly prepared for that journey as you step through customs (such as they are).

From the UK, we always seem to be spending a few hours in the transit lounge in Dubai. That alone is a field trip to outer space. The main city, just onshore from the airport, is Male. Do some pre-trip comparison shopping, but I found some great prices on Suunto and other bits of electronic dive gear in that small city.

I hope you'll enjoy the Maldives, we sure do.

 

[kggdiver]

This last entry is from 2007. It is now 2012. I am looking at a dive trip on the Nautilus 2 in August 2012. Any updates or experiences ?

 

[Roblynn]

And now it's 2013 and I'm thinking of Nautilus 2 as well. Any experiences?

 

[TigerStef]

I'd also be interested in reports on the Nautilus 2, if anyone here as recent experience.