Reefs in The Maldives

[slipslop]

I just came back from my travel agent. I was going to book a package to the maldives :11ztongue but she tells me i may be disappointed as all the coral is dead due to global warming etc. can anyone comment on this? I know most places have some degree of coral bleaching but i dont want to spend all that money to dive on dead reefs. I was hoping to visit paradise island.

 

[alcina]

Haven't dived there since 1999...and we went specifically because of these dead areas. And we did find them...some areas. But by and large most of the sites we dived were teeming with life and colour.

Be interesting to hear from people who have been there in the last year...

 

[Mark Goodchild]

Hi there,

I've dived a couple of times in the Maldives and I do recommend it. With regards to the coral my feeling is that in the top 5 metres in many areas the coral is bleached and has died. This is often the case around the islands so snorkeling can be a little disappointing sometimes if coral is your thing.

However below 5 metres the coral has recovered or not affected in the first place. What I would also say though is generally the coral is no where near as impressive as the Southern Red Sea for example. So if coral is your thing then maybe other areas are better.

What the Maldives has to offer though is not just coral. The islands are exactly as they look in the brochures and the beaches are just perfect white sand. Often especially if you get a small island the beaches are so quiet.

Also the diving is some of the most relaxed I have ever experienced and the boat trips to get there are always fairly short.

The last point...(and yes I left it till last on purpose) is the fish life. It is incredible. I've never seen so many shoals of fish. Also there is always the chance of big stuff you never know what you'll see next, manta rays, whale sharks, eagle rays, huge napolean wrasse, grey reefs...etc, etc you get the point.

http://www.zerovisibility.co.uk/Maldives%20feature.htm


Hope this is of some help. If I had the chance...I'd go tomorrow. :luxhello:

 

[neilstewart]

Plenty of threads around on this topic and everyone has an opinion. I will just say that some islands were more affected than others. You would need to specify exactly your intended destination to get quaility information. Agreed the deeper sites are less affected and there are still some wonderful coral dives in the right spots from the right islands. Maya Thila being an special favourite. Always the chance of seeing something big in terms of the plankton feeders at the right time of year again from the right island. I even know someone who saw an Orca there off a safari boat. Yes I know impossible, and that was exactly the dive guides response until it surfaced near the boat. Anyhow do not be put off the Maldives it is a truely wonderful place but do your research about your intended destination both in terms of season and dive sites. One more thing try to pick a divers island with more than one boat. I have been on an island that had a boat for 30 people and of course we could only go to the places that were suitable for the most inexperienced diver even though I new that there were excellent places nearby but a bit more advanced. Still that was a very well priced deal and a spur of the moment trip for me, but still very enjoyable for all that.

And finally about the coral bleaching, it does have a small upside. Because algae is able to grow on dead coral it provides more fish food so if you want to see fish, the Maldives is unsurpassed even by the best of the Red Sea in my opinion.

 

[ScubaLover1]

I just got back from the Maldives, it was brilliant. I did notice some bleeching but the diving was still great. You might see some dead hard coral but soft coral is still very colorful. As for the sea life, ( Fish, Mantas, Sharks ) they havent been affected at all.
GO TO THE MALDIVES U WONT REGRET IT...........

 

[nikk]

I have been to the Maldives twice this year. The bleaching is visible but both the soft and the hard corals are making a comeback. If coral is your thing, I would recommend the Red sea (jordan more than Sharm, simply because it is much, much less crowded). For fish life though, the Maldives are second to none!

 

[the_cat_keeper]

Just got back from the Maldives today. The diving is great.

We saw a whale shark and a number of manta rays. Another group on the same boat also saw hammerheads, and some people made a dive with a large school of dolphins and a manta! Lots of barracudas, sharks, trevallies, surgeonfish, etc etc.

 

[nikk]

Just got back from the Maldives today. The diving is great.

We saw a whale shark and a number of manta rays. Another group on the same boat also saw hammerheads, and some people made a dive with a large school of dolphins and a manta! Lots of barracudas, sharks, trevallies, surgeonfish, etc etc.

Sounds like a great trip! Where in the Maldives were you diving?

 

[the_cat_keeper]

Sounds like a great trip! Where in the Maldives were you diving?

We started the dives from South Male Atoll to Ari Atoll, North Ari Atoll, South Ari Atoll, South Male Atoll and then finally North Male Atoll.

We saw the whale shark at South Ari Atoll. Mantas were seen at South Ari Atoll and finally at North Male Atoll (there is a cleaning station at about 15m at a dive site called Lankan where Mantas usually hang out). Some folks saw hammerheads at a dive site called Rasdhoo-Madivaru at approx 40++ metres. Turtles, eels, barracudas, surgeonfish, etc are seen at almost every site we've gone to.

 

[smokey braden]

last october 2003 i stayed on this liveaboard
http://www.sultansoftheseas.it/en/infoSMadivaru.php

we dove the suvadiva-huvadoo/gaafu atoll in the far south of the maldives
check it out
http://www.sultansoftheseas.it/en/infoPSuvadiva.php

the diving was some of the best i've ever experienced
lots of fish, large and small, turtles and beautiful coral both hard and soft