Trip Report - Deep South Maldives March 1st To March 12th 2016

[tarponchik]

OK! ! I misunderstood. How did you like her. She's supposed to be better than Carpe Vita, which wouldn't be easy. You were with the crew we had on Carpe Vita.

Excellent large boat, quite luxurious and very stable. Food was very good and the crew was the best one could wish. The trip was 11 nights, both North and South, so we had a chance to compare.

Here is a pic of Alto. Overall, I have very high regards for him and other DMs. I believe, they were simply stressed out by all demands and regulations.

 

[chillyinCanada]

No, that's not the guy we had though we were with Zenah and Ibbi. I'm embarrassed not to know our guide's name but when neither my buddy nor I, had caught it after the first couple of days, we were too, uh, well, we didn't think we should ask again. We did learn it much later but it wasn't burned into my brain.

That's some serious wing on Alto's bc. Whoa! handy guy to have around if taken away by a surface current.

You were on the southern itinerary. It starts either at Male and you dive all the way south, with a flight back or as you did it, it starts with a flight to Gan and then you dive your way back to Male.

My last trip was a far north exploration trip, a new itinerary for the company. We went north from Male to islands quite far north.

 

[AlMitch]

You were on the southern itinerary. It starts either at Male and you dive all the way south, with a flight back or as you did it, it starts with a flight to Gan and then you dive your way back to Male.

My last trip was a far north exploration trip, a new itinerary for the company. We went north from Male to islands quite far north.

How would you compare the South to the North??

 

[Larry Pil]

Hi to you all, I am trying to figure out from your trip reports whether I should really book a trip from Addu to dive Addu itself and Foamullah: I had previously heard they are great for pelagic but the posts I am reading here seem to point to a lot of wonderful, warm blue water with not much in it...do you know of somebody who actually saw big stuff in those two atolls? Thank you. Larry

 

[tarponchik]

Hi to you all, I am trying to figure out from your trip reports whether I should really book a trip from Addu to dive Addu itself and Foamullah: I had previously heard they are great for pelagic but the posts I am reading here seem to point to a lot of wonderful, warm blue water with not much in it...do you know of somebody who actually saw big stuff in those two atolls? Thank you. Larry

Hi Larry,
We saw manta rays at South Ari and plenty of sharks at both South Ari and Vaavu atolls. The sharks were only reef and nurse sharks, however. As for the whale sharks, Ari Beiru in S Ari is supposed to be a spot with a residential whale shark but we had no luck searching for her twice. You can read more on whale sharks here.

 

[Larry Pil]

Hi Tarponchick,
thanks for your info. I am trying to find out whether the Addu and Foamullah atolls are worth diving: did you see anything special/anything at all in those atolls? (Sorry, I couldn't keep myself from making a silly pun/sound effect ). I would be very interested in your comments about it. Thanks a lot again. Larry

 

[tarponchik]

Hi Tarponchick,
thanks for your info. I am trying to find out whether the Addu and Foamullah atolls are worth diving: did you see anything special/anything at all in those atolls? (Sorry, I couldn't keep myself from making a silly pun/sound effect ). I would be very interested in your comments about it. Thanks a lot again. Larry

Sorry, I'd like to help but we did not go that far south.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Larry Pil, the southern itinerary is sharks, shsrks and more sharks but the further south we got the more I enjoyed the latter portion of the dives. There's some truly beautiful coral gardens down that way. Does this help?

AlMitch, the only thing that saved the far north itinerary for me was the great group we had on board. But I was also cursed to come down with a bad head cold and I missed the finest diving up north, so my opinion is somewhat tainted by that. This itinerary may improve but if it doesn't, it won't be on the itinerary for long. So, if they can find some better sites to dive along the route to the north sites, then it will be good.

 

[tarponchik]

CC, how far south you need to go for better corals? The corals we saw at S Ari and Vaavu were truly shabby, compaed to the North.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Down to Addu.

Lots of trashed corals in Maldives. Sad really especially when you can tell it's from careless development rather than weather related damage.