Scuba Diving the Maldives

The Maldives: The Maldives is a country of 1190 islands on 26 atolls stretching 470 miles across the equator in the Indian Ocean.  Their principle export is tuna which is only allowed to be harvested by hand lined protecting their waters and marine life from the encroachment of foreign commercial fishing.  The result is a healthy and diverse marine environment including pelagics, meriad reef fishes,  mantas, eagle rays, whale sharks, turtles and an Eden of hard and soft corals.  There are shades of blue in Maldivian waters you've never seen before!   The Maldives are remote and offer beautiful diving and delux to luxurious accommodations and if you chose a land based option some of  the best snorkeling ever in just thigh deep water.  Located off the coast of Sri Lanka most people fly to the capital of Male from  Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Dubai .  Travel time usually takes two days so we suggest arriving a day or two before you depart on your boat trip so you can get acclimated and enjoy one of the many luxury land based resorts available throughout the country.   One of the best ways to experience the diving in the Maldives is aboard the beautiful and renowned motor yacht. Manthiri  This 85 foot byacht accommodates 12 guests in six spacious air conditioned cabins each with with private bath.  The boat has a crew of 11 who pride themselves on their high level of service .  And from experience, we know it's deserved. The boat has a comfortable salon/dining area as well as an upper deck that has both  shaded and a sunny decks for relaxing. All diving is done from the accompanying dhoni, the Vasantha, a 54 foot dive tender fitted with a covered dive deck, head and hot water showers.  Dive gear remains on the dhoni for the duration of your stay so all tank fills are done away form the Manthiri.  Trips begin and end in Male and they cover approximately 250 miles visiting 3 or more atolls depending on duration.  Cruising is done during daylight hours and the boat usually anchors in calm water near a deserted island for the night.