The Maldives are an island country consisting of many small islands in the Indian Ocean.  If you’ve seen those computer wallpapers of crystal blue waters and beach paradises that look almost too beautiful to be real, you may very well have been seeing images taken from the Maldives.  The water here is bluer then even your dreams of it, and there are plenty of quiet beaches are the islands to enjoy.  There really are so many reasons to spend your holiday in the Maldives!

Draws of the Maldives

The main draw to this tropical paradise is the ocean and sea life.  Diving is something that is not to be missed, as there are over 700 different fish to see under those blue waters!  The waters are such a big draw that many people even forgo the traditional hotel stay and instead stay aboard high-class ships that allow them to go as far out as they please.  There are small cozy vessels and some ships that can accommodate nearly 20 people, which work great if all your friends decide they want go on the holidays to the Maldives!  Many of these boats are like hotels on water, as they have all the amenities like soft beds, air conditioning and even a bar.  If you are looking online for more information do a search for “liveaboard diving”, as that is what it is called when you stay aboard the ship while diving for several days.

There is still more to do outside of the diving on your holidays to the Maldives.  Sunbathe on the quiet beaches while you sip tropical drinks and smile as you are living the dream.  You can play in the surf, or even be a kid for a little while and build a sand castle.  Don’t forget fishing too!  There is day and night fishing, as well as normal game and big game fishing to enjoy.  Of course island hopping and shopping are always a must when on vacation!  You can buy everything from trendy bags, to handmade jewelry and local produce.  Just know that some items are not allowed to be exported, such as anything made from red coral.

Daytime and Nighttime Amenities on Your Maldives Holidays

Holidays to Maldives can also include a spa day, complete with a relaxing massage.  If you are looking for excitement instead, then check out flights on seaplanes to explore an isnland or an underwater adventure with a submarine ride!  If you are looking for intellectual excitement, then be sure to check out the National Museum located in the Sultan Park, which houses many amazing artifacts.  If you are searching for cheap holidays in Maldives, know that night swimming, dancing on the beach at sunset and stargazing are all fun and free to enjoy every day.

If you are looking for Maldives holiday offers then check out our own site, MaldivesDiveTravel.com, for more information.  We also have a best price guarantee!!  Learn more about Liveaboard travel, as well as more activities that can be done in the Maldives.  There is so much to do, see, eat, and enjoy that this is sure to be one of the best holidays you’ll ever have!  Learn more about our offers and book your dream vacation for 2012 today!

Experience Holidays in the Maldives by MaldivesDiveTravel.com is a post from: Maldives Blog

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Have you ever thought about taking an exotic vacation?  Somewhere far away from the hotels the theater shows and the malls?  Then think about a scuba diving liveaboard journey!

When you choose a scuba diving “liveaboard” journey, you are not just taking a scuba diving adventure.  You literally live aboard the cruiser—for days on end!  It’s the perfect vacation because it is a cross between a cruise ship luxury holiday and an outdoor adventure complete with scuba diving, snorkeling and many other activities.

You Will Have Plenty to See

What can you expect from liveaboard scuba diving?  First, never feel threatened.  In fact, it’s sometimes annoying how often the crew does safety checks, just to make sure no one is ever faced with adangerous situation.  Then, the crew takes you aboard one of the ships (there are several, and each contains its own personality and level of luxury), and then chart a course.  Along the way, you will get
to see spectacular scenery involving the best of Maldives, including the ocean, islands and marine life from above the surface of the water.

Now when it’s actually time to scuba liveaboard style, you will see unbelievable sights, like rainbow-colored coral reefs and aquatic animals.  What are some of the species of life to look forward to?  We’re talking whale sharks, manta rays, reef sharks, napoleon wrasse and many other smaller fish.  You will literally see schools of fish passing by your head and the colors are unimaginable.  It’s definitely something to experience!

You Will Have Plenty To Do

However, the point of scuba liveaboards adventures is that there is more to see than just underwater life.  You can also come back to the cruise and enjoy hotel-quality cabins, lots of space to move around in, social activities, cooked meals, drinks and a very friendly staff.  Comfortable home settings wait for you here, such as air-conditioned rooms and hot showers.  Imagine what it would be like to spend a night under the stars and looking into the sky from the ocean with your sweetheart!

Besides luxurious amenities you can also enjoy an island visit for dinner, volleyball and football games (the staff is always eager to play!) and even snorkeling activities if scuba diving is too deep a thought for you.  There is also plenty of fishing activity to enjoy and you can catch red snapper, barracuda, tuna, jackfish and grouper, all of which the cook will make into a fine meal immediately after your catch.

Although carrying alcoholic beverages aboard is banned, you can still enjoy drinks courtesy of a licensed and trained bartender.  Airport travel is also provided, including a trip to and from the airport.  Safety is always a top priority here, as there is no diving activities scheduled in the last 24 hours of the trip, just to make sure guests are ready to fly.

Why not come experience an exotic vacation like no other?  It’s not just an adventure, it is an adventure and a spiritual journey!

Imagine the Fun You Will Have on a Scuba Diving Liveaboard Journey is a post from: Maldives Blog

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Okobe Thila is one of the top diving sites around the Maldives. Okobe Thila is one of the most uniquely shaped Thilas in the North Male Atoll and it comprises three large coral heads. Usually the boat is fixed to the mooring on these dive sites and divers use the mooring as both the descent and ascent line. Once divers reach the end of the line at Okobe Thila, they start swimming towards the up-current. If the current allows, divers can zigzag from one coral head to the other while observing the fish life, which commonly includes Eagle Rays, Jacks, Tuna, Napoleon Wrasse and Bannerfish. A surface balloon is a must to dive at Okobe Thila.

Just in… 2 incredible last minute offers on-board the MV Aquarius on a VERY unique Southern Sharks cruise.

This area is very secluded and remote.  There are only 2 resorts in the area and almost NO other boats or divers at this dive site.

This is an unspoiled area with masses of sharks and amazing hard corals, a site not to be missed!!!

January 23^rd – 30^th – Last Minute Steal!
Cruise: “Southern Sharks”
Price: USD $999 per person (includes 6% T-GST tax)
Atolls: Laamu, Huvadhoo, Formulak, Addu
Boarding Point: Kadhdhoo, Laamu Atoll
Disembark: Gan, Addu Atoll
Domestic Flights: Clients need to purchase additional domestic flights Male/Kadhdhoo and Gan/Male. These flights (approx. US$ 360 return) can be booked on here or we would be happy to do it for you!

February 6^th – 13^th – 7 nights for the price of 6!
Price: USD 1.177 per person inclusive 6% T-GST.
Cruise: “Southern Sharks”
Atolls: Laamu, Huvadhoo, Formulak, Addu
Boarding Point: Kaadedhdhoo, Huvadhoo
Disembark: Gan, Addu Atoll
Domestic Flights: Clients need to purchase additional domestic flights Male/ Kaadedhdhoo and Gan/Male. These flights (approx. US$ 360 return) can be booked on here or we would be happy to do it for you!

Book now before we are sold out.

Last minute specials for Southern Sharks Cruise… is a post from: Maldives Blog

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The Maldives are paradise on earth. Where is the Maldives? They are a group of small islands, 450km south west of Sri Lanka. 314,000 people live here, supported by tourism and fishing. The Maldives are one of the world’s top destinations for scuba diving, watching marine life and cruises. For the best prices visit maldivesdivetravel.com

The best diving sites in the Maldives always includes Rangali Madivaru. Madi in the local language of the Maldives, means “Ray”, hence the name Madivaru for these kind of diving locations, which is also known as Hukrueli Faru. During the North East Monsoon, Madivaru is a superb Manta Ray cleaning station. The coral reef slopes down gently from its highest point at 8 meters to the Atoll floor at about 30 meters. There are many cleaning stations along this 1 km reef, but the point where the Manta Rays are most active is halfway along the northern side. Current at Madivaru can be strong at times and can create a funnel effect due to the coral reef formation. Divers should be prepared to make a safety stop in open water at Madivaru and a safety balloon is necessary.

The top world dive sites must include Maaya Thila. If the current is not strong at Maaya Thila, the diving is easy and divers can easily circle the Thila. Depending on the current, the scuba diving spots begins at the up-current and dive guides will navigate to the coral formations in deeper waters. Here, divers hover or hold on to a coral and observe the fish life. Grey Reef Sharks congregate around the coral in the deeper water at Maaya Thila. Depending on the strength of the currents, Grey Reef Sharks and White Tip Reef Sharks sometimes come as shallow as the reef’s edge at just 12 meters. It’s not unusual to spend the entire dive at the up-current observing the fish life. The top reef is the perfect place to do the required safety stop. A safety balloon is necessary at Maaya Thila.

Looking back after a diving week in the Maldives with the MY Theia, I had a tremendous experience and lots of great encounters.

Walking off the plane from cold Vienna and being embraced by the very hot and very humid Maldivian climate in my winter outfit was my first experience. OK, the experienced travelers bring their tropical clothes in their carry on luggage and step out of the restroom in shorts and tank tops before landing, but not me

We got picked up from the airport and headed off to start our liveaboard dive trip for the week on board the MY Theia.  The ride to the boat was about 10 minutes, and wow – what a boat!! 15 divers with more than enough space on board, cabins were king size and beautiful.  We met on deck for briefing, hanging out with the guests and crew with 2 great bunches of the world´s best bananas – I became an addict.

1st dive, Check gear dive at the outer reef, almost no current but turtles, 2 murray eels and 2 white tip juvenile sharks – my best check dive so far. I like the liveaboard dive system, gear remains on the dive boat where tanks get filled during the trip, no carrying the equipment around.

2nd dive at a manta “cleaning station” where herds of small fish with beaklike snouts provide tweak out parasits-service to big fish like mantas on eastern outer reef of north male atoll. After 5 minutes close to the station 2 medium size mantas turned up out of nowhere and gave us a great show. Perfect photo op  for cameras

For the next dive at Rasdhoo, a small atoll between south & north male and ari atoll, we were late but were still able to dive which turned night dive for the 2nd half.  
The outer reef on Rasdhoo east side is a great location. Dive guide local Mikey found a camouflage colored 2´ leaf fish doddering under an overhang, don’t know how he spotted it, but we were sure glad he did. Divers from another boat took advantage also, we had our very own paparazzi

Next morning, same place but 50 m out into the blue before sunrise – the main hammer head area in the Maldives. We went down about 25-30m… waiting, looking around, down and up – at this time we had about a 50% statistical chance of no encounter.  No hammerheads today, maybe another time   Up to the dive boat and back to Theia for breakfast.  I LOVED the meal schedule – early morning dive at 7am after only coffee and crackers, after the dive a serious breakfast with all egg varieties and fruits tasting great after a good dive.

Next dive same place at the colorful reef with the great fish life and then we proceeded 2hrs to the Maayya Thila inside north Ari Atoll. A “Thila” is a kind of shallow inside atolls raging from 4-6 m.  This one is home of greys reef, white tip sharks, big murray eels, sting rays and turtles. 
 We did a night dive here as well, and it was one of best night dives ever – I tend to overlap night dives as they use to be done on good safe but boring sites – but Hussen, the ship manager convinced everybody that it´s not always like that, and he was so right. 
 Descending into a melting pot of white tips, murray eels, barracudas and sting rays hunting the thila mainly for restless fussilier schools which move over the thila top like a kind of liquid, in between an occasional stone fish (undetectable fish finding Mikey again) and sleeping turtles in overhangs on the side of the thila – a most memorable experience.

Next day 1st dive was at Makaruh thila, similar topography as Maayya thila with great coral growth on the top and in the overhangs around at 8-15m. The home of small fish like gobis, blennies and a cute sleeping baby white tip between 2 table coral storeys.
  At the up current side 2 cruising grey reef sharks, big fish seem to be mainly up current wherever you are if its a “thila” or a channel, a “kandhu” between open see and an atoll.

The next dive, Malhoss Thila, known as Blue Caves was my week´s favorite in respect of UW landscape and colors.  200m deep overhang adjusted with clear blue soft corals, schools of blue stripe snappers hang out in their blue living room.  At the top of broken out coral blocks of extreme coral growth diversity of 2 grey reefs. On the sandy bottom a bunch of white tips sleeping and swaying in the smooth current. 
3rd dive at the Thila with a swim thru chimney and zillions of glass fish forming different shapes. Who is the boss? Again a busy camera matter.

One main safari issue: whale shark. Cruising along the south side of Ari Atoll was really valuable – the crew watching from atop of the Theia for whale shark shapes and shadows near the outer reefs at some 10m depth were successful. We dropped close to the first whale shark, we had the honor of snorkeling with this 10m giant 
until my legs failed to move, a condition challenge.  
After getting picked up by the dive boat we continued to a dive site called Maamigilli Kandhu and were happy to encounter 2 whale sharks coming out of the atoll at slow speed which made it possible to follow even with dive gear. 10 memorable minutes with this gentle beast, a literally breath taking devotional dive.

Next dive which took us to the house reef north west of Dhigurah delivered another manta ray encounter + a king size sting ray hunting on the top reef – seriously productive dive again. Seems rays and shark have all 5 gills. On the way back from dive site to the Theia, some of the fitter divers went snorkeling with 2 further mantas who were cruising the lagoon of Dhigurah island near the night anchorage.

Next days diving an the Kudarah Thila in the middle of Dhigurah Channel showed a stunning landscape with tremendous rich fish life. Herds of trevallies cruising around, school of blue stripes, scorpion fish dwelling in their camouflage in spite of one who probably failed primary camouflage school, so I found it without Mikey. Good models as they hardly move and they have the most characteristic profile.

Famous last dive – Ranveli corner north of Dangheti on the east side of south Ari atoll. Good visibility, school of eagle rays, trevallies, white tips and turtles. 

I forgot the Raadhigaa Thila north of Raadhigaa island – an unspoilt shallow well exposed to currents in the Mandhu channel on the middle Ari atolls west side. Its like coral bleaching never took place. Pristine hard corals on the top reef, great overhangs with swim throughs on the south side, fantastic UW-landscape.

In summary – one week was not enough, without obligations I would have booked next week. The chefs from sri lanka did a great job, the service, the….ah well, everything!!! I just don’t have anything to complain about.

Jan Bouzon
Vienna

MY THEIA Dive Cruise Report is a post from: Maldives Blog

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The best dive sites in world must include the Maldives dive locations. The reef top houses a great balance of hard and soft coral and the outer slopes contain many sponges, seawhips and seafans. No wonder that Makunudhoo Kandu is regarded as one of the best scuba dive spots in the world. Between the months of November and May you will often see eagle rays gliding through the area. At around 27 meters there is a large overhang, a popular location for squirrelfish, turtles, napoleon and nurse sharks. Be wary that currents are funneled through the sand saddle at highly accelerated speeds. Even the slightest current can potentially become a swift torrent. Strong ingoing currents may render the swim back to the main reef difficult, so a safety balloon should always be on hand in case you require and open water safety stop.

Maldives Victory Wreck is one of the best dive sites in the world. The Maldives Victory Wreck is 110 metres long and lies at a depth of 35 meters on a sandy bottom. At this top diving sites the bow points to the north. Divers should plan at Maldives Victory Wreck their dive in accordance with their air supply and the time available, which will allow them to complete the entire dive safely and return to the mooring lines attached to the buoy. It is important to remember that the wreck is studded with extremely sharp jagged seashells and urticating hydroids. Moreover, injuries can be caused by sharp, jagged fragments of metal protruding from the wreck.