AD 2016 Q2

HOW TO DIVE IT
TEMPERATURE
Expect air temperatures
of 79-86°F and water
temperatures of 82-85°F
year round. A 3mm wetsuit is
generally sufficient, even for
four dives per day.
CURRENCY
Get just enough Maldivian
rufiyaa (MVR) for island tipping
and pocket change. Most
restaurants, hotels, car-rental
companies and shops accept
major credit cards. Banks
accept 2004 or newer U.S.
dollars and euros with no tears,
rips or markings.
SEASONS
The prime diving season
is from November to April,
although dive tourism is now a
year-round attraction.
DHONI DIVING
Most liveaboards operate in
tandem with a traditional
dhoni, typically a 50- to
60-foot yacht with diesel
engines that houses the
compressors for air and
nitrox fills as well as most
Raa
Atoll
Baa
Atoll
Rasdhoo
Atoll
North Ari
Atoll
South Ari
Atoll
Shaviyani
Atoll
of the dive gear (though not
cameras). Guests step from
the mother ship to the stable
and spacious dhoni (usually
in calm water) for transport to
the nearby dive site.
CURRENTS
Each diver should carry and
know how to deploy a surface
marker buoy. Also recommended
are a personal air horn, mini
strobe light and a radio or GPS
locator. Most divers carry a reef
hook as well.
ALCOHOL
Alcohol is generally prohibited
in the Republic of Maldives.
There are no liquor stores
or bars where it can be sold
or consumed, and tourists
may not bring alcohol into
the country with them. All
incoming luggage (including
carry-on bags) are X-rayed,
and authorities will confiscate
any liquor found. There is a
specific exception for licensed
tourist operations catering to
international clientele.
DEPTH
By federal law, scuba divers
may not dive deeper than 30
meters (98 feet).
This tends not
to be a problem
because the
seafloor at
most dive sites
Noonu
Atoll
Lhaviyani
Atoll
North Malé
Atoll
is around that
depth.
the region. The first was at North Ari Atoll
among the sharks of Rasdhoo Ridge. Here
we dropped onto the ridge, which topped
out at about 60 feet, spread out and waited
for the gray reef sharks swimming in the
blue to approach us. We were advised to
not swim toward the sharks, as this tends
to keep them away; gratefully, everyone
rigidly adhered to the directive. The result
was sharks that came within 6 feet of us and
occasionally as close as 4 feet. There was no
bait in the water, just a calm interaction with
a beautiful species of shark.
The day began with a high-voltage shark
dive and ended with a mellow night dive at
Maaya Thila. Rising to a depth of 22 feet, this
thila was small enough to circumnavigate a
couple of times in the course of a 60-minute
dive. The most significant photo ops were
sleeping turtles, marbled rays, free-swimming
morays and lionfish.
Fish Head is another marine reserve, also
on North Ari Atoll. The site was named
during an era when local fishermen were
likely to bring nothing but a fish head
onboard, so ravenous and plentiful were
the sharks. While the area may not be as
shark infested as in days of yore, we were
still able to perch atop a rocky knoll at 60
feet and watch a half dozen gray reef sharks
pass to and fro, edging ever closer as we
remained motionless. A massive school of
bluestripe snapper was at 90 feet, and were
I not reluctant to have my bubbles disrupt
the shark action, I would’ve loved to drop
into their midst. But it was just as well — at
the top of the reef in only 30 feet of water
was another school. Once I’d filled the frame
with 100 fish, it didn’t really matter that
there were 500 somewhere else.
We had come southward specifically for
manta rays. At certain times of the year
mantas are abundant in the north as well,
but this was February, and the dive staff
knew that for us to interact with mantas we
would do well at the manta cleaning stations
at North Ari Atoll. The first we tried was
Himendhoo Rock. The plan was to swim
to a small coral bommie that hosted the
cleaner wrasses that drew in the mantas.
We saw one manta on a flyby, but despite
70 | SPRING 2016