The Maldives is the place to go if you want big fish encounters – this island nation has some of the most spectacular dive sites in the world, and a typical 7 day trip that begins from the capital Male – a mere 15 minutes from airport to boat – can almost guarantee encounters with manta rays, huge schools of fish and stunning visibility – plus a very good chance of seeing a normally elusive whale shark too if you head to South Ari atoll.
I’ve been to the Maldives several times since 2009 on three different boats – below are my comprehensive reviews of the MV Orion, MV Carpe Vita and MV Sachika if you are thinking of doing a Maldives liveaboard yourself. Liveaboards in the Maldives tend to be more like floating hotels and so they are level of luxury up from what most divers have encountered before – making them perfect for non-divers too. I’ve also written up a trip report on MV Orion, detailing how the seven day liveaboard itinerary pans out.
As well as this practical info, I’ve included a few other articles about Hanifaru, the place of stunning manta and whale shark encounters in August and September each year if you’re lucky, and also about unforgettable close up encounters with mantas I’ve had in the Maldives.
Maldives Liveaboard MV Orion Review
MV Orion provides a serious contender for those wanting luxury Maldives liveaboard scuba diving and island cruising (more…)
MV Carpe Vita — Maldives Liveaboard Review
Carpe Vita is latest luxury Maldives liveaboard to take to the waters, launching in March 2011. Here’s my detailed rundown of Carpe Vita’s operation after spending a week on the boat (more…)
MV Sachika: Luxury Scuba Diving In The Maldives
My story about luxury scuba diving in the Maldives on the MV Sachika was originally published in Fah Thai magazine. You can read the complete article below (more…)
Maldives Diving Liveaboard Trip Report: MV Orion
The new Maldives liveaboard MV Orion offers seven day trips that take in classic Maldives dive sites at Male and Ari atolls as well as visiting the whale shark haunt of Hani Faru (more…)
Maldives Manta Rays — A Spectacular Close Encounter
The Maldives is famous for manta ray encounters, and there’s few places better than Rangali Madivaru to see these spectacular creatures group together en masse in crystal clear water (more…)
Hanifaru — Where Manta Rays And Whale Sharks Meet
This has to be the most incredible underwater footage of manta rays and whale sharks I’ve ever seen – scores of them in a feeding frenzy at Hanifaru in the Maldives (more…)
Got The Shot: Maldives Manta Rays — Julian Cohen
The Maldives are famous for manta rays – here Julian Cohen describes how he finally got the shot of these elusive, beautiful creatures (more…)
Maldives Diving January 2011
A few underwater photos from my Maldives trip in January 2011 around Male, Ari and Felidhe atolls on MV Orion (more…)