Diving in the Maldives

KENWOOD Call: 020 7749 9220 Visit: www.kenwoodtravel.co.uk TRAVEL DIVING IN THE MALDIVES YOU ARE HERE Flying time 11 hours aprox. Dive Sites Marine Life North Male Atoll - Banana Reef | Kudu Haa South Male Atoll - Cocoa Corner | Guraidhoo Corner Ari Atoll - Brocken Rock | Kudarah Thila Addu Atoll - Turtle Point | British Loyalty Wreck Oriental Sweetlip Avg = 6in | Parrot Fish Avg = 2f Human Avg = 5ft 6in | Zebra Shark Avg = 7ft 5in Manta Ray Avg = 22ft | Whale Shark Avg = 40ft Thiladhunmathee Atoll Miladhunmadulu Atoll Faadhippolhu Atoll North & South Maalhosmadulu Atoll North Male Atoll Did you know... SCUBA - Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. By the early twentieth South Male Atoll Ari Atoll century, two basic templates for scuba had emerged; open-circuit scuba where the diver's exhaust is vented directly into the water, and closed-circuit scuba where the Felidhoo Atoll diver's unused oxygen is filtered from the carbon dioxide and recirculated. Diving Typology While the Maldives offer a variety of dive typologies, all are characterised by medium to strong currents. This is what makes them so rich and full of life. Nilandhoo Atoll * Lagoon Mulaku Atoll Each island in Maldives has its own Lagoon, usually not very deep. They can reach around 20 meters, and are mostly sandy. These places are protected from the current so are the ideal spot to conduct scuba diving courses. However they are not very interesting from a sea life point of view. Kandu These are the diving spots around the border of the atoll and the place where the tide changes the water that flows in and out. These are the perfect places for drift dives and also reveal big pelagic fish like sharks, tunas and manta rays. Kolhumadulu Atoll Thila This is an underwater island that can be so small that you can dive all around it or so big that you may only see one side. Thilas that are within a Kandu usually have the strongest currents but also house the most interesting sea life. Hadhdhunmathee Atoll Huvadhoo Atoll Wise words... "...the single most revelatory three minutes was the first time I put on scuba gear and dived on a coral reef." - David Attenborough Addu Atoll Don't forget your equipment Fins Computer Mask/Snorkel Dive Watch Dive Suite Allow you to swim using only your powerful leg muscles Allows you to see clearly and lets you breathe under the surface of the water Used to measure your diving Protects from cuts and Monitors your depth and time underwater to keep you within established limits time with a water resistance scrapes and retains heat so greater than 10atm you stay comfortable Camera Diving Torch Diving Knife Tanks Signal A handy tool as well as an important safety device. Aka blade, cutters & zip knife Used to take pictures of your Used to look into cracks and Made from aluminium or Get attention from other crevices, and for diving at night time adventures to share with steel alloy & can hold divers or the dive boat from your family and friends pressures of 200 bar a distance Visibility January to April are considered the best months for diving. May and June can have unstable weather, and storms and cloudy days are common until September. October and November tend to have clearer weather, but visibility can have rough, windy weather and rain. be slightly reduced because of abundant plankton in the water. December Change Between Seasons • April to May: winds are predominantly W-Sw • By the end of November, winds are W-NE to N-NE • The effects of cyclones from the Arabian Sea can be experienced Dec Jan Dry Season • Higher chance to see mantas and whale sharks on the west side • Very good visibility, up to 40 meters • Eastern atoll full of fish, sharks & pelagic species Rainy Season • Full of fish, sharks and eagle rays, hammerhead sharks and grey reef sharks are higher in numbers and in shallower water • Impaired visibility, high chances of manta rays and whale sharks Rough Season • The first month of the north-east monsoon, December, is typically rough with strong winds and rain • Limited visibility during this month May Night Diving • Corals open up and extend their tentacles in the evening • Spiders & shrimps leave their tubular sponges to search for food • Visibility is reduced to a narrow tunnel of light of around 25 foot inc ung Depth Guide Maldives is such a great location to dive because of its biodiversity. In the same dive you can meet big grey reef sharks and small colourful reef fish. The first 30 metres are packed with marine life and you will find anything from turtles to sharks, manta rays or shipwrecks, as well as coral reefs. Meters The highest point above sea level is only about two metres, whereas the deepest point in the Indian Ocean is around 2,000 metres underwater. Wise words... "Most photos are worth a thousand words. Underwater ones are worth at least a million." - Stephen Frink Sperm Whale The sperm whale is found in deep waters of the Indian Ocean but many can be seen in some of the bigger atolls 2,000 Meters Sea Turtles Green, hawksbill and leatherback types Meters Bannerfish White and black striped with yellow caudal fin Manta Rays They display curiosity towards scuba divers Sharks Around 26 species in the archipelago. Coral Reef Teeming with starfish, brittle stars, and sea urchins Meters Maldives Victory British Loyalty 35m deep, sank on Friday the 13th February 1981 33m deep, sank on 5th January 1946 Sources wikipedia, Divernet, Padi.com Get in touch Follow us Call: 020 7749 9256 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.kenwoodtravel.co.uk Feb Mar Apr Oct Sep Aug