The Maldives dive season may be a little hard to figure out. It is broken down into two seasons: the southwest and the northeast season.
Maldives has always been known as a divers’ paradise with both large pelagics and lots of tropical coral fish to enjoy. And because Maldives is made up of many small islets, scuba diving trips to Maldives are almost always on a liveaboard, ensuring comfort and convenience.
Recommended Experience Level for Dive Maldives Trips
When diving at Maldives itself, it is highly recommended that you be an Advanced Open Water Diver or above. Maldives diving consists of wall dives and deep dives, as such, buoyancy is especially crucial. You would not want to miss the night dive with the Manta Rays.
The Southwest Season
The Southwest season is also known as the wet season and lasts from May to November. The diving on the west side of the atoll in the southwest season is spectacular. You will regularly encounter large schools of pelagic fish like sharks, eagle rays and tuna.
Another noticeable feature of the southwest season is that the water temperature is usually one or two degrees lower that the usual 28ºC. This has an effect on both the behaviour and sightings of marine life, particularly the grey reef sharks and hammerheads , which seem to congregate in larger numbers and in shallower water at this time of year.
On the eastern side of the atolls, the southwest season is the best time to see manta rays and whale sharks. The visibility here is not so good, but this is compensated for by the wonderful experience of diving with these huge plankton feeders.
The Northeast Season
This is the Maldivian summer, lasting from November to May. From November onwards the currents begin to flow from the northeast, visibility is amazing and the sharks and other pelagic species get more active in the channels and thilas on the eastern side of the atolls.
The currents are usually stronger in January and then slow down in February. The sea in February gets very clam, with no major wind or wave disrupting the surface. This continues through March and April with easy diving and slack currents. The end of May generally sees the change of monsoon season back to the southwest.
Throughout the northeast season, pelagic species such as sharks and jacks are to be found on the current points on the eastern side of the atoll. In addition, there is usually a large variety of reef life. Manta rays and whale sharks, however, will only really be found on the west side during the northeast season.
Accommodation for Maldives Dive Trips
2010 LOB of the Year Winner
MV Sachika is a luxurious liveaboard in the Maldives. She sails from the capital of Male for her one week liveaboard safaris around North and south Male atoll, Ari atoll and Vaavu atoll experiencing the best diving in the Maldives. Sachika has 10 cabins for 20 guests consisting of 3 suites, a junior suite, 4 standard double or twin cabins and 2 twin cabins. She is a fully-equipped luxury cruising boat and is accompanied by a dhoni (a traditional Maldivian vessel) used for diving and to keep all the tanks and compressors separate so you are not bothered by the noise.
The beautiful MV Sachika Liveaboard in the Maldives will take you diving to some of the very famous dive sites around, as well as the secluded and unspoilt dive sites discovered on her quest through the Maldivian atolls. We promise you an unforgettable experience onboard MV Sachika, from the beginning to the very end of your holiday.
The stunning Maldivian Sachika is 33. Meters in length, 10 Meters Beam with luxury cabins comprising of 1 Standard and 4 triple with low beds bathroom with shower – 1 Junior Suite king size + single bed, bathroom with shower and bath tub – 3 suites with bed and king size, TV LCD, DVD player, mini bar, bathroom with shower, all cabins have air-conditioner with independent regulation and security box
The Maldives Sachika Liveaboard has SPA facilities on the boat and a Jacuzzi on the sundeck, capacity of 5 Pax. plus two outdoor bars. MV Sachika also boasts a large lounge deck with spacious saloon, restaurant, well stocked bar, disco, karaoke, media library, wireless internet access, plasma TV with DVD & VCD player with surrounds speakers, Board Games. Big sun deck with loungers and did we mention she has a Jacuzzi!
The MV Sachika offers high standard services from a crew of 12 including Captain, Cruise Director, Chef, Dive Master and Spa Therapist.
Facilities:
- An indoor air-conditioned restaurant on main deck
- Full Board, with mineral water, coffee & tea 24 hours self service in the restaurant
- Indoor coffee corner in the restaurant area
- Panoramic coffee bar on captain’s deck
- A fine selection of Italian and International wine and liquors
- Lounge area at prow on main deck
- Spacious sundeck with 5 seat Jacuzzi
- A private air conditioned massage room (professional Indian therapist)
- Wi-Fi internet access (on request) in the main lounge
- 2 sea scooter & 1 banana boat
- 42-inch LCD monitor & CD/DVD player in the restaurant
- 3 independent hi-fi systems on each deck
- Maldivian fishing equipment on board
- Board games
- Beach towels
- Plugs adaptors
- Dinner on the beach (if weather conditions are good)
The Eagle Ray was built in 2005, and has room for 12 crew members and 18 passengers. Each cabin is 10 feet by 12 feet, and features air conditioning, hot/cold water. The ship also features a full dining hall and bar plus an array of entertainment and navigational features. This includes TV, GPS, library games, and cell phone access. Since the Eagle Ray is capable of traveling at 10 knots, you will also find it perfect for covering a suitable range of diving sites.
No matter whether you are actively diving, or taking a break, you are sure to appreciate the upper deck and all of its beautiful furniture. In fact, if you have family members that prefer star gazing or sun bathing, they are sure to love living aboard the Eagle Ray as much as you do. As an added bonus, if you want to visit the local islands, there are always dinghys available to take you ashore.