Diving

Diving at the Maldives is every diver’s dream and doing it from a comfortable cruise boat is undoubtedly the best way to get the best with the minimum effort.

On the boats of Albatros Top Boat everything has been thought out to exceed any expectation and on the strength of years of experience, our safari boat will always follow the best course to achieve the most beautiful dives at the best time.

You can observe schools of grey sharks or witness the manta rays feeding while circling undisturbed above your head, or swim thought underwater caves completely covered in multicoloured sea fans or you might even meet a specimen of Napoleon fish as big as you.

That’s because you are in the best-known sea in the world for its unrivalled underwater beauty; one is really spoilt for choice, although it is important to know about currents and tides and be able to assess the right time and the right side of an atoll, as these two variables play a great part in the quality of a dive. Albatros Top Boat’s expert instructors are in possession of all the knowledge and all the tools needed to guide you through these wonders.
The Maldives are also characterised by the variety of their diving spots.

You could for example dive along the coral reef, on the outer edge of the atoll: you will be immediately surrounded by a multitude of reef species, but also by Napoleon fish, sharks and all the great pelagic species. And the best thing is that you can observe them while letting yourself be carried by the current!

Or you could stay on the inner side of the reef for quieter dives in shallower waters, an ideal situation for night dives, during which you could find enormous turtles sleeping quietly inside caves, or a wall covered in the protruding tails of coloured triggerfish trying to find a hiding place away from moray eels. If you turn off your torch, the luminescent choreography of the plankton will make you think you have landed on another planet.

Thilas are another type of diving spot: these are 5/6 –metre deep shoals with a flat top, often within everybody’s reach, teeming with life and featuring many caves and recesses. Some Maldivian Thilas are classified among the ten most beautiful diving sites in the world.

The Ocean passes are among the best-loved dives for those seeking thrilling experiences, as they offer the chance to meet rather large species. The Passes are canals connecting the calm atoll waters with the open Ocean; here the abundance in nutrients attracts the great pelagic species which often inhabit these regions. Albatros Top Boat’s guides know where to look for them…a thrilling experience is therefore guaranteed.

The Maldives are not short of shipwrecks, which invariably attract and fascinate most divers. You can observe the integration of sea life with the ships’ hull and realise that you can also suffer from vertigo underwater!

At the Maldives there are two main seasons, the dry and the wet season; depending on the time of year and the weather, Albatros Top Boat’s boats select the most suitable atolls and regions to find the best stretches of reef.

Dry season, north-eastern monsoon – from December to May.
Wet season, south-western monsoon – from June to November.

The best weather and the calmest waters are usually in the dry season; in the wet season there is the change of some storm developing and a slightly rough sea. As far as dives are concerned though the situation is more complex as the direction of tides must also be kept into account. The north-eastern monsoon (from December to May) pushes suspensions and nutrients in a south-western direction, whereas the south-western monsoon (from June to November) moves them in a north-eastern direction. For this reason, if you wish to swim with manta rays in the winter you should dive on the western side of the atoll, whereas in the summer manta rays are to be found on the eastern side. If on the other hand you prefer calm, crystal-clear waters where you can for example take spectacular photographs, you’ll need to do exactly the opposite.

If all this sounds complicated, all you need to do is explain your requirements to Albatros Top Boat. On the very first day the person in charge of the boat will in fact explain all possibilities; you only need to decide what you wish to do. The cruise will therefore follow the course based on your preferences and your expectations.

If you choose to stay at one of the resorts you will only be able to dive at sites which can be reached within the day, but if you want to enjoy the Maldives from the deck of a cruise boat, each morning you will wake up at your destination; all you have to do is wear your wetsuit, jump in the sea and let the dream unfold.