Your Guide to Diving Maldives

Diving Maldives Overview

Maldives Seasonal Dive Planner

It is possible to dive around the Maldives all year, but the wet monsoon brings wind and rain squalls in May through to November, with the current passing through the atolls from the northeast. The dry monsoon is from December to April when seas look calm, but ocean currents are at their strongest. The current flows then in from the southwest, with clear water from the Indian Ocean, when underwater visibility in the western atolls can exceed 100ft (30m).

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Reef & Rainforest is an agency for travelers that like to scuba dive. Looking for an island getaway? We specialize in planning scuba diving adventures to the Maldives.

Diving Maldives Reader Reports and Feature Articles

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Latest Reader Reports from Maldives from the serious divers who read Undercurrent All Reader Reports from Maldives	All 10,000+ Reports
Sachika / Top Class Cruising Report in Maldives "Sachika: mid-priced comfortable Maldives liveaboard focused on diving" filed Aug 31, 2024 by Jennifer Widom (Experience: 501-1000 dives, 12 reports, Contributor )
Note: I'm posting this review in multiple places - Undercurrent.org, Tripadvisor, and Liveaboard.com We spent a week on Sachika in A... ... Read more
White Pearl Report in Maldives "Beautiful boat, diving not like it used to be." filed Aug 18, 2024 by Peter and Mary Pinkerton (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 10 reports, Sr. Reviewer )
After a 14 hour flight from JFK we spent a few days in Dubai. We were very happy that we were able to fly business class. Emirates Air ... ... Read more
EcoPro Report in Maldives "EcoPro Seascape - Maldives" filed Aug 18, 2024 by Philip Karp (Experience: 251-500 dives, 6 reports, Reviewer )
I just completed a 7 day trip aboard Seascape, the newest addition to the EcoPro Fleet which operates in the Maldives and Indonesia. O... ... Read more
Boutique Beach Hotel Report in Maldives/Dhigurah, South Ari Atoll "Great Liveaboard Alternative for the Maldives" filed Apr 20, 2024 by Hugh E Aaron (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 26 reports, Sr. Contributor )
This was our first trip to the Maldives. We were told that traditionally most people dive the Maldives on liveaboards or from all incl... ... Read more
Explorer Ventures/Bandos Report in Maldives/S Male Atoll "Return trip" filed Nov 10, 2023 by Frances Lewis (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 10 reports, Sr. Reviewer )
My 4th time in Maldives. I did 2 nights in Bandos Resort to get over travel exhaustion. I'm 76 and recovering from a serious medical is... ... Read more

Complete Articles Available to Undercurrent Online Members; Some Publicly Available as Indicated

Diving Maldives Articles - Liveaboards Two More Liveaboards Lost to Fire, 11/24 Volunteering for Maldives Whale Shark Research, 7/23 Manta Populations Improve , 2/23 Available to the Public Fiji, Indonesia, French Polynesia, Molokai, we’re diving the world once again, 7/22 MV Emperor Voyager, Republic of Maldives, manta madness and sharks galore, 1/22 Where Are the Maldives?, 1/22 Blue O Two a Casualty of COVID, 1/22 When Diving in the Maldives Disappoints, the right information guides expectations, 6/18 Fiji, Iceland, Maldives, Raja Ampat, trouble in Cozumel, a bad critter-handling policy in Kauai, 5/15 Maldives Princess, The Maldives, a long way to see whale sharks, but worth it, 5/14 Maldives, Hawaii, Indonesia . . ., some dive operators who need to change their rules, 11/13 M/V Carpe Diem, Maldives, the abundance of fish is worth the cost and travel time, 6/12 Thailand, Cocos, Hawaii, Maldives..., Thai tech dives, an easy wreck dive and El Niño’s ups and downs, 8/10 The Baani Adventure’s Lethal Air Compressor, 7/08 The Baani Explorer, Maldives, a bargain for big fish, 1/06 The Maldives Aboard the Manthiri, great diving despite El Niño, 5/01 Bleached Maldives, 3/99 Diving in the Maldives, Aboard the Barutheela and the Manthiri, 8/98

Diving Maldives Articles - Land Based Another Bad Accident Waiting to Happen?, tiger sharks are not pussy cats, 7/24 Available to the Public Not Getting Enough Time Underwater?, 10/19 Raja Ampat, Bonaire, Maldives, Cozumel . . ., and endless trash spilling into the water, 7/19 Underwater Statues Are Unwelcome in the Maldives, 11/18 Costa Rica, Montserrat, St. Eustatius . . ., hidden gems, bad air and the jerk of the month, 7/14 Key Largo, Maui, New Zealand . . ., maiden voyage kinks in Thailand, a rude photo pro in Bonaire, 5/13 Tsunami Damage, 2/05 Caught in the Wave, 2/05 Hiding in the Maldives, 8/98

Editor's Book Picks for Scuba Diving Maldives

The books below are my favorites about diving in this part of the world All books are available at a significant discount from Amazon.com; just follow the links. -- BD

Reef Fish of the East Indies
by Gerald R. Allen and Mark V. Erdman

It's got a list price of $250 and a weight of 14 pounds, but the price and the poundage will be worth it to add this three-volume set to your library. Renowned marine biologists Gerald R. Allen and Mark V. Erdman have combined 60 years of surveys, fieldwork and research to create the most definitive guide of the Coral Triangle to date, perhaps forever. The 1,292 pages of text and 3,600 photographs (40 percent of which are of fish not seen before in print) gives comprehensive information on every known reef fish species from a region known as the global epicenter of marine biodiversity. An essential reference for any scuba diver.

Click here to buy it at Amazon.

Reef Creature Identification: Tropical Pacific
by Paul Humann and Ned Deloach

Paul Humann and Ned Deloach have done it again, releasing a definitive identification guide to 1600 extraordinary reef creatures of the Tropical Pacific. with this 500+ page softbound guide, you get upwards of 2000 exceptional photos of shrimp and crabs and stars and worms and lobsters and nudibranchs and slugs and squid and bivalves . . . well, all those invertebrates that move along the reefs of this region without fining, so it seems. There are several photos of some creatures to help you identify them during different life stages, and about ten percent of the book is descriptive copy so you can tie down your identification. Even if you have no plans to go to the tropical Pacific, just to thumb through the pages, gawk at the complexity and uniqueness of these animals, and read a thumbnail sketch will give any serious diver vicarious thrills for endless hours.

Click here to buy it at Amazon.

Diving Indonesia's Bird's Head Seascape
by Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock

This dynamic duo's book describes 130 dive sites of Raja Ampat, Triton Bay and Cenderawasih Bay, while offering practical information about the area. The detailed descriptions of the sites, complete with GPS coordinates, explains the terrain, how to dive the site, and the kinds of animals, coral and critters you can expect. Excellent photographs will help you identify many of the critters you will encounter.

If you have been to Raja Ampat, or dream about going, this thoughtful and well-illustrated book is for you.

The book is not available at the moment.

Diving Southeast Asia
by Beth & Shaun Tierney

This just-published, 302-page, soft-bound guide by Beth and Shaun Tierney, is a must for anyone contemplating diving in Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand. Where is Sipadan? Raja Ampat? Komodo? Richeliu Rock? Maps make it easy to pinpoint dive destinations and travel routes. Destination and 250 dive site descriptions (with tables on depth, visibility and currents) help you determine whether you’ll see big fish in the blue or pygmy seahorses in the muck. There’s a lot of supplemental information such as travel tips, health tips, and resorts and liveaboard descriptions.

Click here to order through Undercurrent and you’ll get Amazon’s best price -- and our profits will go to save coral reefs.

Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide
by Gerald R. Allen, Roger Steene.

I was trying to pack light for a change. Surely the Solomon Sea would have good identification books aboard. Not so; the only book on the boat belonged to a fellow passenger. It was one that I had not seen before, the Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide, by two of the best fish guys around, Gerry Allen and Roger Steene. The problem was this fellow passenger kept it in a plastic baggie most of the trip and I had to beg to see it. Great book, good traveling size, and it covers everything from fish, shells, marine plants, mammals, corals, and invertebrates to sea birds and more. Now I've got my own, and it won't do you any good to beg me to borrow it. This is one of two books that I will not travel to the Pacific without. Good for travel to the Red Sea, East Africa, Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Andaman Sea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and Hawaii, it has 1,800 color illustrations in a 6x8 1/2 paperback format with 378 pages. $39.95.

A Diver's Guide to Underwater Malaysia Macrolife
by Andrea and Antonet La Ferrari

We just discovered the ultimate guide to Indo-Pacific macro life. It was published late last year by marine photographers and writers Andrea and Antonet La Ferrari, who have several other winning books in their portfolio. They picture and describe in full detail 600 different species, focusing on those found in the South China, Sulu, and Sulawesi seas. From colorful nudibranchs to cleaner shrimps and pipe fish, to larger species like cuttlefish and clown fish. Each description offers an insight on distribution, habitat, size, life habits, and U/W photo tips. Illustrated with more than 800 extraordinary color photographs and written in a clear, concise, informative style, this book is both a macro and fish field guide for all serious divers from the Maldives to Australia. A must for traveling divers.

Click here to buy it at Amazon.

Reef Fish Identification: Tropical Pacific
by Gerald Allen, Rodger Steene, Paul Humann, & Ned Deloach

At last, here's a comprehensive fish ID guide covering the reefs of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The generous 500-page text, displaying 2,500 underwater photographs of 2,000 species, identifies the myriad fishes that inhabit the warm tropical seas between Thailand and Tahiti. The concise text accompanying each species portrait includes the fish's common, scientific and family names, size, description, visually distinctive features, preferred habitat, typical behavior, depth range, and geographical distribution. This is an essential book for every diver traveling westward. 6x9 inches.

Click here to buy it at Amazon.

There's a Cockroach in My Regulator
by Undercurrent

The Best of Undercurrent: Bizarre and Brilliant True Diving Tales from Thirty Years of Undercurrent.

Shipping now is our brand new, 240-page book filled with the best of the unusual, the entertaining, and the jaw dropping stories Undercurrent has published. They’re true, often unbelievable, and always fascinating. We’re offering it to you now for the special price of just $14.95.

Click here to order.

You might find some other books of interest in our Editor's Book Picks section.