Dive Review of Explorer Ventures in
Maldives/Indian Ocean

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Explorer Ventures: "Overall a good destination", Aug, 2021, by Randy Alexander, CO, US ( Sr. Reviewer 7 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 11574 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The boat is exactly as described on the Explorer Ventures website. It is a very large boat accommodating 26 passengers. This is more passengers than what you would find on most liveaboards, however the boat is so spacious, so it was not a problem. About half of the passengers were from the US, the rest from various countries in Europe. All diving is done from a tender called a Dhoni. This is larger than most tenders, it an 80 foot boat that dedicated for diving including compressors, rinse tanks, showers, bathroom, and a dedicated 3 person crew. All of the dive gear stays on the Dhoni freeing up space on the mother ship. I was on the boat in August and we did the “Best of Maldives” itinerary as described on the Explorer Ventures website. Passengers were split into four groups of about 6 divers and one guide each. Each group entered the water separately to avoid overcrowding. Visibility was generally good and many dives were current dives and some done with reef hooks. The reef fish are not afraid of divers and you can easily join a school and swim along. We saw various types of sharks on almost every dive and other pelagics are plentiful. The reefs are about average with the protected areas doing well. The unprotected reefs are a bit disappointing but abundance of large pelagic made up for it. We generally did 4 dives a day. The boat travels a considerable distance during the week, so 4 a day is all that can be expected. Many boats the Maldives do only 3 dives a day. Wi-Fi is available onboard for a fee. Nitrox is available at no extra charge. Soft drinks, beer and wine are extra; except for a complementary glass of box wine served at dinner. The food is about average but plentiful. Preparing gourmet meals in the Maldives is difficult as everything is shipped in and fresh ingredients are rare. Some words about the airport in the Maldives. A new, much needed, international terminal is under construction. The existing international terminal is small and crowded. All aircraft are accesses via a bus, so be prepared to climb stairs to and from the aircraft. When departing, arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before your flight. It took me almost 90 minutes to check in. In addition to that, there were two security checkpoints (one prior to check-in and one after) as well as a passport departure check. All of these checkpoints had lines. Overall a good destination.
Websites	Explorer Ventures
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Western Pacific, Eastern Pacific, Indonesia, Caribbean, Hawaii, Red Sea, Austria, Philippines, Indian Ocean.
Closest Airport	MLE	Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	dry	Seas	choppy, currents
Water Temp	80-84°F / 27-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	70-100 Ft/ 21-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	100 foot max depth.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	1 or 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Explorer Ventures in Maldives/Indian Ocean

Explorer Ventures: "Overall a good destination", Aug, 2021,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Explorer Ventures in
Maldives/Indian Ocean