Dive Review of MV Orion in
Maldives

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MV Orion, May, 2010, by Joe Trapasso, CA, US ( 1 report with 1 Helpful vote). Report 5503 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	We brought a group of 23 divers from the US for a 9-day excursion and chartered this vessel, being told that they would cater to the type of dives we would like. Note that this boat is NOT a luxury vessel as advertised. Service and accommodations are not of luxury caliber. Dive master does not know the dive sites in the Maldives, as is evident by dive briefings not matching (or even being close) to the actual dives. Dive master lacks local experience (only in Maldives for 1 year). For a 9-day excursion, we expected to see other sites, such as Baa Atoll and Ari Atoll. We barely left Male. Feedback we gave directly to the owner/operator (Alex): Your laidback style comes across that you don’t care about whether anyone is enjoying themselves (diving or otherwise). While your boat might be a luxury vessel, the lack of functioning A/C and service more than makes up for the luxurious surroundings. Our dives were average, other than the middle dive on the last day. We understand that we were coming at a different season, but our impression was that you just don’t know the dive site and waters of the Maldives, as many dives did not match the briefings, nor were shown much underwater. One of the reasons we signed on was for Hassan’s local experience (15,000+ dives in the Maldives), yet he was not on the boat. We felt like you didn’t really explore all sites, which should have happened due to our extended time aboard. We didn’t go very far beyond Male. The food lacked variety. For a luxury vessel, we expected a bit higher caliber. Did I mention how HOT the boat was? Several divers slept on deck due to the oppressive heat in their rooms. Lack of communication – zero from you to the group (we even addressed this during the week) and no communication from the dive masters. The others (Arif and Ittey) never even spoke to their groups. It appeared that you are trying to do too much. You need more qualified help, an experienced, English speaking, communicative Maldivian dive master, and staff that knows how to provide a higher level of service.
Websites	MV Orion
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Yap, Palau, Cozumel
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy, cloudy, dry	Seas	calm, currents
Water Temp	82-86°F / 28-30°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	30-100 Ft/ 9-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	1 hour (always enforced) or 30 meters (never enforced). Dive buddy (not enforced), SMB (encouraged, but not enforced).
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	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	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of MV Orion in Maldives

MV Orion, May, 2010,

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 MV Orion in
Maldives