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Dive Review of Manthiri in
Maldives

Manthiri, Oct, 2010,

by Gina Sanfilippo, CA, US (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 7 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 5791.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Our trip was a charter to dive with mantas, so our itinerary was different than most. Over the course of 16 days we did about a dozen reef and/or soft coral dives, but that was not our focus. We did see mantas by the score and did over 30 dives with them, most of which were in Hanifaru Bay. Conditions in the bay were calm with little surge or current, but some of the reef dives had a lot of current or surge. There was a nice selection of macro life, but again, that was not the focus of this particular trip.

The Manthiri crew are phenomenal! Everyone is friendly and they go out of their way to help and please you. Moosa, the head divemaster, is not only a great guide, but also a great guy. Stick near him so you can see him point out critters.

The boat holds just 12 guests so neither it nor the dives are crowded. All diving is done from a second boat, a dhoni, and your gear will live on that boat for the duration of the trip. This not only gives you more room on the Manthiri, but means the dhoni can move away from the main boat during noisy tank fills. Cabins have very comfortable beds and ample storage. If I have any criticisms, it is that they feed you too much! We ate pre-breakfast, breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner every day. Unfortunately the kitchen usually makes too much food and the excess goes to feed the fish. The kitchen staff, however, does accommodate requests - I was one of two vegetarians on the boat and we always had meal choices. They also learned our group liked spicy food and made a few delicious local dishes that were spicier than normal.
Websites Manthiri   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Fiji, Andaman Sea, Cocos, Sea of Cortez, Caribbean, California, Bahamas
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 81-82°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 40-60 Ft/ 12-18 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions 100 ft. max depth, no deco.
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals N/A Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters N/A Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics N/A

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments The Manthiri has a large room dedicated to cameras with plenty of 110 & 220 power. The crew is experienced and careful when it comes to handling cameras, and they rinse your rig (twice!) after every dive.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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