Maldives Dive Travel Gives You the Top 10 Reasons to Book a Liveaboard Diving Trip During the Winter Holidays!

If you still haven’t booked your liveaboard diving trip during the 2010 Winter Holidays, don’t worry! There’s still time!

As the rain falls from the gray sky, rendering your heavy wool overcoat totally obselete, the wind whipping violently around your damp body, sending chills through your trembling limbs, practically freezing you to the bone, imagine the Maldives, a warm tropical paradise, and these reasons for why you should book a liveaboard diving trip this winter season!

1. Maldives Dive Travel’s BEST PRICE GUARANTEE! If you find a liveaboard on another site priced lower than ours, we guarantee we’ll beat it!

2. The compliments you’ll receive from work colleagues when you return with a smoking hot tan!

3. MV Orion Liveaboard Diving Trip – December 21-28: Just USD $1,680 per person! Check out MV Orion high season specials here!

4. Whale Sharks & Manta Rays…Need we say more!

5. According to a study at State University of New York at Oswego, men who take vacations every year reduce their overall risk of death by 20 percent.

6. Stingray Liveaboard Diving Trip – December 22-28: Just USD $1,044 per person! Check out Stingray last minute deals here!

7. The dry season has begun in the Maldives, often heralded as the best time for scuba diving! Check Maldives weather here!

8. BBQ on an uninhabited island…How often do you get to do that!?!

9. Two to three dives per day in one of the world’s most beautiful diving destinations! Read about the Maldives most popular dive sites here!

10. Most importantly…You deserve it!!!

Visit Maldives Dive Travel now and check out our BEST PRICE GUARANTEE and special high season and last minute deals!

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Tips for taking photographs underwater!

It is natural that scuba divers want to capture the impressive images of colorful coral, flighty fish and prodigious pelagics that occupy the world beneath the water’s surface. Who wouldn’t want to capture the moment when a massive whale shark or manta ray casually brushes against your body! Recently, the Black Pearl liveaboard came upon a school of mobula rays, the second biggest ray after the manta.

School of Mobula Rays

Although the fundamentals of photography remain the same underwater, the medium through which light travels shifts from air to water, meaning that special techniques and equipment must be used in order to capture that winning shot.

Underwater Photography Tips for Compact Cameras

Tip #1 – Do not utilize the digital zoom!

Tip #2 – If adding an external strobe that is optically fired, shroud the front of the housing with duct tape, directly in front of the internal flash. If this is not done, the internal flash with create backscatter. Tip: The underwater camera housing is a very important and essential piece of equipment. This is the one thing that will keep your underwater camera dry.

Tip #3 – Become familiar with the focusing distance of your camera in and out of macro mode. Utilize macro mode when you are within the macro focusing distance.

Tip #4 – When utilizing an external flash, place it as far away from your housing as possible and block your internal flash (to reduce backscatter).

Tip #5 – Use your dive light to help your camera autofocus.

Tip #6 – When you turn your flash off, set your camera to underwater mode or white-balance it manually.

Underwater Photography Tips for Compact Cameras and Internet Flash

Tip #7 – The lower the visibility, the closer to the subject you must be to avoid backscatter.

Tip #8 - For better colors, avoid using the flash when shooting more than 3 to 4 feet away.

Tip #9 – Use manual white balance mode when not using the flash.

Tip #10- Set white balance to auto when not using the flash.

Scuba Diver and Manta Ray

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Guests aboard the Black Pearl liveaboard spot grey reef sharks and eagle rays at Guraidhoo Kandu

With the beginning of the North East Monsoon transition period, manta rays are becoming less frequent at the Lankan Manta Point cleaning station.

The Lankan Manta Point (of the North Male’ Atoll) manta ray season begins in early September and lasts until late November or early December.

Manta Ray (Manta birostris) taken at Lanka Manta Point, North Male' Atoll

Lankan Manta Point Dive

Black Pearl liveaboard dived at Lankan Manta Point for the first time this week. However, no manta rays were spotted, so the divers enjoyed the colorful Maldivian coral and selection of other reef fish that darted along the sandy ocean floor. Read about the Black Pearl’s sighting of a school of mobula rays!

Black Pearl liveaboard plans to cover South Male’ and Ari Atoll this week.

Kuda Giri Wreck and Guraidhoo Kandu Dive

After the dive at Lankan Manta Point, the Black Pearl liveaboard crossed Vaadhoo channel and arrived at the Kuda Giri Wreck for the day’s second dive. The day’s third dive took place at Guraidhoo Kandu.

With an incoming mild current, all divers saw 8 grey reef sharks, a school of 12 eagle rays and loads of white tip reef sharks.

Black Pearl live aboard will be sailing to South Ari Atoll today.

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Take advantage of Maldives Dive Travel’s BEST PRICE GUARANTEE for Maldives scuba diving holidays in 2010!

Believe it or not, 2010 is right around the corner. With the holiday season approaching at an increasingly rapid rate, you’ll be sipping champagne and setting off firecrackers as the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 2010 before you know it!

As you jot down your New Year’s resolutions for 2010 (which are surprisingly similar to those from 2009, 2008, 2007…), spice it up a bit with a Maldives scuba diving holiday!

Most likely, your list will include resolutions such as “Spend More Time with Family & Friends,” “Enjoy Life More,” and “Learn Something New,” all of which you’ll experience during a Maldives scuba diving holiday.

For example, “Learn Somthing New” on the Carina liveaboard, a beautiful ship featuring spacious rooms and lots of shaded areas on its numerous decks. The Carina is offering a special “Marine Biology Cruise” in the Maldives from February 8 – 22, 2010.

Special Marine Biology Maldives Cruise on Carina Liveaboard

Carina Liveaboard

Explore the Maldivian reefs under the expert guidance of two marine biologists and PADI-Certified Dive Instructors: Mary Eichler-Bilek & Leo Bilek.

In-depth dive briefings and workshops will be given in English and German throughout the cruise to help participants see the reefs and their inhabitants in a new light. A very special feature of this cruise is the opportunity of taking the Night Naturalist Specialty Course, a programme developed by Mary herself and recognised by PADI. There is also the option of obtaining the PADI – Underwater Naturalist Certification on Carina during the cruise.

Learn more about this once-in-a-lifetime Maldives scuba diving holiday here!

Maldives Dry Season

With the 2010 New Year also comes the Maldivian dry season, heralded as the best time to plan your scuba diving holiday in the Maldives!

Don’t miss out on these special offers for 2010 — Your Maldives scuba diving holiday is right around the corner!

Also, Maldives Dive Travel is the only agency offering guests a BEST PRICE GUARANTEE. So, be confident that you’re getting the best possible prices with Maldives Dive Travel. Learn more about our Best Price Guarantee here!

Maldives Scuba Diving Holidays

MV Orion – Scuba Diving Holidays

MV Orion Liveaboard

MV Orion Scuba Diving Holiday: January 8-18, 2010 -

Escape the January Blues and jet off to the Maldives where you will be spoilt in the comfort of the MV Orion and see some of the most amazing underwater scenery in the world.

10-day January 2010 scuba diving holiday on MV Orion  just USD $2,990 per person !

MV Orion Scuba Diving Holiday: January 18-25, 2010 -

Late January is a great time to visit the Maldives: weather conditions are still excellent, but the Christmas crowds are gone.  Take a week off work in January … there really is no better to unwind than a week on MV Orion.

7-day scuba diving holiday on MV Orion just USD $2,093 per person!

Get more information on these 2010 specials here!

Black Pearl – Scuba Diving Holidays

Black Pearl Liveaboard

Black Pearl Scuba Diving Holiday: December 28 – January 4, 2010 -

On December 28, why not bring in the New Year with your scuba diving buddies in the Maldives, on this seven-night scuba diving adventure?  The Black Pearl special offer price has been maintained, despite the New Year festivities.

14-day scuba diving holiday on Black Pearl just USD $1.386 per person!

Black Pearl Scuba Diving Holiday: February 15 – 25, 2010 -

Later on in the season, the Black Pearl has another unbeatable offer on a ten-night scuba diving holiday in the Maldives.  February is still considered among the best months of the year in which to scuba dive in the Maldives.  Book your diving holiday of a lifetime in the Maldives next February.  This departure date is already confirmed.

10-day scuba diving holiday on Black Pearl just USD $1.980 per person!

Black Pearl Scuba Diving Holiday: February 28 – March 10, 2010 -

While the diving is good year-round in the Maldives, many believe the best conditions end around April time.  So, squeeze a trip in next March and take advantage of some of the finest scuba diving conditions in the world. This departure date is already confirmed.

10-day scuba diving holiday on Black Pearl just USD $1.980 per person!

Get more information on these 2010 specials here!

Galileo - Scuba Diving Holidays

Galileo Liveaboard

Galileo Scuba Diving Holiday: Dec 21 – January 2, 2010

For the ultimate scuba diving holiday in the Maldives, book a space on this 12-night scuba diving expedition on Galileo and visit the largest variety of dive sites in hte Maldives.  With 12 nights available for cruising, there is no doubt you will have the opportunity to visit atolls that shorter dive safaris simply cannot include in their itineraries.

12-day scuba diving holiday on Galileo just €1.296 per person!

Get more information on these 2010 specials here!

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Black Pearl liveaboard sets sail, commencing a new week of diving adventures in the Maldives!

Black Pearl live aboard performed its last dive of the week to Maaya Thila, North Ari Atoll. Once the dive was finished, the Black Pearl started heading back to Hulhumale’ of the North Male’ Atoll.

Maaya Thila Dive Site

The Maaya Thila dive was one of the best dives last week with regards to Maldives marine life. Although the visibility was below average, there was an abundance of fish life, where highlights included grey reef sharks, dogtooth tuna and white tip reef sharks.

Grey Reef Shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos)

Visiting Male’,  Capital City of the Maldives

It took about 3 and a half hours to cross Alihuras Kandu, the channel that separates Ari Atoll and Male’ Atoll. During the crossing, the sea remained calm, allowing for an extremely pleasant and enjoyable cruise back to Male’. The clear Maldivian weather was an added bonus.

After reaching Hulhumale’, the anchoring process began. Once fully anchored, the guests took off for their visit to Male’, the capital of the Maldives.

Guests Departure and Arrival

Black Pearl’s guests from the UK departed on the morning of the 23rd, the same day the new diving group arrived, which was a total of 12 divers from Switzerland. The orientation dive began after lunch.

Farukholhu Fushi Beyru Faru, aka Faru Beyru, Dive

The orientation dive at Farukholhu Fushi Beyru Faru (also called Faru Beyru) turned out to be a very exciting check dive for everyone. We saw 10 mobula rays…Absolutely unbelievable! The orientation dive to Farukholhu Fushi Beyru Faru, aka Faru Beyru, was a great start to the week!

School of Mobula Rays outside Maamingili Outside Reef

Mobula is a genus of ray in the family Myliobatidae (eagle rays). Their appearance is similar to that of manta rays, which are in the same family. The devil fish can attain a disc width of up to 5.2 meters (17 feet) and probably can weigh over a ton, second only to the manta ray in size. Despite their size, there is little known about this genus.

Black Pearl recently spotted a mobula, also called devil fish, at Kandooma Thila dive site.

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Black Pearl Liveaboard spots leaf fish & grey reef sharks, as well as performing night dive at Maaya Thila…

After an exciting night spent BBQing and star gazing, the scuba diving began a bit later than usual the next day…

Dive to Dega Thila

Dega Thila is a unique and unusual reef formation located at Ari Atoll, offering divers a very different kind of diving experience.

Dega Thila Marine Life

Located inside Ari Atoll, and very much protected from the currents, Dega Thila is famous for its colorful nudibranchs (often casually called “sea slugs”, a non-scientific term), cleaner shrimp, frog fish and leaf fish. The coral growth of Dega Thila is healthy, consisting mainlyof sponges, soft coral, black coral bushes and many more.

Dega Thila Characteristics

Dega Thila is divided into 2 parts, and each part consists of 2 or more coral heads rising from 30 meters to 5 meters. Dives usually begin at the deeper points and end at the shallower parts of the reef.

Dive to Hafsa Thila, aka Makaru Thila

The second dive was to Hafsa Thila, also called Makaru Thila, famous for being able to spot grey reef sharks at a very close distance. Divers don’t need to dive very deep, but rather stay at the edge of the reef at about 14 to 15 meters below and observe the sharks swimming back and forth.

Moray Eel

Maaya Thila Night Dive

Maaya Thila night dive is one of the week’s highlights, a truly unforgettable experience that you will experience on your next Maldives liveaboard holiday.

On this particular night dive, divers can see a myriad of Maldivian marine life, such as white tip reef sharks chasing their prey, moray eels hunting their next meal, turtles darting amongst caves and overhangs, and much, much more!

Check out the 5 day weather forecast from the Maldives here!

Present Weather:

Weather: Heavy rain and thunderstorms expected to Central & Northern areas. Scattered rain with a few heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to central and northern atolls. Mainly fine in the south.

Wind: Winds West / north-westerly 6 – 15 knots may gust 30 knots during showers.

Visibility: 12 km becoming 7 to 6 km during showers.

State of the sea: Slight becoming moderate during showers.

Wave Height: (open sea) 2 – 4 feet.

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Black Pearl Liveaboard searches for a Whale Shark around the Maldivian Atolls…

After three and a half hours, the Black Pearl live aboard crossed Alihurash Kandu (name given to the channel between Male’ Atoll and Ari Atoll) and reached the Southern Ari Atoll. The weather in the Maldives has been great since day one, and has remained extremely pleasant ever since.

Dive to Omadhoo Thila

On the morning of the 19th, we performed a dive at Omadhoo Thila. The current was relatively strong, and divers had the opportunity to see eagle rays, napoleon wrasse, and dogtooth tuna.

The search for a whale shark began at about 10:00 a.m. and continued till 3:00 p.m.  Unfortunately, we did not spot the massive filter-feeder.

Bluestripe snapper and diver

Dive to Kuda Rah Thila

The Black Pearl live aboard’s second dive was to Kuda Rah Thila (a protected marine area). With almost no current and visibility around 12 meters, divers got to explorer Kuda Rah Thila at length. With or without current, Kuda Rah Thila has an abundance of fish life and excellent coral growth. Lutjanus kasmira, commonly called bluestripe snapper, is one of the main attractions at Kuda Rah Thila.

Dive to Kudhimaa Wreck, aka Machafushi Wreck

The divers started the 20th with a morning diving at Kudhimaa Wreck, also known as Machafushi Wreck. The Kudhimaa Wreck was purposely scuttled in 1998 to provide a wreck dive for scuba divers (If you enjoy wrecks, check out Maldives Victory Wreck and the Kuda Giri Wreck). The highlights from the Kudhimaa Wreck were sting rays, eagle rays and many more.

Dive to Dhigaa Thila

The second dive of the day was to Dhigaa Thila, where the divers saw a few grey reef sharks and colorful soft coral.

BBQ on Raidhigaa Island

The excellent weather gave Black Pearl Live aboard divers a chance of enjoying a great night of BBQ dinner on Raidhigaa Island.

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The Black Pearl Liveaboard performed dives at popular Maldives dive site Kandooma Thila, later crossing over to the South Ari Atoll…

Yesterday, the Black Pearl live aboard performed Kandooma Thila for the first dive. With a strong current flowing from west to east and visibility at around 10 to 15 meters, divers managed to spot 6 grey reef sharks.

Scuba Diving Tips for Kandooma Thila

While diving at Kandooma Thila when the currents are strong, there are few points to consider in order maximize your bottom time, reduce drifting and ensure a safe dive.

Scuba Diving Tip #1 for Kandooma Thila – Strong Outgoing Current

Firstly, if a strong outgoing current is present, then get ready for a negative entry, making sure that you have deflated all air from you BCD and that your weight belt is on. As soon as you hit the water, start your descent head first and swim to deeper waters, allowing the reef to protect you.

Scuba Diving Tip #2 for Kandooma Thila – Drifting

Secondly, don’t drift all at once. The reef is no more than 350 meters in length and you don’t want to run out of reef and abort the dive. Make a habit of stopping or hooking the reef every now and then to observe your surroundings.

Bat Fish, Platax Teira, a fish from the Indo-West Pacific

Scuba Diving Tip #3 for Kandooma Thila – Reef

Thirdly, don’t swim away from the reef when the current is strong since you might not be able to get back to the reef. The current pushes you away from the reef when they’re strong.

Scuba Diving Tip #4 for Kandooma Thila – Surface Balloon

Lastly, be sure to carry a surface balloon and start inflating it as soon as you start your ascent or reach shallower water.

After diving, the guests snorkeled, followed by a tasty lunch. During lunch, the Black Pearl liveaboard began crossing the channel to the South Ari Atoll.

Present location of the Black Pearl live aboard is the Dhangethi Region, Southern Ari Atoll.

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by Matt Walker Editor, BBC Earth News

The once secret life of a huge, recently discovered species of manta ray has been unveiled.

Biologist Dr Andrea Marshall has discovered that the giant fish, which she first described as new to science last year, undertakes huge journeys.

As well as making the longest migration known across the Indian Ocean, the fish gathers in large numbers to feed and survives attacks by sharks.

The behavior is revealed in the BBC documentary series Natural World.

Growing up to 7m wide, manta rays are the largest living ray in the ocean and one of the largest of all fish.

Previously, it was thought there was just one species of manta ray, known by the scientific name Manta birostris.

But the more Dr Marshall swam with them, the more she noticed how different manta rays that frequent reefs and the open ocean are, both in their behavior and markings.

Mantas evolved from sting rays, and it was thought they had lost their sting. But Dr Marshall has found that the larger ocean-going mantas have retained a vestigial sting on their tails, proving that the two are separate species.

In July last year, she announced the discovery that there are not one but two species of manta ray at the American Elasmobranch Society’s annual conference in Montreal, Canada.

Manta Ray

The larger giant mantas retain the name Manta birostris, while the reef-going mantas have been newly named Manta alfredi, in tribute to Alfred Whitley who first scientifically described manta rays in the 1930s.

However, Dr Marshall’s studies have uniquely revealed a host of manta ray behaviors.

The rays sometimes swim across the ocean floor, skimming the reefs with their mouths, a behavior filmed by the camera crew for the first time.

Usually the fish feed on plankton, but what they feed on when skimming is unclear.

Dr Marshall studies manta rays off the coast of Tofo in southern Mozambique.

It was always thought that manta rays stayed in shallow waters.

Manta ray mating behavior

But Dr Marshall has discovered that the larger giant species of manta ray dives deeply, and migrates 700 miles (1,100km) in just 60 days to the Maldives, the longest migration known for a fish living in the Indian Ocean.

In the Maldives, researchers have also uncovered a unique gathering place of reef mantas, where hundreds of the fish gather.

Around 80% of the fish are female, with many pregnant, suggesting the area is a critical breeding site for the species.

Studies by Dr Marshall and colleague Dr Simon Pierce of the Manta Ray and Whale Shark Research Centre based at Tofo Beach in southern Mozambique have also revealed that manta rays living off Tofo bear huge scars inflicted by large sharks.

Mysterious giants

Manta rays appear capable of surviving such attacks and will queue up to have their wounds tended by cleaner fish, which nibble at the wound to remove dead tissue and prevent infection.

Dr Marshall’s studies have also revealed new aspects to the fishes’ reproduction.

Many male mantas follow a single female, mirroring her behavior in a bid to attract her as a mate.

Females, which give birth to a single pup after a 12-month gestation, rarely give birth in consecutive years, Dr Marshall has found.

That extremely slow reproduction could place the fish in danger from overfishing, both for subsistence and for export to be used in traditional Chinese medicines.

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Black Pearl Dives at Lankan Manta Point of the North Male Atoll

The Black Pearl live aboard continues its scuba diving adventures in the Maldives!

Lankan Manta Point, North Male’ Atoll

Black Pearl live aboard diving started from North Male’ Atoll at Lankan Manta Point. With a mild current and visibility of 10 meters, divers from the Black Pearl observed 3 mantas at the cleaning station during the entire dive.

Kuda Giri Wreck, South Male’ Atoll

After Lankan Manta Point, the Black Pearl live aboard cruised to South Male’ Atoll and dived at Kuda Giri Wreck. With almost no current at all, divers got the chance to explore the wreck without much difficulty.

Guaraidhoo Region

For final anchorage, the Black Pearl live aboard was around the Guraidhoo region and will be crossing over to the South Ari Atoll today.

Manta Ray (Manta birostris) and Spearfish Remora (Remora brachyptera) sometimes called a suckerfish or sharksucker

Maldives Weather

This week began with clear, sunny skies…Holidaying and scuba diving conditions have remained perfect!

For present weather in Maldives and a 5 day weather forecast, click here.

Weather: Apart from a few showers in the upper north province, generally favorable weather is expected to prevail over the country.

Temperature: 30° C / 86° F

Humidity: 63 %

Winds: West / north-westerly 4 – 11 knots.

Visibility: 12 km

State of the sea: Slight

Wave Height: (open sea) 1 – 3 feet

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