Geography  |   Formation  |  Origins  |  Weather  |  Water Temperatures   |  Currents  |  Diving Safety 

 Tides   |  Protected Marine Areas    |  Famous Shipwrecks   |  Diving Safaris

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One of the best ways to experience the diving in the Maldives is on a Safari Dhoani. In the past few years the number of boats operating has increased exponentially. Whether it's the appeal of diving those remote sites, sleeping under the stars, or getting lost for a few hours on a deserted island, there is nothing quite like the carefree existence that goes with the live-aboard.

Many diving safaris begins at the Airport upon arrival, but most starts and ends at Male' new harbor on the south west corner of the island. Completed in 1992 with Japanese aid, the new harbor provides a secure anchorage and has relieved much of the pressure on the old harbor on the north side of the island. The harbor accommodates more than 100 boats, mostly Dhoani that have been converted into live-boards. The Dhoani have beautifully decorated prows and fluted stern decking. They are crammed together, jostling for space at the concrete wharf. Diving compressors, tanks, and luggage are loaded directly from pick up trucks to the boats and fuel and water arrive in drums to be pumped on board.

At the harbor, strange and unfamiliar sights and sounds fill the air. A rudder is secured with coconut twine. An engine is lifted out of a Dhoani, drawing a crowd. A large wooden vessel from India casts a shadow over the smaller ones in the early morning sun. Workmen are hammering, drilling and staining timber. wooden masts puncture the skyline and the anchor lines from the boats create a jigsaw pattern on the waters surface like a gigantic spider web. Dhoani slide effortlessly over them. amid the activity is a pervasive calm, a peaceful, relaxed atmosphere so characteristic of the islands. On fishing Dhoani, men while away their time playing cards and on the safari Dhoani, guests await their departure drinking tea on the foredeck.

From the new harbor, safari Dhoani depart on their different routes. Ari Atoll and Felidhoo are popular destinations, with stops at South Male' Atoll on the way. Or, going north with stops in North Male' Atoll, are the more remote destinations of Baa and Lhyaviyani Atolls. For a completely isolated destination, divers are now heading for Haa Alifu, which only recently opened for tourists. All other Atolls, with the exception of Addoo, are closed to tourists.

A sense of complete and utter freedom engulfs divers as they see the last of Male's concrete mirages disappear over the horizon behind them. They look ahead to another island just beginning to surface. Their Maldives diving safari has only begun.

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