Maldives Dive Travel May Scuba Holidays

Now that international air travel is getting back to normal after the Icelandic volcano eruption, you might be thinking about taking a well-deserved holiday in May.  Perhaps you are going to take advantage of Spring Break or the May School Holidays, and you feel like taking a scuba diving cruise around the Maldives.  The following cruises are all departing Male in the Maldives during the month of May, and they all have available cabins.  Check out the great offers on these scuba diving holidays and if you would like to make a reservation:

Contact Maldives Dive Travel Today!

Stingray Liveaboard Scuba Diving Holiday: May 1 – 8

Stingray Liveaboard Holidays in the Maldives

The Stingray Liveaboard departs on May 1 for a 7-night adventure of the atolls, islands and prime dive sites of the Maldives.  Enjoy a discovery-style cruise aboard this 9-cabin vessel for just USD $1,176 per person!

Nautilus Two Scuba Diving Holiday:  May 15 – 22

Nautilus Two Scuba Diving Holiday

Nautilus Two, a 12-cabin scuba diving liveaboard constructed in a traditional Maldivian style, is departing Male for a  7-night cruise of the Maldives on May 15th.  Nautilus Two is equipped with everything you could need to make your scuba diving holiday both extremely comfortable and safe.  Enjoy this stunning May scuba diving holiday from only EUR 973 per person!

Carina Scuba Diving Holiday:  May 17 – 21

Carina Liveaboard Holiday

Carina, one of the Maldives most popular and well-equipped scuba diving liveaboards, will set sail for a short 4-night adventure of the Maldivian waters on May 17th.  This is the perfect opportunity if you’re looking to make a two-part Maldives holiday – 4 nights on Carina and 4 nights in a luxurious Maldivian resort could be the ideal vacation!  Enjoy this short scuba diving holiday on Carina for just USD $796 per person!

Dream Catcher II Scuba Diving Holiday:  May 24 – 31

Dream Catcher II May Scuba Diving Holiday

Experience the Maldives in luxury and style!  Dream Catcher II, one of the country’s finest liveaboards is currently offering a very special offer on the 7-night scuba diving holiday that departs on May 24th.  You pay for 6 nights and the 7th night on board is free, making this a great opportunity to book a scuba diving holiday on Dream Catcher II this May.  Total price for the holiday, departing from Malé, is USD $1,330 per person.

MV Orion Scuba Diving Holiday: May 24 – 30

MV Orion Scuba Diving Holiday

Last but not least on our list of top scuba diving holidays this May is a May 24th departure on MV Orion, one of the Maldives’ newest and most stylish liveaboards.  MV Orion has been described as “Business Class Scuba”, and the description is apt.  This stunning boat, reminiscent of the super-cruisers seen cruising the Mediterranean has every facility on board to ensure you experience the Maldives like a celebrity: Jacuzzi, library, bar and on-board massage to name just a few of the facilities.  The best part of all, this 6-night scuba diving holiday can be yours for just USD $1,194 per person!

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Save Our Oceans Video

Stunning video about the dangers affecting our oceans today.  Is it too late to do something about it?  What will YOU do to help save our oceans?

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Take advantage of these unbeatable last minute prices for Dream Catcher II!

***Stay 7 Nights for the Price of 6!***

Dream Catcher II, a luxurious liveaboard possessing seven comfortable suites and an unforgettable diving experience, is offering an unbelievable last minute price on 4 different cruises:

• 31 MAY – 7 JUNE 2010
• 7 – 14 JUNE 2010
• 14 – 21 JUNE 2010
• 19 – 26 JULY 2010

***Stay 7 Nights for the Price of 6!***

Last Minute Prices

If you’ve always wanted to go to the Maldives, this is your chance! Dream Catcher II is offering an unbeatable last minute deal on four different cruises in May, June and July, 2010. Since most Maldives liveaboards are on drydock during these months, this is your opportunity for some first class, undisturbed Maldives diving!

***Stay 7 Nights for the Price of 6!***

This price includes accommodation, all meals and snacks and all diving (two or three dives per day).

Contact us NOW to take advantage of these last minute prices & reserve your space!

*Act NOW, availability is limited.

Dream Catcher II Ammenities and Accomodation

Built in 2008, Dream Catcher II is an eleganlty designed, immensley comfortable liveaboard ship. The 102-foot yacht comprises accommodation for up to 17 guests throughout 7 luxurious cabins. All guest rooms are air-conditioned, have private en-suite bathrooms and sea-facing windows, making sure that all guests can appreciate the stunning beauty of the Maldivian landscape at all times.

In the living area on the ship, guests can enjoy use of state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment as well as Nintendo Wii and a wireless internet connection.

Dream Catcher II Standard Cabin

Dream Catcher II Lower Deck

Dream Catcher II Social Area

Lunch on the Dream Catcher II

Dream Catcher II Saloon

Dream Catcher II

Dream Catcher II Activities

It goes without saying that the primary activity on the boat is scuba diving. Guests enjoy two or three dives a day plus one night dive each week. While the marine life varies with the season and the weather, common sightings include whale sharks, manta rays, eagle rays, grey reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, hammerheads and a plethora of smaller, reef-dwelling creatures. Aside from diving, guests also enjoy snorkeling, fishing, visits to remote, uninhabited islands, cultural visits to local communities and a shopping excursion in the capital of the Maldives, Male.

These last minute offers will sell out fast, so book now and take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy luxury cruising in the Maldives at an unbeatable price!

Rear View of Whale Shark in the Maldives

Colorful, lively Maldivian reef

Beautiful Lion Fish in the Maldives

*All prices subject to change without notice.

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Become an Affiliate Today and Start Earning Great Commissions!

Maldives Dive Travel is the first provider of Maldives liveaboard holidays to offer an affiliate program.  By signing up as an affiliate, you can earn great commissions simply by placing banners or text links on your website or social media profiles.

How Does the Maldives Dive Travel Affiliate Program Work?

Becoming an affiliate for Maldives Dive Travel is completely free and it takes only a few minutes to sign up.  Simply visit our affiliate program web page, where you will be invited to join the program.  Once you have confirmed your account, you will be able to take numerous online tutorials that will tell you everything you could need to know about becoming a successful affiliate.

Options for Maldives Dive Travel Affiliates

Once you are inside your affiliate program account, you will find a number of different options that you can use to promote our diving holidays.  Traditional options include putting text links or banners on your website.  Once you select a banner or text ad, you will see your specific affiliate code.  It’s this code that tells us the customer came to our site from yours, and that’s how we know when to pay you a commission.  There are other, less traditional options, such as the light boxes, that will add an eye-catching and stylish touch to your site.  There are also email templates, links for including on your social media profiles and so on.

Maldives Dive Travel Affiliate Program Commissions

Commissions in the Maldives Dive Travel affiliate program are paid on a per sale basis.  When a customer comes to our website from your site and proceeds to make a purchase, your commission will be recognized as soon as the customer completes payment.  Affiliates are paid 8% of the value of the sale.  You must accrue $250.00 of commissions before receiving your first payment, and from then on, commissions will be paid once a month.

Who Can Be a Maldives Dive Travel Affiliate?

The great thing about the Maldives Dive Travel affiliate program is that ANYONE can join!  It’s ideal for people with a website about scuba diving, the Maldives or international travel, but it’s also a viable option for people who don’t have a website.  Perhaps you’re an avid scuba diver, and you have a lot of scuba friends on Facebook – you can put your affiliate links on Facebook or Twitter or any other social media profile, and we will see when customers come from your site.  Maybe you have a massive email address book, filled with people who love travel and scuba – send them an email using one of our email templates and all they have to do is visit the site via the link you provide.  There are many ways you can make money with our affiliate program, starting today, and it’s totally free to join, so you have nothing to lose!

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Maldives Diving Videos

Check out our selection of underwater diving videos, the perfect pick-me-up if you’ve been missing out on the underwater action lately, or if you’re getting ready for a diving trip in the Maldives and you want to get yourself in the mood.  Here at Maldives Dive Travel, we’ve been collecting videos from our scuba diving adventures over the last few years and the following are some of our favourite Maldives diving videos.

Maldives Night Dive Video with White Tip Reef Sharks at Maaya Thila

Maaya Thila is one of the top dive sites in the Maldives for a night dive and encounters with white tip reef sharks are very common.  Maaya Thila also makes an impressive daytime dive spot and it’s interesting to note the difference in behaviour of the sharks from night to day.  At night, they are usually found prowling the reef in search of their prey.  But, don’t worry, white tip reef sharks do not favour scuba divers for their evening meal!

Maldives Diving Video of a Napoleon Wrasse

Napoleon wrasse are enormous fish, reaching up to 2 meters in length.  They are also a strikingly beautiful fish, decorated with bright blues and turquoise colors and their faces feature a massive set of lips, making them a funny-looking creature.  Swimming next to a napoleon wrasse, or napoleonfish as they are sometimes known, is an incredible experience that will make you feel like a very small human in comparison.

Maldives Diving Video of Giant Manta Rays

This Maldives diving video features two huge manta rays swimming across the top of a reef, surrounded by smaller fish, in the Maldives.  The sensation of diving with manta rays is something that cannot be explained until you actually experience it.

The best way to experience diving with manta rays in the Maldives is by participating in a liveaboard diving holiday, during which time you will cruise around the Maldives and the crew will ensure you go to the dive sites where you are most likely to see a manta ray, since they are one of the biggest attractions for divers coming to the Maldives.

Whale Shark Maldives Diving Video

Aside from the manta ray, by far the biggest attraction in the Maldives is the majestic whale shark, which can be found in the Maldivian waters throughout the year.  The whale shark is the largest living fish and despite being a shark, is an extremely peaceful creature.  While the whale shark attracts many divers to the Maldives, nearly all encounters with these creatures are had not while scuba diving, but rather while snorkeling, so you don’t even have to be a certified diver to enjoy the whale shark experience.  Instead, liveaboard boats cruise around likely whale shark spots and when they find one, you don your snorkel gear and jump in and enjoy the experience of being up close with this 40 feet fish!

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Diving Holiday Destinations

One of the top diving holiday destinations in the world is the Maldives.  This amazing archipelago of over 1100 islands is home to a wide variety of dive sites and an even wider variety of marine life.  While there is an extensive diversity of reef-dwelling fish and smaller marine creatures, the real attraction of this diving holiday destination is the larger oceanic species that can be found here, including the whale shark, manta ray, eagle ray, grey reef shark, napoleon wrasse and several other shark species.  The Maldives is one of the few diving holiday destinations where divers can enjoy whale shark encounters throughout the year.

The Maldives is a World-Class Diving Holiday Destination

Diving Holiday Destinations within the Maldives

A single trip to the Maldives is not enough time for any scuba diver to truly enjoy what this spectacular archipelago has to offer.  There are several different diving holiday destinations with this island paradise.  Let’s take a closer look at some of the finest diving holiday destinations within the Maldives.

Spotted Eagle Rays are Common at this Diving Holiday Destination

Diving Holiday Destination: Hanifaru Bay

The amazing diving holiday destination, Hanifaru Bay, is a marine protected uninhabited island located in the Baa Atoll of the Maldives Islands.  Its size is no greater than that of a football field and yet it has become one of the hottest spots on the planet for underwater photographers.  The reason for this modern day phenomenon of underwater diversity is because plankton blooms between the months of May and November – a very unusual phenomenon – attracting manta rays by the hundreds.  At any one time at this diving holiday destination, there can be up to 200 manta rays feeding off the coral reefs as well as plenty of whale sharks which do the same.  Hanifaru Bay has become one of the best diving holiday destinations in the world for people looking for manta ray encounters.

Hanifaru Bay Diving Holiday Destination is a must for Manta Ray Lovers

Diving Holiday Destination: Baa Atoll

The Baa Atoll in the Maldives is a great diving holiday destination thanks to its many varied dive sites and also the high probabilities of spotting whale sharks. Dive sites in the Baa Atoll include Manta Point, Maavaru Kandu and Muthafushi Thila.  There are many resorts whose dive centers take divers to the sites around the Baa Atoll, but the best way to enjoy this diving holiday destination is by liveaboard.

Diving Holiday Destination: Ari Atoll

The Ari Atoll is another great diving holiday destination within the Maldives, offering a range of dive sites that include Maaya Thila, Broken Rock, Kudahrah Thila and Veligandu Kandu.  There are also good chances of seeing whale sharks in the Ari Atoll.

Liveaboards are the Best Way to Explore this Diving Holiday Destination

Destination Maldives

A trip to the diving holiday destination of the Maldives is best when enjoyed from the comfort of a liveaboard diving ship. Liveaboard diving holidays in the Maldives are great because you can cover far more area on a boat than when you have to return to a resort each night.  Liveaboard diving holidays include other activities as well as scuba diving, such as fishing, snorkeling, visiting island communities, beach parties and shopping excursions.

To reserve your holiday to the Maldives now, contact Maldives Dive Travel today!

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Banana Reef, one of Maldives’ Best Dives Sites

Banana Reef Dive Site

***Book your next liveaboard holiday NOW with MaldivesDiveTravel.com — Best Price GUARANTEED!***

Type of Dive Site:  Wall / Thila (Pinnacle)
Location: North Male Atoll.
Best Time to Dive: All year sound
GPS Position: 04.15000, 73.32000
Depth Range: 5m – 30m
Coral Growth: Excellent
Features: Caves, overhangs and coral heads
Fish Life: Abundant
Experience Level: Novice

***Last Minute Deal on Dream Catcher II Liveaboard — Act now, only a few spots left!***

Diving Hints and Currents:

Banana Reef was the first dive site to ever be discovered in the Maldives and is still among the best. The best diving at this site is on the banana-shaped area in the northeastern where there are caves, gutters and overhangs filled with fish life and soft coral. Spend as much time as possible near the coral heads; if you begin the dive with your left shoulder to the reef, this is an excellent way to observe the area.

At Banana Reef, you are likely to see many fish, including Oriental Sweetlips, Giant Squirrelfish, Bannerfish and many other species that congregate in this spot. When the currents are strong, underwater turbulence can be experienced near the near the large overhang. Stay near the wall and don’t let the current push you away. A surface balloon is necessary as boat traffic can be heavy at times.

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Theia Liveaboard Cruise Update

Theia set sail again on Monday, March 15 for another stunning cruise of the Maldives.  Weather forecasts for the week were good with an average temperature of 31C, but a few thunderstorms and light winds expected.

To book a space on a Theia dive cruise, contact Maldives Dive Travel today!

Theia Liveaboard Cruising the Maldives

Theia Diving

Divers will enjoy two or three dives each day.  So far, they have enjoyed some awesome dives, including a dive at Boduhithi Thila in the North Male Atoll, where they saw a variety of sharks and some stingrays.

Grey Reef Shark seen at Rasdhoo Madivaru

The next dive was at Rasdhoo Madivaru in the Rasdhoo Atoll, where they saw three manta rays, white tip, black tip and grey reef sharks and enjoyed excellent visibility.  Several dives were held at the Rasdhoo Madivaru since it is such a spectacular dive site, and during a morning dive at the site, the group was lucky enough to see a group of hammerhead sharks and ten mobular rays.

Theia Liveaboard Manta Ray

After the Rasdhoo Madivaru, Theia moved on to Bathala Maaga Kan Thila where divers were treated to an amazing grey reef shark show!

Theia Liveaboard

Theia is definitely one of the most spectacular boats in the Maldives today.  These photos show some of her characteristics and amenities.

Sunset from Theia's Deck

Theia, like all liveaboards in the Maldives, is accompanied by an additional dive boat, known as a dive dhoni, from where all the dives are carried out.  All equipment is stored on this boat, making the guest experience on board even more comfortable since there is no need to carry dive gear from the main ship on to a secondary boat.  The dive dhoni also carries first aid and emergency equipment in case something should go wrong during the dive.  The compressor is also kept on the dhoni, so there is never any noise from the compressor on the main boat.

Theia's Additional Dive Boat

Theia Cruise Special Offers

Theia is currently running a special introductory price of only $192 per person per night, which includes all dives and meals.  Flights to the Maldives are not included and neither is scuba gear, although this can be rented (just let the boat know in advance).  There are regular cruise departures on Theia and they usually last for 7 – 10 nights.  There are several cruises this year that are scheduled to visit renowned Hanifaru Bay, home to the manta ray “feeding frenzy”.  These cruises are scheduled for: July 19 – 26, August 2 – 9, August 9 -16, August 23 – 30 and September 6 – 13.

To book a space on a Theia dive cruise, contact Maldives Dive Travel today!

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Take advantage of this unbeatable last minute price for Dream Catcher II!

Dream Catcher II, a luxurious liveaboard possessing seven comfortable suites and an unforgettable diving experience, is offering an unbelievable last minute price.

Last Minute Price

If you’ve always wanted to go to the Maldives, this is your chance! Dream Catcher II is offering an unbeatable last minute price of just USD $225 per person per night. This price includes accommodation, all meals and snacks and all diving (two or three dives per day).

Contact us NOW to take advantage of this last minute price & reserve your space!

*Act NOW, availability is limited.

Dream Catcher II Itinerary

During this cruise, taking place from from April 26 to May 3, Dream Catcher II will cruise around the best dive spots of the Ari, North Male and South Male Atolls, renowned for theri colorful coral, clear water and abundance of marine life.

Furthermore, it is still Manta Ray season in the Maldives, so expect to be wowed by the beauty and size of these magnificent, gentle creatures. It is estimated that there are around 10,000 Manta Rays living in the Maldives, and it is not uncommon to see groups of up to 150 Manta Rays at a cleaning station at one time.

Dream Catcher II Ammenities and Accomodation

Built in 2008, Dream Catcher II is an eleganlty designed, immensley comfortable liveaboard ship.   The 102-foot yacht comprises accommodation for up to 17  guests throughout 7 luxurious cabins.  All guest rooms are air-conditioned, have private en-suite bathrooms and sea-facing windows, making sure that all guests can appreciate the stunning beauty of the Maldivian landscape at all times.

In the living area on the ship, guests can enjoy use of state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment as well as Nintendo Wii and a wireless internet connection.

Dream Catcher II Standard Cabin

Dream Catcher II Lower Deck

Dream Catcher II Social Area

Lunch on the Dream Catcher II

Dream Catcher II Saloon

Dream Catcher II

Dream Catcher II Activities

It goes without saying that the primary activity on the boat is scuba diving.  Guests enjoy two or three dives a day plus one night dive each week.  While the marine life varies with the season and the weather, common sightings include whale sharks, manta rays, eagle rays, grey reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, hammerheads and a plethora of smaller, reef-dwelling creatures.  Aside from diving, guests also enjoy snorkeling, fishing, visits to remote, uninhabited islands, cultural visits to local communities and a shopping excursion in the capital of the Maldives, Male.

This last minute offer will sell out fast, so book now and take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy luxury cruising in the Maldives at an unbeatable price!

Rear View of Whale Shark in the Maldives

Colorful, lively Maldivian reef

Beautiful Lion Fish in the Maldives

*All prices subject to change without notice.

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Maldives Ban the Fishing of Sharks

The Maldives will make its territorial waters into a shark sanctuary, a government official said Tuesday, lending momentum to efforts to protect the fish at a United Nations endangered species conference that begins this week.

“We’ve decided to go ahead with a shark fishing ban,” Ibrahim Didi, the fisheries and agriculture minister of the Maldives, said by telephone from Male, the capital. “Beginning July 1 there will be a total ban on exports.”

Grey Reef Sharks

Maldives, a Top Scuba Diving Destinations, Bans Shark Fishing

Maldives becomes the second nation to announce blanket protection for its sharks. Palau, a tiny Micronesian state, in September announced a ban on shark fishing. Like the Maldives, Palau is regarded as one of the world’s top scuba-diving destinations.

The Maldives exclusive economic zone covers about 90,000 square kilometers, or 35,000 square miles, roughly equivalent to the land area of Portugal.

In one sense, the bans represent pure economic logic. Researchers from James Cook University in Australia last year estimated that a single gray reef shark was worth $3,300 a year to the Maldivian tourism industry, compared with the one-time value of $32 that a fisherman would get from the same shark. They found a similar dynamic with regard to sharks on the Great Barrier Reef.

Check out more Maldives shark videos now!

But the bigger issue is a rapid decline in global shark stocks that has alarmed scientists. Up to 30 percent of shark species is  threatened with extinction, said Matt Rand, director of global shark conservation at the Pew Environment Group. “If we don’t leave enough in the water, they won’t recover.”

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

White Tip Shark

On Saturday, member nations of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora begin meeting in Doha, Qatar, where they will consider giving protected status to eight species of sharks, including the scalloped hammerhead and oceanic whitetip, which inhabit Maldivian waters. The measures call for restrictions, but not a ban, on international trade.

In the United States, the Shark Conservation Act, which would sharply curtail the practice of “finning” — cutting off sharks’ fins and throwing the rest of the animal back into the sea — has passed the House of Representatives and is awaiting approval in the Senate.

Mr. Rand said more than 70 million of the fish were killed each year just to support the sharkfin trade. The vast majority of those are sold in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, where they are used in sharkfin soup. Fins can fetch as much as $120 per kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, in Hong Kong.

“Sharks don’t have the ability to rebound,” he said. “They grow slowly and they’re late to mature.”

Some sharks do not reach maturity until they are more than 10 years old and even then have only a few pups, so the stock cannot reproduce rapidly enough to make up for overfishing.

Nurse Shark

Value of Sharks to the Maldives is in Tourism and Diving

The value of sharks to the Maldives “is clearly in tourism and diving,” Mr. Rand said. “Any diver will tell you that you get a rush of exhilaration when you see a shark, but you’re not scared. O.K., maybe sometimes you’re scared.”

Mr. Didi, the Maldivian fisheries minister, said his government began planning for a ban last year, but objections from fishermen delayed the decision. Now, he said, “they understand that it isn’t a sustainable fishery.”

The government will provide the fishermen with financial support and retraining, Mr. Didi said.

Shark meat is not a part of the traditional Maldivian diet, he said, and all of the fish were being caught for their fins, which were exported. But the value of the trade had shrunk by more than 80 percent over the last 12 years, to just $230,000, as the sharks became scarcer.

The Maldives’ shark-fishing ban could also give impetus to a thorny discussion in London over an initiative to create the world’s largest marine reserve in British territorial waters around the Chagos islands, the Indian Ocean archipelago where the Diego Garcia military base is located.

The Maldives has become particularly sensitive to environmental issues amid concern over global warming. In October, ministers donned scuba gear for the first cabinet meeting ever held underwater, to publicize the country’s vulnerability to rising seas. The highest natural point in the Maldives is just 2.4 meters, or less than eight feet, above sea level.

Zebra Shark

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