Dive Review of Dive Desk in
Maldives/Male

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Dive Desk: "Wonderful Specialty Shore Dives in Maldives Capital", Apr, 2022, by Laura Todd, CA, US ( Sr. Reviewer 7 reports with 6 Helpful votes). Report 11901.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations	N/A	Food	N/A
Service and Attitude	N/A	Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This is not typical Maldives diving and I wouldn't suggest US divers make the trip just for the dives in Male, but for nudibranch lovers it makes a brilliant addition to either end of a Maldives expedition. I saw 15 species that were new to me and several more common species over a week's dives. Dive Desk is not a retail shop nor are they really in the fun dive business, rather their purpose is to certify new divers and train instructors and dive masters for Maldives growing dive industry. That said, the owner will easily arrange dives for visiting nudi enthusiasts. Just email ahead of time to ensure that one of the dedicated and passionate slug experts in this land of big animals will be on hand. You will likely have a guide to yourself. All the dives are from the shore at two sites in Male; both are easy dives with stairs to enter and showers for after. Bring your patience and remember these are shore dives. You will meet at the shop where the staff will prep your gear and load everything onto one of the local open sided trucks that function as taxis for people that need to haul stuff. The whole process is reversed at the end with the staff doing all the washing and taking very good care of your gear. The more productive site is basically the local (ocean) swimming pool with floating decks and lane lines and such. Its a very shallow sandy bottom with small algae mats and some trash. Its appeal will grow on you when you realize that many of the algae clumps hide tiny or juvenile nudis. I did a couple of two hour dives there, barely moving, happy as could be with different nudis discovered every couple meters. Some examples include Bulbaeolidia alba, a juvenile spanish dancer and the larger and exquisite Hypselodoris dollfusi. The other site is the city's beach picnic spot and consists of a long wall with several caves and overhangs that can go as deep as 90 feet. There is a different cast of coral and sponge loving nudis here. Some examples include Jorunna funebris, some unusual Phyllidias along with the occasional flatworm. There are also scorpionfish and a not very shy comet fish in mini caves along the wall. Rumor has it that juvenile eagle rays visit here but none appeared during my visit. Dives at the above sites currently cost $20 and $35 respectively. As with all shore dives, bring a minimal amount of stuff and leave valuables at your hotel but what you do bring will be perfectly safe while you are down. On Fridays the shop will often arrange a boat for 2 tank dives around north or south Ari atoll. These are drift dives of varying speeds along quite pretty reefs with the usual reef sharks, turtles, eels and more common nudibranchs and run about $90 for the two dives. Bring some snacks and a towel. Male diving may not be a good fit for the average diver but as an enthusiastic nudi geek, I recommend Dive Desk and their amazing staff wholeheartedly and can't wait to return.[None]
Websites	Dive Desk
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Philippines, Indonesia, Tahiti, Malaysia, Bahamas, Galapagos
Closest Airport	Velana International	Getting There	N/A
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, no currents
Water Temp	84-°F / 29-°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	15-40 Ft/ 5-12 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	No special facilities but there are showers at both sites and a place to rinse at the shop.[None]

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Dive Review of Dive Desk in Maldives/Male

Dive Desk: "Wonderful Specialty Shore Dives in Maldives Capital", Apr, 2022,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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 Dive Desk in
Maldives/Male