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Dive Review of Liquid Salt Divers/Aveyla Manta Village in
Maldives/Dharavandhoo Island

Liquid Salt Divers/Aveyla Manta Village: "Timing is everything", Aug, 2019,

by Dasarath Gunasekera, CA, US ( 2 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 11268 has 1 Helpful vote.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 3 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling 2 stars
Value for $$ 3 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Timing is everything when it comes to the Mantas in Hanifaru Bay. I didn't have much flexibility in my dates as I was in the region for an event and snuck away to Dharavandhoo to try my luck. Getting there was pretty easy, flight into Male and then onto a somewhat rickety looking local plane to the island (booked by my Resort). For a 20 minute flight, it does seem a bit pricey at $250 return.

Aveyla Manta Village is a very nice, mid range small hotel. It's right on the beach, the staff are friendly and the rooms are spacious and well appointed. The non-beach view rooms do look onto a construction site (there's a lot of hotels popping up on this tiny island). The island doesn't have much activity and you can walk its length in 15 minutes or so. Note as it is a local island, there is no alcohol and you need to be mindful about your attire. The food was pretty average on the set menu but this is to be expected considering everything has to be flown in.

The best times to see the mantas are around the new and full moons. I missed this time frame by a day and saw only one manta and no whale sharks. The shark life is pretty minimal as well compared to what you see on liveaboards. The owner of Aveyla flies a drone across to Hanifaru and if there are mantas in the bay, it is snorkel time. If not, it is dive time. Most of the reefs have unfortunately been hammered by El Nino and the coral is largely dead. The deeper thillas are still colorful and there are plenty of fish and garden eels. However, given their depths at around 30m time is limited.

Diving off the dhoni was comfortable and the staff were attentive and helpful. Given how average the regular diving is (if you are used to the Maldives liveaboard diving available), really the main tip is to ensure that your travel is around the full/new moon. In terms of cost, the stay was quite reasonable for the Maldives but again, if there are no mantas the diving is average. I will certainly return if I am able to time my trip better.
Websites Liquid Salt Divers   Aveyla Manta Village

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Sri Lanka, Andaman Islands, Vietnam, Bali, Maldives, California, Mexico
Closest Airport Dharavandhoo Getting There Flights are pretty easy from Male and most operators will book them for you.

Dive Conditions

Weather windy, rainy Seas choppy, surge
Water Temp 27-28°C / 81-82°F Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 10-30 M / 33-98 Ft

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions The usual Maldives limitations on depth and time.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available?

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 2 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 2 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 4 stars

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

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities 2 stars
UW Photo Comments No particular facilities for UW photographers though if the dhoni is not crowded, there is plenty of space. No rinse tanks, etc.
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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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