Dive Review of Maldives Scuba Tours/Sea Queen liveaboard in
Maldives/Huvadhoo Atoll

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Maldives Scuba Tours/Sea Queen liveaboard, Jul, 2009, by Shawn Nelson, MN, USA ( 2 reports). Report 5144.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Maldives Scuba Tours - Sea Queen - www.scubascuba.com We loved our trip to the Maldives. The journey was long but well worth it. There are several ways to get there but we chose to go to London first and then on to Male because at the time of booking the flights were somewhat cheaper than going the other direction around the world and the flight times were comparable. This dive operation (Maldives Scuba Tours) came highly recommended (the best in the Maldives) by some friends from the UK. While we took their word for it, we were not disappointed. Maldives Scuba Tours were excellent to work with. They very promptly answered any questions I had and were quick to set everything up for us to ensure a great experience. The yacht (Sea Queen) is probably not as luxurious as other's in the area but the crew (all locals), dive masters (husband/wife from the UK) and food were awesome. The cost of booking this great live aboard was significantly less than other's too and we were there for the diving not the plush rooms. All dives are done from a large well thought out support boat with giant stride entries. The layout of the yacht was similar to other's that we've been on with a comfortable salon for dining (although most meals were under a canopy in the bow of the boat), relaxing and dive briefings. The rooms and head were plenty large and comfortable for our needs. Even though our rooms were fine, Jackie and I chose to sleep under the stars several nights on the huge top sundeck. The air temp was perfect, the water was like glass, and there were no bugs to bother us. One morning we were awakened at dawn by a large pod of dolphins that stayed around to play for a while. There is room for 12 guests but we had only 10 (from Finland, UK, and US) on this trip. The dive masters Dave and Lisa work great together. They are very professional. They made the trip fun with their upbeat and enthusiastic attitudes. They are personal with guests in making the trip special and memorable. Safety comes first—and then they allow you to dive your own profile. Dave plays a mean guitar and sings as well. They both went out on every dive with us and you could tell they loved their jobs. The briefings were always conducted by Lisa and were very thorough. There are not a lot of little creatures to point out but they made sure we didn't miss anything. We chose the Huvadhoo atoll (Southern most atoll of the Maldives) trip for our vacation which offered some very unique diving in the area. This itinerary is not dived very much (the dive masters told us this area has been dived less than 1000 times). We were the only divers in this area the entire week. Because of it's location we had to take a small airplane from Male to get here. This was no normal puddle jumper but a very nice plane. We even received certificates to commemorate passing over the equator. Because of the timing of our flights we needed to stay overnight in the Maldives before and after our live aboard trip. This was not cheap but was extremely enjoyable. We stayed at the Bandos resort which encompasses the entire Bandos island. The rooms were just steps from the beach and were awesome. This really helped with jet lag and the snorkeling in front of our room was the best we've ever experienced anywhere in the world. We fortunately had great weather during our stay but this time of year is hit or miss. The diving was almost everything we hoped it would be. By 'almost' I mean we didn't see any whale sharks - maybe next time. The first dive was with 5 Mantas at a cleaning station at 100+' and was magical - setting the bar for the rest of the dives here. Sharks, rays and turtles were abundant. On one dive 4 dolphins played around with us during our surface interval. The reefs were very healthy and colorful. Reef hooks are necessary here. Almost all dives had some serious current - more so than we've ever experienced (that includes Palau and Cocos Island) but as long as you're hooked on or going with the 'flow' it wasn't a problem. Taking photos was sometimes a challenge. The quantity of dives is less in the Maldives than any other live aboard we've been on but because of their depth and time we were not disappointed. There was just one night dive. Nitrox was recommended and used on most dives. We were also given several chances to visit nearby uninhabited islands.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Cozumel, Roatan, Dominica, Palau, Cocos Island, Maui, Grand Turk,
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	currents
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Dive your own profile
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	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
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	There was large area in the back of the salon for cameras. We had many photographers and 2 professional videographers with huge set-ups and there was plenty of room. A dedicated rinse tub was available on both the support boat and live aboard.

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Dive Review of Maldives Scuba Tours/Sea Queen liveaboard in Maldives/Huvadhoo Atoll

Maldives Scuba Tours/Sea Queen liveaboard, Jul, 2009,

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 Maldives Scuba Tours/Sea Queen liveaboard in
Maldives/Huvadhoo Atoll