Sub Aqua /Conrad Resort, Jul, 2009,by Bruce Praet, CA, USA ( 1 report). Report 4960. |
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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Comments |
Although July is "monsoon season", we had excellent weather and water conditions for 9 out of 10 days. Having been diving for 25 years, my wife and I came up from our first dive exclaiming that it was one of the best we've ever done (reef was incredibly alive -- dozens of eels, several turtles, clown fish, lion fish, corals, etc.). Plenty of juvenile and adult reef sharks and the whale sharks were certainly a highlight of the trip. Since they never anchor at a site (slow current drift diving), there is no damage to the pristine reefs. Conrad resort is certainly on the pricey side, but worth every penny with exquisite beachside or overwater villas. Plenty of variety in food and the staff is so attentive at both the resort and the dive operation that I had to get used to the constant (but not overwhelming) and friendly service. Our well traveled kids (ages 6 and 10) were so impressed with the kid's club that they even asked to stay when we returned from diving. Also a beautiful work out facility with latest equipment. Sub Aqua is a top notch dive operation with safety as a top priority (all divers must complete a check out dive) with computers required on all dives. Because of weight limits on the sea plane from Male to our Island (not rigidly enforced), we only packed our own regulators and masks, but found that rental equipment was all new, high end and in great shape (it's assigned to you for entire stay). No extra charge for Nitrox. There is unlimited free shore diving (they'll even carry your tanks to the site), but it pales in comparison to the boat sites. Since this was low season, the 6 pack boats were never full, but staff never canceled a trip (except whale shark trip) because of "too few divers". Although we didn't dive any of the other 1100 islands in the Maldive chain, we'd put Rangali and Conrad near the top of our overall list. |
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Reporter and Travel |
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Dive Experience | 501-1000 dives | ||
Where else diving | Cayman, Curacao, Turks & Caicos, Belize, Cozumel, Hawaii, Fiji, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, California, Akumal, | ||
Closest Airport | Getting There | ||
Dive Conditions |
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Weather | sunny | Seas | calm |
Water Temp | 83-85°F / 28-29°C | Wetsuit Thickness | |
Water Visibility | 75-200 Ft/ 23-61 M | ||
Dive Policy |
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Dive own profile | yes | ||
Enforced diving restrictions | As an instructor, I was permitted to dive own limits and all divers required to dive with a computer. | ||
Liveaboard? | no | Nitrox Available? | N/A |
What I Saw |
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Sharks | Lots | Mantas | None |
Dolphins | Schools | Whale Sharks | 1 or 2 |
Turtles | > 2 | Whales | None |
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best): |
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Corals | ![]() |
Tropical Fish | ![]() |
Small Critters | ![]() |
Large Fish | ![]() |
Large Pelagics | ![]() |
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Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Subject Matter | ![]() |
Boat Facilities | ![]() |
Overall rating for UWP's | ![]() |
Shore Facilities | ![]() |
UW Photo Comments |
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