Maldives Underwater Photography Tips

The Maldives is undoubtedly famous as one of the best places in the world for underwater photography. Its rich and exotic marine life has transformed the local tourism industry of Maldives into a global market for scuba divers and beach goers. Holiday photographers will instantly fall in love taking photos in Maldives especially in its underwater setting.

Maldives Schooling Fish

There are numerous dive sites in Maldives where you can photograph pelagic fish such as sharks, mantas, and jacks. It takes a lot of patience to take great underwater images even for seasoned divers and photography enthusiasts. Although, a couple of wise tips and tricks will always help you improve in taking underwater photos in Maldives. Try to suck in some of these techniques, so that the next time you go diving and taking photos in the spectacular waters of this tropical paradise, you’ll be surprised to see better results.

General Tips For Underwater Photography in Maldives

• Hold the camera still while shooting
• Squeeze the shutter in the proper manner by not putting excess force on it
• Exhale before you shoot
• Stabilize your elbows against your body while keeping your arms in
• Maintain a neutral buoyancy
• If possible, shoot from the reef bottom

Maldives Napoleon Wrasse

Optimizing Camera Settings for Underwater Photography in Maldives

A good camera might not be the solution for taking better underwater photos in Maldives, but a camera with a manual mode feature is always an advantage for scuba diving photography. There is an ideal aperture setting for every depth range that you’ll encounter.

• An ISO setting of 100 is best for any underwater depth. Higher ISO settings may result to grainy pictures despite giving more flexibility for motion.
• Use the TTL flash metering mode.
• Use an aperture setting of f/11 up to 10m deep.
• Use an aperture setting of f/8 for depths of 10m to 20m.
• Use an aperture setting of f/5.6 or f/4 for depths deeper than 20m.
• It would be wise to pre-focus and keep your position steady because most autofocusing features in underwater cameras is totally ineffective underwater.

Maldives Scorpion Fish

Do remember that these tips are not necessarily rules or guidelines for underwater photography. Your own creativity and experimentation is also the key to taking better scuba diving photos in Maldives!

For more information about Scuba Diving Holidays in Maldives, you may visit www.maldivesdivetravel.com.

Marine Biology Scuba Cruise to be held on Carina

On February 8, 2010, Carina Liveaboard will set sail for a 14-night scuba diving cruise of the Maldives, which will be led by marine biology experts and PADI-certified dive instructors, Mary Eichler-Bilek and Leo Bilek.

Mary Eichler-Bilek and Leo Bilek

Carina Marine Biology Scuba Diving Cruise

The current plans for the Carina liveaboard during this special scuba diving tour of the Maldives is to leave Male and travel around the South Male Atoll, Felidhu Atoll, Ari Atill and Rasdhoo Atoll.  The tour will also end in Male.  Depending on weather conditions, this route may change.

Carina Liveaboard

Learn More About the Ocean on Carina Liveaboard

This marine biology-themed scuba diving safari adventure on Carina is perfect for divers who love the ocean and everything that lives within it. With ten years of scuba diving experience in the Maldives, Mary Eichler-Bilek is an expert in Maldives marine biology and she enjoys sharing her knowledge with others during her popular marine biology cruises.

Carina Liveaboard Safari Information

Carina Liveaboard is one of the Maldives’ most popular safari ships, and is well-equipped to ensure a safe and comfortable scuba diving trip around the Maldives.   The special marine biology cruise will include comprehensive dive briefings and workshops to help you the coral reefs and their inhabitants in a whole new light. These briefings will be held in English and German.   As well as a stunning underwater experience, scuba divers on the Carina marine biology cruise will have the chance to take the Night Naturalist Specialty course, a programme developed by Mary herself and recognised by PADI as an official specialty course.  You can also obtain the PADI- Underwater Naturalist Certification during the cruise, making this not only a great scuba diving holiday, but also an opportunity to further your diving education.

Mary Spiegel Has Developed Her Own PADI-Recognised Underwater Specialist Course

Carina Liveaboard Prices

The entire diving package price is EUR 2,150 per person, including all dives and meals. This does not include the specialty course, which is charged at EUR 90 per person.  The cruise start date is confirmed, and a few places are still open for booking. We look forward to diving with you! Please contact us via mail@maldivesdivetravel.com for more information and bookings.

Liveaboards in the Maldives

Maldives Liveaboard Blue Lagoon

Maldives Liveaboards or Live Aboards, as they are sometimes known, are medium sized power boats that cruise around the Maldives, embarking on a series of water sports, principally scuba diving.  The Liveaboards have a number of rooms or cabins and provide all-inclusive accommodation to guests on board.  Most Maldives Liveaboards offer one- or two-week trips.

Maldives Liveaboard Season

The Maldives Liveaboard season is technically a year-round season.  While there are climatic changes in the Maldives, the islands’ proximity to the equator means that water and air temperatures are always warm and scuba diving is always possible.  However, depending on the time of year, the Liveaboards tend to visit different dive sites in different areas of the archipelago. 

You will hear two seasons mentioned when looking into liveaboard holidays in the Maldives: the Northeast Monsoon and Southwest Monsoon Seasons.  The NE Monsoon runs from December to April and the SW Monsoon from May to November.  The NE Monsoon is the dryer of the two seasons.  However, all marine life can be found throughout both seasons, just in different parts of the Maldives.

Maldives Liveaboard Activities

Traditionally, Maldives Liveaboard holidays are scuba diving holidays.  However, other activities can be enjoyed aboard the liveaboards, including snorkeling, water skiing and banana boating.  Guests aboard liveaboards also partake in dry-land activities including cultural visits to traditional Maldives villages, picnics on desert islands and shopping trips in Male.  Now that surfing and fishing are become more popular in the Maldives, there are also liveaboards that offer surfing and fishing holidays.

Maldives Liveaboard Facilities

Maldives liveaboards range in comfort level from quite basic to absolutely luxurious, depending on the travelers’ budgets.  There are some boats that offer in-room Jacuzzis and on-board spas, while others offer simple en-suite bathrooms.  All the liveaboards offer three meals a day and a couple of snacks and have full bars, although drinks prices are not usually included in the price of the accommodation.  They also have all the diving equipment, including first aid supplies and divers’ oxygen.  Most liveaboards travel with another, smaller boat called a Dhoni, from which all the dives are taken and where all the diving equipment is stowed.

Maldives Liveaboard Prices

The price of a liveaboard holiday in the Maldives varies tremendously.   Trips last 7 or 14 nights and depending on the boat and the season, the trip costs from around USD$1,000 to USD$1,800 per person per week, based on double occupancy.  Single occupancy supplements apply.  On top of this, you need to pay for your flights to the Maldives.  While this may seem like an expensive trip, it is one of the most economical ways to see the Maldives.  Many resorts in the archipelago charge upward of USD$500 per night and that doesn’t include the scuba diving or any activities, so a liveaboard holiday is really good value!

For more information about Maldives Liveaboards, or to book your Maldives Liveaboard Holiday, visit www.MaldivesDiveTravel.com.

Scuba Diving is a Great Activity During your Holidays

Are you planning your holidays? Do you enjoy scuba diving…Discovering the beautiful world that lies beneath the water’s surface?

There are an array of places to spend your scuba diving holiday all over the globe. If only we could be in more than one place at once!

Without a doubt, the Maldives is one of the best locations in the world to spend your scuba diving holidays…All you need to do now is to plan for your next adventurous, under the sea scuba dive getaway!

Maldives Scuba Diving Holidays

The Maldives is an ideal location to spend your scuba diving holidays.

Enjoy the paradaisical beaches during your scuba diving holidays!

Most divers prefer to get away from “mainstream divng” and discover the country’s amazingly gorgeous atolls on a dive liveaboard.

Once aboard, you will be whisked away on your scuba diving holidays to the best dive spots of the Maldives. Be sure to choose a company will a solid reputation and expert guides, such as Maldives Dive Travel, where the dive guides and captains possess decades of experience in choosing the best route and locations, taking into consideration the weather, diving conditions, divers’ abilities, etc.

The colourful labyrinths of the reefs are home to mantas and stingrays, turtles, napoleon wrasses, moray eels and multi-coloured schools of thousands of fish. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t miss the macro attractions on your scuba diving holidays, such as gobis, blennies, snails and crabs, as well as coral-hung shipwrecks. During outer reef dives gray reef sharks, white tip sharks, hammerheads and whale sharks, eagle rays, barracudas and giant swarms of macarel are just waiting to be discovered. On your scuba diving holidays in the Maldives, expect visibility to be as high as 40 meters, or 131 feet.

Maldives Scuba Diving Holidays Dive Sites

Following are a collection of dive sites that you shouldn’t miss visiting on your scuba diving holidays to the Maldives:

• Cocoa Thila
• Kuda Haa
• Lion’s Head
• Hukrueli Faru (Madivaru)
• Kudarah Thila
• Lankanfinolhu Faru
• Maldive Victory Wreck
• Wattaru Kandu

Maldives Scuba Diving Holidays Liveaboards

As I previously mentioned, Maldives Dive Travel is a fantastic company to use for all your Maldives Scuba Diving Holidays needs.

The Black Pearl is a luxurious liveaboard that many divers enjoy during their scuba diving holidays!

All the following liveaboards can be booked through Maldives Dive Travel.

• Adventurer 2
• Black Pearl
• Carina
• Galileo
• Island Safari 2 Royal
• Nautilus One
• Nautilus TWo
• Pretty Tombilli
• StingRay
• Thea

Check out pictures and more information about these Maldives dive safari ships now!

Top 10 Things to Do During Your Maldives Scuba Diving Holidays

Follow is a list of the top ten things you MUST do during your Maldives Scuba Diving Holidays. The Maldives is so beautiful and possesses so many gorgeous atolls, resorts, liveaboards and dive sites, I’m sure your only regret will be not having spent enough

A scuba diver enjoying his scuba diving holidays in the Maldives!

time!

1. Scuba Diving
2. Relaxing at Resorts
3. Sundowners at Sunset
4. Surfing
5. Snorkeling
6. Eat
7. Male Fish Market
8. Local Market
9. Hukuru Miskiiy Mosque
10. National Museum

Read more about each thing to do in the Maldives during your Scuba Diving Holidays at Scuba Dive Maldives.

If you need anymore help planning your scuba diving holidays, just let us know!

Welcome to wwwMaldives

Welcome to wwwMaldives.com.

Here you will find everything you need to know about holidays, travel and activities in the Maldives.

Whether you are interested in scuba diving, liveaboard safari trips, lounging around on the best beaches in the world, eating amazing fresh seafood or taking advantage of offshore business benefits in the Maldives, you will find the information right here!