News

Maldives: mantas and more…

Published

6 years ago

June 18, 2018

The Maldives is an iconic dive destination, thanks to its white sand beaches, coral reef diving in warm waters, and abundance of whale sharks and manta rays. Consisting of 26 atolls dotted across the Indian Ocean, it is picture-perfect and at the top of many divers wish lists.

The different Maldives atolls each have their own characteristic dive sites and offer a variety of dive types; from atoll walls and channels to caves, swim-throughs, drift dives and lagoon diving. They each have an impressive array of marine life from large pelagic species through to tiny critters perfect for underwater macro photography. This variety of marine life and dive sites make the Maldives an ideal destination for all diver experience levels and interests.

There are plenty of Maldives liveaboards to choose from that cater for all budgets. During the southwest season, they focus their itineraries around the western sides of the atolls in search of big marine life. It is a great time of year for fans of big pelagics and divers can enjoy encounters with hammerhead sharks, grey reef sharks, whale sharks and manta rays. All whilst diving in warm waters of 26 °C.

The Scubaspa Fleet is the ultimate in luxurious Maldives liveaboard diving and guests can enjoy daily morning yoga sessions before a full day of diving, then complete their day by relaxing in the onboard luxury spa.

Photo: Scubaspa Fleet

Ari Atoll has 105 small islands and is known for its submerged pinnacles that attract plentiful marine life, including manta rays. This atoll has several cleaning stations where divers can get close to manta rays, such as Mayya Thila and Donkalo Thila. Some of the most dependable dive sites for manta ray sightings are located in southern Ari Atoll and there are a variety of dive sites to choose from there. Scuba diving Rangali Madivaru in the northeast monsoon season gives the best chance of seeing manta rays searching for cleaning stations. The currents are strong at Ari Atoll and most of the dives are drift dives, so the diving is best suited to experienced divers.

Baa Atoll, one of the Northern Atolls, hosts manta rays at Dhonfanu Thila and Dhigali Haa; two underwater pinnacles covered in bushy black corals, whip corals and sea fans. Hanifaru Bay is world-famous for its feeding manta ray congregations from August to November. This small enclosed bay hosts hundreds of feeding manta rays that barrel roll and swim to the surface to funnel plankton within the bay. This feeding pattern can be witnessed from liveaboard boats or whilst snorkelling with the rays. The diversity of dive sites at Baa Atoll make it a great location for all diver experience levels.

Photo: Scubaspa Fleet

Rasdhoo Atoll consists of just 4 islands and 3 sandbanks, lying off Ari Atoll. It offers easy accessibility to some of the best Maldives dive sites and is known for diving with larger species and its two World War II shipwrecks. Madivaru reef hosts diverse marine life including grey reef sharks, eagle rays, mobula rays, stingrays, turtles and mantas. Dolphins, guitar sharks and scalloped hammerheads can also be seen there. It is an unmissable Maldives dive site. Manta Block is also great for manta ray sightings at cleaning stations, particularly during November to April.

Hammerhead Point is another Rasdhoo Atoll highlight and is not to be missed for hammerhead shark diving. Many of the dive sites at Rasdhoo Atoll are suitable for less experienced divers, though some of the dive sites are deep. An advanced certification is recommended to make the most of the dive sites there.

Photo: Scubaspa Fleet

North Male Atoll is a well-known dive area that has plenty of manta rays, reef sharks, and dive sites offering pinnacles, wrecks, coral gardens and cleaning stations. It is one of the most visited atolls and the currents can be strong. There are however dive sites suitable for new divers.

Other top Maldives dive locations for manta rays include Addu, Haa Alif, and Haa Dhaalu.

Discover liveaboard diving holiday solutions around the world at Liveaboard.com.

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Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

Published

22 hours ago

November 1, 2024

Shark Trust

After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7^th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.

People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:

https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.

: Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter

: Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs

: Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead

: Oceanic Whitetip by ATM

: Silky Street by ScapaJoe

The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.

One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29^th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.

Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:

https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24

Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26^th November until the 7^th December. Entry is free.

Find out more here:

https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31

Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”

Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden

Gear News

Introducing the RS Series Drysuit from DYNAMICNORD

Published

3 days ago

October 30, 2024

Team Scubaverse

Cozy and warm in cold water.

It’s drysuit season all year round. With the new RS series premium drysuits from DYNAMICNORD, divers are perfectly equipped for all cold waters.

The sophisticated cut of the RS drysuits allows complete freedom of movement, providing maximum comfort. The high-quality 350 g/m² ripstop material with double ripstop zones on the elbows, knees, and crotch protect ensures extreme robustness as well as long life.

drysuit drysuit

The suit’s features leave nothing to be desired: A high-quality TiZip zipper, easily adjustable inlet and outlet valves, upgradeable with electrically heated underwear, HP bottleneck cuffs made of high-strength latex on the wrists, a 3mm neoprene neck cuff for maximum comfort, a 7mm hood with air outlet and 3mm boots made of double-sided, cross-layered neoprene with ankle straps and fin strap stoppers and a protective but very flexible sole.

drysuit

Noteworthy is the Molle fastening system, which can be used in a variable and compatible manner. This way, the two detachable leg pockets can be attached easily, safely and comfortably.

Alterations of boots to a different shoe size or adjustments to neck or wrist cuffs are done free of charge at the own DYNAMICNORD service centre in Germany in only a couple of days.

The matching Dynaskins made with high-quality Polartec® technology are available in various designs. As an undersuit under the drysuit, as a single suit in warm waters or as a two-piece suit. Polartec® technology’s main features are neutral buoyancy, breathablilty and quick-drying.

drysuit