X-Ray Mag

Maldives

Scooter Test Week on Blue Force One

4 months ago By Main minion

With premium amenities onboard such as the SCR Horizon by Mares and the latest underwater scooters by Divertug, you will get much more out of your Blue Force experience.

Make your reservation now and enjoy it!

While the Central Atolls Route is the best-known route in the Maldives it also offers the best and most varied dives. This itinerary, which also goes by North and South Male Atolls, Vaavu and Ari, is served by our premier liveaboard Maldives Blue Force One every week from August to May. 

The 7-night itinerary with embarkation and disembarkation at Male Airport includes six dive days with 18 dives and two night dives.

Emperor Divers’ Recognizes the Eight and Final Covid Diver Hero

7 months ago By Matthew Meier

We received hundreds of nominations and left it up to a varied panel of loyal staff to sift through the entries. All inspired, many amazed and some brought tears. What is clear is that divers are awesome, and it came as no surprise that within the international underwater community there were so many selfless, empathetic heroes.

Our panel have made the final choice for the 8th liveaboard prize, this time for a trip of a lifetime in The Maldives, Nominated by his cousin, Alex Chan, this is his story:

Join Blue Force's liveaboard and test dive the Horizon semi-closed rebreather!

8 months ago By Main minion

If you are able to travel at short notice, there's a last-minute opportunity to join the Maldives 'Blue Force One'. You could be boarding this premier boat in three weeks' time, and diving the classic 'central Atolls route'. 

The aim is to find hammerheads, dolphins, eagle rays and shoals of colourful fish

Fresh shark fins drying on sidewalk
(File photo) Fresh shark fins drying on sidewalk

Maldives backpaddles after outcry over lifting shark fishing ban

9 months ago By Main minion

Shark fishing was completely banned in the Maldives in 2010 so when the country announced plans to discuss legalising the practice again, it created a massive backlash from the international community.

Sharks have always been a valuable tourist attraction in the small island nation and the declining status of shark fisheries, exacerbated by unresolved conflicts with other stakeholders led to the declaration of total shark fishing ban in 2010. With the shark fishing ban in place, sharks are now caught as bycatch in the Maldivian fisheries.

The Maldives' Deep South Atolls

Words
Jordi Chias
Images
Rafa Fernande
Snorkelers can swim with whale sharks at Gaafu
Snorkelers can swim with whale sharks at Gaafu
➥ Download the full article as pdf ⬅︎

We were in Addu, the second largest “city” in the Maldives and capital of the southernmost atoll. Located 45 miles below the equator, and 540km south of Malé, this is the most remote of the 26 atolls that, scattered along almost 900km of the Indian Ocean, make up the archipelago of the Maldives.

Maldives: The Central Atolls

Words
Brandi Mueller
Images
Brandi Mueller
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎

I was not planning to go on the night dive. It was the first night of the trip and I was a little tired, I already had my camera batteries charging and was all settled in with a book for the night after a fabulous first day of diving with turtles, sharks and tons of fish. But Fernando, our dive guide, told me I had to go.

Maldives: The Southern Atolls

Words
Matthew Meier
Images
Matthew Meier
Whale shark feeding under the lights off the back of the boat at night.
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎

The subtle knock on the door roused me from my slumber. It was 2 a.m. and the wake-up call could only mean one thing. A whale shark had finally appeared to feed on the large aggregation of plankton attracted to the light set out behind the boat. I scrambled out of bed and raced upstairs to get my camera.

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