Maldives wins “Best Diving Area” & “Best Dreaming Area” in the Dive and Travel Awards 2010

The Maldives has been awarded as the “Best Diving Area” and “Best Dreaming Area” in the Dive & Travel Awards 2010 held during the Marine Diving Fair, Tokyo, Japan from 02 – 04th April 2010. The voting was carried out amongst the readers of the both magazines targeted to the divers; “Travel Diver” and “Marine Diving” , based on the “Reader’s Choice Award”

Maldives won the “Best Diving Area” after competing with the world famous dive favourites Palau and Ishigaakee Island. The competitors for the “Best Dreaming Area” include Palau and French Polynesia.

The awards were collected by the Maldives High Commissioner to Japan, Hon. Mr. Amir Khaleel.

Apart from the above “Island Safari Royal” and “Soleil” from the Maldives won 2nd and 3rd place respectively in the “Best Liveaboard” category.

Marine Dive Fair remains as the largest fair held in Japan targeted to the divers creating an opportunity to decide and arrange their dive holidays.

Hon. Mr. Amir Khaleel was the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the Marine Diving Fair. In his speech noted was the issue of the global warming and its impact to the Maldives and expressed his supported for the Japanese campaign to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25% by the year 2020. He also thanked the Marine Arts Centre for their hard work in creating awareness amongst the public about the protection of the underwater.

A quiz is carried in the Maldives stand daily making it popular by having more visitors attending to participate in the quiz. This year it is expected that a total of 50,000 would visit the fair. Together with Maldives Tourism Promotion Board, Villa hotels, Sun hotels, Bandos Island Resort & Spa, Diva Maldives, Conrad Maldives and Travel Agencies; Vista Company & Travel Services, Crown Tours, Intour Maldives and Intourist Maldives participated in the fair.

Though last year Maldives experienced a reduction in Japanese market, this year Japanese market is looking prosperous with a 6.0% increase in arrivals during February 2010. A total of 36,641 Japanese visited Maldives in the year 2009 with a market share of 5.6%.

Source: http://www.visitmaldives.com

Diva Maldives joins conservation project

Initiatives introduced to help fund conservation of unique whale shark habitat

Luxury resort Diva Maldives has become a flagship supporter of the recently designated FenMaaDhiguRan, the Maldives’ first fully regulated, and largest, Marine Protected Area (MPA) – home to a globally significant population of whale sharks, not to mention some of the world’s finest dive sites. The first resort located within the MPA to commit to backing the pioneering conservation project with fundraising initiatives, Diva Maldives has introduced a voluntary gratuity charge scheme enabling guests to actively contribute to the conservation of the whale sharks and their habitat.

A tropical paradise on one of the archipelago’s largest and most beautiful natural islands, with four kilometres of pristine white sand and lush tropical greenery flanked by a crystal clear lagoon, Diva Maldives enhances the picture postcard Maldivian idyll with the elusive luxury of space, and the liberty of choice. The introduction of the voluntary gratuity charge scheme underlines Diva’s commitment to protecting the whale sharks and their habitats, while helping the new MPA to generate improved business, education and employment opportunities for the local community.

Established following successful lobbying by the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme conservation charity, the MPA was officially designated by the Republic of Maldives government in July 2009. The MPA is 42km in length and, through proper regulation and educational community initiatives, will protect important habitats and species in this area from threats including overfishing, unregulated tourism and pollution, and help the local community to protect their natural resources for future generations.

Source: traveldaily.co.uk

Maldives: good for beginner divers?

I would like my two teenage sons to learn to dive. Are the Maldives a good place for this? And if so, could you suggest a hotel that would be good for us? Jim Marshall, Harrow

Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: The Maldives is one of the world’s top dive spots, where a stunning variety of fish swirl around thousands of sheltered reefs, where the water is clear and warm year-round, and there’s a very high standard of dive centre and tuition. Plus its shallow reef-protected lagoons are great places for a beginners’ first dive.

And the hotels aren’t bad either. Take the Kandooma island resort for example. It occupies a 32-acre island surrounded by reefs and has a strong reputation for its dive school. Accommodation is villa style, nicely spaced out, and there are four restaurants to choose from.

Hayes & Jarvis has a week here from £1,399pp in July, with flights from Heathrow to Male with SriLankan Airlines, speedboat transfer, and B&B accommodation in two garden villas. Diving is paid for locally, at the smart Euro Divers facility, where the PADI Open Water Diver course is £330pp. British Airways starts direct flights to Male from Gatwick in October, when a week at the Kandooma will cost from £1,239pp.

If you prefer an all-inclusive package, then try Lily Beach in the South Ari Atoll, from £2,249pp in July, also through Hayes & Jarvis, with flights and transfers as above. Ocean-Pro run the dive centre and charge £455pp for PADI Open Water Diver course.

Or a seven-night stay at the super-luxury Constance Halaveli Resort in a Beach Villa, costs from £1,958pp, with SriLankan flights and B&B accommodation in a Beach Villa, and seaplane transfers, through Turquoise Holidays. The PADI dive course £521pp.

Other companies featuring learn-to-dive holidays in the Maldives include Scuba Travel, Regal Dive, or Tropic Breeze.

Source: timesonline.co.uk

Won a £3,750 Maldives holiday

ulie Larham from Cambridge has won a £3,750 Maldives holiday after being picked out as the winner of the NEC Go Diving! show prize draw, exclusive to visitors to the DIVE stand. Courtesy of H2O, the holiday includes diving with Dive & Sail Maldives at the Chaaya Reef Resort Ellaidhoo in the northern Ari atoll.

The prize includes flights with Sri Lankan Airlines.

For more information on diving in the Maldives check out www.h20dive.co.uk

Source: Dive Magazine

DIVE FOR EARTH DAY 2007

Ten Dive Centers from Male Atoll will be joining thousands of scuba divers,snorkelers and ocean lovers from around the world to celebrate Dive for Earth Day, an international Earth Day event during the week of 22 April.

150 divers from Maldivers Diving Center, Planeta Divers, Divers Lodge, Ocean Diving Desk, Vadoo Diving Club, Sea Explorers Associates, Bolifushi Diving Center, Multi Marine Services, Dive Centre Laguna and the Coast Guard will come together on 22 April 2007 for the underwater clean up of Old Shark Point, a dive site located on the outer reef of Thilafushi Island.

In addition, an awareness program for a 100 students from schools in Malé will be conducted on 23 February 2007.

Dive for Earth Day 2007 is exclusively sponsored by Dive Shop, sole distributors of Scubapro products in Maldives. This event is supported by PADI Project AWARE and Ministry of Environment, Energy and Water.

Our main aim is to bring attention to the growing threats faced by our fragile underwater ecosystems. At the moment the state of our environment is simply a non-issue in the politics of our country. We hope to influence the policy makers to do something about it, says Azim Musthaq, Dive Instructor from Maldivers Diving Center.

This is the first time that divers from such diverse backgrounds are uniting to act together. We hope by the end of this event, we would have built a network of proactive divers who will in the future act in a united effort for the protection of our environment, he says.

For more information please contact:
Azim Musthag,
T: +960 771 9555
E: maldivers@gmail.com

Source: MTPB

Underwater photos from Maldives Islands

Want to try out a new camera underwater? Why not go shooting whale sharks? That's what Karin Brussaard did.

The noted underwater photographer was on a diving safari in the Maldives Islands with the express purpose of observing the massive water beasts, and she took the Olympus E-330 DSLR along for the ride. She certainly appreciated the Live View function on the 2.5-inch screen and the Zuiko Digital 7-14mm lens, which brought out color and definition in even the murkiest of waters. Brussaard made full use of the 114-degree lens functionality.

Essential to her success was the polycarbonate PT-E02 underwater case, which can, thanks to its double O-ring construction, keep water out as deep as 60 meters.

Brussaard enjoyed all these things, was thrilled with the camera and lens and case, and came back with some up close and personal photos of the giant whale sharks.