News
Diving with… Maldivers Diving Centre, Maalhos, Baa Atoll, Maldives
In this ongoing series, we speak to the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…
What is your name?
Adam Abdul Raheem but people call me Dhaanu.
What is the name of your business?
Maldivers Diving Centre.
What is your role within the business?
Dive Centre Manager and a Director of the company.
How long has the business operated for?
Maldivers has been operating since 1999 but we moved to Maalhos in 2017.
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
Diving for over 14 years. Currently an SSI Divemaster Instructor.
What is your favorite type of diving?
I enjoy all types of diving. I like to take my time while diving and find different sorts of animals, and learn about them.
If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?
Dive local! We are a dive centre on a local island in the Maldives. You get to experience the actual Maldives. We are passionate about sharing the underwater world with all those who come our way.
What is your favorite dive in your location and why?
Dhonfan Thila in Baa Atoll. It is a small pinnacle and the marine life there is quite diverse. You can see both types of turtles, Sharks, Rays and the coral life is nice as well.
What types of diving are available in your location?
We have dives suitable for divers with all experience levels. There are reefs which are suitable for more novice divers or for those who like to do relaxed dives, and pinnacle dives which are for more experienced divers. No matter what type of diving, the marine life is great and there are interesting things to see. Manta Rays can be seen regularly from April to November. Sharks can be seen even at our island’s house reef.
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
I’ve worked as a divemaster and dive instructor for several different companies. I am able to use what I’ve learnt in operating Maldivers. I get to see everything first hand and apply a personal touch. We aim to run the place exactly how we want a dive centre to operate: safety conscious and oriented towards meeting the wishes of our divers.
What is your favorite underwater creature?
The Manta Ray. I could spend all day just observing them swimming around. But I do love and appreciate all marine life. I try to go out every day to the sea even if there are no divers or snorkelers going out with us.
Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
The community at Maalhos is working to become more environmentally friendly. Several key steps have been taken in doing so such as reducing the amount of single-use plastic that is on the island by operating a water plant that gives out water in reusable glass bottles and reducing household waste. Maalhos recently got an award for being the Leading Eco Island in the Maldives.
We plan to run dive courses specially catered for those who want to get into diving as a career. We would like to provide them with all the support needed to do so to come over to Maalhos and train with us.
As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
Climate change is the biggest problem. The underwater world is changing so fast due to this. Some people expect all the reefs to be pristine and full of coral. But this is not the case. Some reefs in the Maldives are in bad condition due to coral bleaching. This being said, there are quite a few reefs which are healthy and in good condition. It is great that the atoll we are located in is a Biosphere Reserve and there is a degree of protection for the reefs here from different other stressors. Luckily fish life and other marine life is quite good.
Is your center involved in any environmental work?
Quite a few. We do beach and underwater clean-ups quite regularly. Sometimes every day. Whenever we go out on the beach we take a bag to collect any trash that washes up. Our divers and the locals like to join the clean-ups as well.
We do regular monitoring of Maalhos House Reef to check the health of the reef and the different fauna on the reef as well as do coastal monitoring to learn how the beach of the island moves with the changing seasons. The information we collect goes to a national database to become part of a larger pool of similar data that comes from all over the Maldives.
We are looking for more ways to be involved and to give back.
How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
Divers, snorkelers and free divers see and understand all the changes that happen to the underwater world and we are happy that quite a few of them are strong advocates for conservation.
We would like to see more people (who do not dive or snorkel) go out and witness the underwater beauty so they would understand the importance of protecting and preserving what little is left of our natural world.
What would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
We aim to ensure all who visit our island home have a good time. We like to offer a personalised service to each person. All of our dives and snorkelling trips are done in small groups so that everyone can enjoy and we welcome people with all different experience and comfort levels to go out with us.
Where can our visitors find out more about your business?
- Email: maalhos@maldivers.net
- Website: www.maldivers.net
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/maldiversdc
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/maldivers
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/maldiversdc
Dive holiday experts Diverse Travel have added Boutique Beach to their Maldives programme.
Designed specifically with divers in mind, Boutique Beach is a charming boutique hotel, perfect for those who want a taste of the real Maldives without compromising on incredible diving. This award-winning hotel is situated just steps away from a spectacular 2.5km stretch of white sandy beach on the ‘local’ island of Dhigurah in the famous Whale Shark area of South Ari atoll.
The area of South Ari atoll boasts year round Whale Shark and Manta encounters.
The waters surrounding South Ari atoll are renowned in the Maldives for their unique, year-round sightings of Whale Sharks, and the area attracts many divers and snorkellers involved in Whale Shark conservation and research. There are over 50 dive sites within close reach of the island of Dhigurah including many of the most famous and exciting thilas – deep channel reefs full of marine life – in the Maldives. Spectacular sites such as the marine protected reef of Kudarah Thila are just minutes by boat from the island. Mantas regularly feed in the lagoon directly in front of Boutique Beach, as well as at the cleaning station at Rangali, which is within easy reach of the hotel.
With six large double / twin guest rooms, each with balcony or private garden, Boutique Beach is the perfect base for a small group of divers or snorkellers. In-room camera workstations also make this hotel an ideal choice for underwater photographers. The PADI 5* dive centre specialises in guiding in small groups with an emphasis on safety, personal service and maximising marine life encounters.
As well as boasting excellent diving and snorkelling, Boutique Beach’s location on Dhigurah adds another interesting dimension for visitors. One of the longest islands in the Maldives, Dhigurah is home to a population of around 600 Maldivians who are happy to share their way of life with international guests. Boutique Beach supports many community initiatives on the island, and visitors staying at Boutique Beach are able to partake in local activities such as cooking, crafting and sports, allowing for a unique travel experience.
Rooftop dining at Boutique Beach, Maldives.
Diverse Travel Product Manager Phillip Connor says:
“Adding Boutique Beach to our programme is an exciting move for Diverse Travel. The Maldives is one of our top destinations, and it’s great to be able to offer our guests truly spectacular diving, alongside the chance to experience a little of real island life, at an excellent price. We’re confident that this unique, British diver designed and managed hotel will become one of our most popular holidays, and look forward to hearing about all the tremendous marine encounters from our guests.”
Introductory Special Offer
Diverse Travel are currently offering an introductory saving of up to 25% on holiday packages to the Maldives staying at Boutique Beach. Dive holiday packages start from just £2575pp (based on November 2022) and include return flights London to Male with 30kgs baggage + extra 15kgs for dive baggage, 7 nights at Boutique Beach in a double / twin room with a ‘soft’ all-inclusive meal plan, up to three dives per day with boat trips, tanks and weights, return speedboat from Male (sea plane at an additional charge), local taxes and green tax, plus ATOL and full financial protection as standard.
Discover more about Boutique Beach on the Diverse Travel website at www.diversetravel.co.uk/dive-resorts/maldives/boutique-beach
Euro-Divers is celebrating its 50th anniversary! October 1972 marked the beginning of the Maldives’ tourism industry and the opening of the country’s first resort, with the first Euro-Divers dive centre providing scuba diving activities. A great passion for diving brought the right people together in the right place, which has developed over the years.
Euro-Divers would like to say a big THANK YOU to all their clients to all their partners who gave them the trust and opportunity to provide diving services throughout all those years.
The Euro-Divers team look forward to continuing to provide world-class diving, watersports, and excursions, giving clients access to the best locations in the world in a safe, friendly, and professional manner.
Congratulations Euro-Divers on five decades of incredible diving with friends!
Find out more at www.euro-divers.com
Diverse Travel expand Maldives programme with Boutique Beach
Euro-Divers celebrates 50 years! (Watch Video)
Introducing two new Colours of OBLU resorts in the Maldives
