Addu
Atoll is Just like the colourful brochures
brilliant blue lagoons, amazing coral reefs,
abundant marine life, pristine white beaches and
swaying palm trees are a reality in the Addu
Atoll.
Visitors should note that the Addu Atoll adhere
to a strict reef and marine conservation policy and that severe
penalties may be imposed for disrespecting the environment.
Dive Thailand
Special Packages
3 Dive Sites:
Koh Ha, Koh Phi Phi,
Hin Daeng-Hin Muang
3 Days / 6 Dives 5 Days / 10
Dives
3 Days diving: 10%
discount
5 Days diving: 15% discount
more than one week: 20% discount
For many people the exquisite islands and coral
reefs of the Addu Atoll require little introduction.
But it is not widely known that the Addu Atoll also
possesses a particularly rich whale and dolphin
fauna. Especially exciting is the great diversity of
species found there in the last few years.
Everybody can imagine how nice diving must
have been 20 years ago! But you could see it with your own eyes! The
Addu Atoll is the only area in the Maldives that was not affected by the
1998 global Coral Bleaching. The south of the Maldives was spared from
the “too warm” major ocean currents (El Niño), the bright and healthy
corals start at the top of “giris” and “thilas” (about 1m under the
surface) and slope down with the reef till 30m or more.
Day excursions with Island Aviation
to Gan from Male
Price £115pp inc taxes, use of
facilities, pool/beach at the
Equator Village (Ex WO's/ Sgt's
Mess), bike hire, lunch & drink
Avoid all contact with
corals and other marine
life. Corals are very
delicate animals; even a
gentle touch can cause them
harm and some corals can
sting and cut you.
DIVERLAND GAN
Equator-Village,
Tel: +960 771157
Fax: +960 442673
www.diverland.com
Help Save Fish Habitat and When Fishing Take Only What You Need
To keep our
ocean healthy and full of native fish, we need to do more to protect
and restore fish habitat, and only take the fish we need.
Get your Hands on For Life!
Get
involved in programs that restore coastal and streamside, such
as Fishcare and Coastcare. Planting native trees and shrubs
along riverbanks protects water quality and improves wildlife
habitat.
Practice
catch and release fishing by:
Using
barbless hooks (Make your own by crimping the barbs)
Not
letting the fish flop about the boat or on land
Wetting
your hands and try to keep the fish in the water when removing
the hook
Using
pliers to back the hook out and avoid touching the gills
Cutting
the line if the fish is hooked deeply (stomach acids will
dissolve the hook)
Reviving
a tired or semi-conscious fish. Hold it gently and move it
forward to force water through its gills. When it has revived,
and is able to swim normally, set it free
Supporting the fish facing into the current until it swims away.
Only
take home the fish you need.
Learn to Dive
Beginning the
Adventure
In order to become
an internationally recognised scuba diver, a person must attend and pass an
Open Water Diver course from a reputable training agency such as one of the
following:
NAUI National Association of
Underwater Instructors
PADI Professional Association
of Diving Instructors
With this
certification card, a new diver can then participate in 'open water' rated
dives to a depth of 18 metres. It is human nature and good common sense to
feel a little apprehensive about entering this alien underwater world. Only
training and experience will overcome this.
There are as many reason for learning to dive as there
are divers.
Maybe you're already
a certified diver. If so, you understand that every diver,
regardless of experience, has a subtly unique reason for
journeying under water.
Read More
A short article by
Judith Parsons, Editor-in-Chief with the
Illustrated London News Group
Addu Atoll,
just south of the Equator, is one of the
few places in the Maldives to have
escaped coral bleaching and, as a
result, the reefs here are in superb
condition with many hard and soft coral
species and prolific fish life. The dive
school, based at Equator Village Resort
on Gan Island is operated by Diverland,
who run a well-equiped centre and good
size dive boat, the Noor, which can
carry 16 to 18 divers comfortably. With
your equipment carried and loaded on the
boat by the crew, access to the water is
easy. Basic courses are available and
include a resort course for a minimum of
four people, PADI Open Water Course,
PADI Advanced Water Course and Rescue
Diver.
Each dive
starts with a short briefing in the dive
school in both English and German before
joining the boat. The circular shape of
Addu Atoll (made up of 8 islands) forms
the impressive lagoon and offers 25
regularly dived sites, many located on
the outer rim which takes about 40
minutes to reach by boat. Particularly
good sites here include Kuda Kandu
Corner, Umarus Plave and Kuda Hohola.
For beginners, Gan Inside, a 12 minute
boat ride close to the famous runway
offers a shallow, sandy dive (14 metres)
with no current.
For
experienced divers looking for deeper,
drift dives, Demon Point is one to enjoy
and is a popular spot for sighting
mantas. Makunudu, Kuda Kandu Corner and
Muduka all located on the outer rim
close to the Bushy Channels through
which tidal water flows into and out of
the lagoon- offer drift dives with
glorious fish shoals, Napoleon wrasse
and white and black tip reef sharks in
the current. There are also exceptional
coral plateus at these sites at 12 to 14
metres. For those who enjoy wall dives ,
Kuda Hohola offers stunning underwater
topography and gorgonian covered walls,
small caves and passing sharks.
One
unexpected treat in Addu lagoon in the
British Loyalty wreck dive. The cargo
ship was sunk by the British, not the
Japanese, during the 1940s and lies
conveniently in 32 metres of water.
Visibility can vary, and approach to
this atmospheric wreck is by a fixed
line. It is possible to dive the
perimeter of the wreck, fin past giant
propellor blades, pass through the
gaping hold and asses how much coral has
grown in over 50 years within 60 minutes
if you keep a close eye on decompression
time. Another momento of World War II
and the bygone British on Gan is found
diving Molikolhu Fara where it is
possible to obscure the links of a giant
chain running along the ocean bed.
Among the
diving highlights on Gan is a dat trip
to Kottey, the northwestern tip of Addu,
which takes about three and a half
hours, and can include the British
Loyalty dive and drift dives at Demon
Point or Kotter Outside. A picnic in an
azure lagoon ensures the perfect spot
for a surface interval.
