Emperor Divers’ Managing Director Alex Bryant has been exploring the waters of Ari Atoll since his first trip to the Maldives in 1995. This visit drove him to become a diving professional and he has been back regularly ever since, starting to work there as an instructor and guide 20 years ago.
In 2008 he founded Constellation Fleet followed by Emperor Maldives in 2014 before the two operations merged in 2017. Here he explains why, after all his experience diving the Maldives, he believes the supposed ‘low season’ is the best time of all to be there.
My favourite time of year to dive the Maldives on a liveaboard is what most people consider the ‘low season’ – May to October which is the southwest monsoon. Granted I don’t go on a liveaboard to sunbathe, I go to dive. This may be surprising to many, but there are many reasons.
First among which is Ari Atoll. The oceanic water comes into the atolls of the Maldives from the west for the majority of the day so, with Ari Atoll and its beautiful thilas being on the west side, it makes the water at its clearest at this time of year.
The water is also just a tad cooler at 28 degrees compared to the 30 degrees of ‘high season’ which means the sharks and other pelagic come that little bit shallower. The resulting combination is the grey reef sharks, giant trevally, bonito and dogtooth tuna are more active as they trawl around, shepherding the fusiliers before they attack in unison. The energy created by the sheer volume of fish moving at the same time is one of my favourite underwater experiences.
Another great reason for choosing this time of year is the chance to see manta rays on the check dive and last dive of the trip. With the currents bringing the oceanic water in from the west, the nutrient rich water manta rays feed off exits the Atolls through the Eastern channels of the Maldives.
Male, the nation’s capital and where we start our Best of Maldives itinerary, is on the eastern side of the North Male Atoll and from May to October the manta cleaning stations around are active which means it is not unheard of to have mantas on both the first and last dives of your trip.
With this time of year being perceived as the low season it also means there are less boats and divers in the water.
There is a far greater chance of getting dive sites solely to your liveaboard and, for me, there is nothing better than having famous thilas such as Maaya Thila, Fish Head, Kuda Rah Thila to yourself.
A real bonus of choosing May to October is the cost. Flights are cheaper due to the reduced demand from bucket-and-spade, sun seeking resort tourists and the scheduled carriers that fly to the Maldives year-round, Emirates, Qatar, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines to name a few – have more availability. This often means more attractive rates than can be found between November and April which is peak season for the Maldivian resorts.
The spaces on our boats are also cheaper. As with flights, the laws of supply and demand dictate this is also the best time to get a deal on our vessels. We operate a reduced capacity, but it is well worth checking for a deal on those last few remaining spaces.
Active marine life with fewer divers and all at a lower price – what’s not to like about that?
