Maldives Aggressor
The Maldives Aggressor, a liveaboard dive boat, promises scuba divers a spectacular weeklong diving adventure in the Maldive Islands, an area known to many as a tropical paradise. Spanning the equator, the Maldives are located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, approximately 250 miles (400 km) southwest of India and 430 miles (700 km) southwest of Sri Lanka. Finding tickets for flights to get there is easy and air fares are generally reasonable. Stretching north to south some 500 miles (805 km), this archipelago nation is comprised of nearly 1,200 islands that constitute 19 atoll formations. The Maldives, with its numerous scuba diving sites, offers rich marine life. You will thrill to see Manta Rays, Eagle Rays, Whale Sharks, Hammerhead Sharks, Moray Eels, Reef Sharks, and an abundance of fish and coral species. Guests board the boat on Sunday afternoon; diving begins on Monday and lasts through Saturday morning. On Saturday afternoon, the Maldives Aggressor returns to port, allowing you time to go ashore, visit the town of Malé, or do some snorkeling or swimming in the lagoon. If you travel to the Maldives for this it will be a vacation to remember!
The scuba diving itinerary followed by the Maldives Aggressor is dependent on season and weather conditions. Throughout the year air temperatures in the Maldives range between 75°F (24°C) and 91°F (33°C), with relatively high humidity that is tempered by a gentle, but steady sea breeze. Water temperatures average 80-86°F (26.6-30°C). The climate in the Maldives is monsoonal and made up of two distinct seasons during which the winds blow from opposite directions, the dry season, when the northeast monsoon occurs, and the wet season, when the southwest monsoon occurs. The northeast monsoon generally occurs between January and March while the southwest monsoon period occurs between May and November, when the Maldives experience strong winds and torrential rains. Because of its proximity to the equator, sunshine is also plentiful in the Maldives.
Bring your proof of certification because you will want to take advantage of each of the three different areas where you may scuba dive: inside the atolls, outside the atolls, or inside the channels where the currents are the strongest and the largest groupings of fish congregate. Because divers will be making 3-4 dives each day as well as night dives, it is recommended that you wear a 3mm wetsuit. Due to the currents in the Maldives, safety devices are mandatory on dives. Maldivian law limits dive depths to 98 feet (30m).
On the first itinerary of the Maldives Aggressor you will visit the atolls of North Malé, South Malé, and Felidoo. One dive site you may visit is the Kuda Giri Wreck, which lies on the seabed at a depth between 98 feet (30m) and 49 feet (15m). Here you will see Sharks, Eagle Rays, Napoleon Wrasse and assorted reef fish. You can expect to see Sharks and schools of Bannerfish, Tuna and Fusilier at Guraidhoo Corner. Coca Corner presents caves and overhangs where you will see Turtles and Black Snapper. Look for Sea Fans, soft corals, Barracuda, and Sharks at Medhu Faru.
There are excellent photo opportunities at Fotteyo, where the overhangs and cave ceilings are covered in soft and hard corals, and you will see Sharks, Titan Triggerfish, and schools of Sweetlip Fish. The strong currents at Mulaku Kandu attract giant Trevally, Tuna, Great Barracuda, Turtles, and White-tip and Black-tip Sharks. You will see hundreds of Anemones and excellent hard corals at Ambara Thila. And, at depths of 82 feet (25m), Kudiboli Kandu is a corner with a cave presenting soft corals and White-tip and Black-Tip Sharks. Pelagics such as Eagle Rays and Napoleon Wrasse are drawn to the channel at Embudhoo Express on swift incoming currents. At Manta Point, a Manta Ray cleaning station, you will watch the Mantas being cleaned and then swooping down to the reef to feed on the Zooplankton once their cleaning has been completed.
The second Maldives Aggressor itinerary takes you to Ari Atoll, located on the western part of the archipelago. Your scuba diving adventure begins at Rasdhoo-Madivaru, one of the most spectacular reef formations Ari Atoll has to offer. Some of what you will see here includes Trevally, Hammerhead Sharks, Manta Rays, and schools of Barracuda. The long, narrow pinnacle of Ukulhas Thila is a Manta Ray cleaning station, and you will also spot Moray Eels, Sharks, Fusilier, and Grouper. Passing through the tunnels at Miyaruga Thila are schools of Fusiliers. Here you will also see colorful sponges, soft corals, and Napoleon Wrasse.
You may also visit the many caves and outcroppings of Maaya Thila, which is considered to be the White-tip Shark capital of the Maldives. Additionally, you can expect to see large gorgonians and abundant corals as well as Dog-toothed Tuna, Blue-face Angelfish, Clown Triggerfish, Lionfish, and Moorish Idols. When diving at the wreck of the Halaveli, a 124-foot (38m) freighter, note the corals on the telegraph mast. Large Sting Rays and Moray Eels also frequent this dive site. Explore the caves and crevices of Orimas Thila, and you will find Sea Anemones along the eastern side at a depth of 50 feet (15m). Along the top of the reef you will see Table Coral and Staghorn.
Fish Head is a large, isolated flat-topped reef. Here you will see schools of Grey Reef Sharks. Another photo opportunity is available at Maalhoss Thila, known as the “Blue Caves” because the ceilings of the caves are covered in blue and white soft corals. Panettone teems with marine life. You can expect to see Barracuda, Giant Trevally, Turtles, Sharks, and Manta Rays. You will also see a variety of reef fish such as Starry Rabbitfish. Spectacular corals and Sea Fans are also visible here. Midnight Snapper, Parrotfish, Basslets, Napoleon Wrasse, and feeding Mantas all frequent the waters of the Madivaru-Manta Reef. At Broken Rock, a canyon that slices through the reef, you will see Tall Fin Batfish, Turtles, schooling Barracudas, and soft corals.
The Aggressor Fleet strives to provide scuba divers and guests with the highest quality and most innovative liveaboard experience possible. Their dive boats afford guests both safety and comfort as they travel to the best diving locations around the world.
