Learning to dive in the Maldives is a great experience. The ocean is warm, the dive sites are diverse and the marinelife is abundant! The location of Maafushi island is within easy reach of some of the most legendary dive sites where all kinds of amazing sea creatures gives the impression of swimming around in a perfect aquarium. Inside the atoll and just a short boat ride from Maafushi island, you will have little coral reefs with sea turtles, reef fish and even an interesting shipwreck. Diving from Maafushi also means you are unlikely to be diving in rough seas. There is always a quiet lagoon with no current and colourful fish life! Together with your instructor, you will start slowly from the beach in water that is shallow and clear, and slowly progressing through the course out on to the reefs. After 3 to 4 days of dive training, you will be certified to dive anywhere in the world to a maximum depth of 18 meters.
On land, Maafushi is by far the most vibrant local island in the Maldives. You have a GREAT bikini beach with powder soft white sand & several bar boats anchored just off the island. Maafushi also offers great excursions and day trips where you can snorkel with the nurse sharks, have a barbecue on perfect sandbanks in the ocean, see wild dolphins in the dolphin lagoon (usually) or go to one of the fancy resort island for the day and go crazy in the buffet, bar and swimmingpools.
Maafushi is an island known for diving and watersports, within 30 minutes of the capital Male. A 30 minute speedboat ride takes you away from the city hustle down into relaxed South Male atoll. Staying on a local inhabited island provides a very different, very REAL Maldivian experience, where the locals are eager to welcome explorers, the fishing boats line the harbours, and the slow pace of island life calms the senses. At Maafushi there are bar boats anchored where a beer or three can be enjoyed offshore to get past the law of no alcohol on local islands.
Introduction to course
The PADI Open Water Diver
course is one of the most popular diving certificate worldwide.
After completing this 3-4 day course you are certified to dive to
18 m independently with a buddy.
The course consists of five
modules of learning. You study via self-study workbook and complete
a knowledge review. This process is assisted by videos
accompanying each chapter to reinforce what you have learned. The
instructor reviews everything with you to ensure that everything
are confidently understood. The practical learning consists of pool
sessions and four open water dives. Dive one and two are
conducted at a depth of max 12 meters and dive three and four are
conducted at max 18 meters. The final stage of the PADI Open Water
course is an exam, which is a multiple choice exam covering all
that you have learnt. Remember that the course is performance based
and not time based. The course generally takes 3 to 4 days, with
the theoretical, the pool and the open water part successfully
passed.
When taking your course at Maafushi, you can
chose between PADI or SSI materials and certification. The materials
will be charged locally. (SSI = US$ 40 & PADI = US$ 70) The dive
center will help you choose organisation by introducing and explaining
both to you prior to your arrival.
DIVE PACKAGE:Itinerary - 6 days and 5 nights PADI or SSI Open Water Course
The PADI & SSI Open Water Course are performance based. That means you have to
understand and pass the theory and perform the in-water skills
correctly and with ease. Therefore, the itinerary can vary slightly
from course to course. The course will take 3 to 4 days depending on
the students enrolled. To give you an idea of what to expect, see the
itinerary below:
