Customer Reviews

Dive Maldives: A Guide to the Maldives Archipelago

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The most incredible underwater photos yet to be seen of the Maldives; combined with the best dive spots and detailed descriptions. First fully detailed, reliable and accurate maps of all the Islands, a Great book that is a must to any Maldives traveller or scuba enthusiast.

To begin, The Maldives are a group of over 400 islands (many uninhabited) that can be found in the Indian Ocean south-west of the Indian continent. These are the 'paradise' islands - idyllic bleached sand, green lagoons and blue ocean. The sun is virtually guaranteed 365 days a year (though trade winds can help lower the temperature from time to time). Most islands can be circumnavigated on foot in less than ten minutes, so I would advise anyone thinking of visiting The Maldives to do so only if they want a holiday with nothing to see and nowhere to go, OR want to spend their holiday clutching the bar stool and watching the waves caress the beach, OR love water sports. It's as quiet as that, and scuba, snorkeling and water-skiing are about as active as you'll get. If you fit into the third category, you'll adore these islands and their friendly peoples. You'll undoubtedly appreciate the diving which, in my view, ranks with the very best in the world (and I've dived a lot of places). Tim Godfrey has spent a considerable amount of time and effort putting together 'Dive Maldives'. When you consider, for a start, that the islands cover an area of ocean as big as Texas, you'll understand the scale of the task. And for readers who have attempted underwater photography, you'll appreciate that it can take several dives just to get one good picture. This book contains 191 superb photos taken throughout the atolls that make up The Maldives. Also included are 114 computer-generated maps with descriptions of over 270 dive sites based on the author's personal research over 12 years. Included in this comprehensive book is information on uninhabited islands, reefs, Protected Marine Areas, heliports, channel names, and some of the better-known dive site locations. The dive site maps show the topography and scale of the reefs, using symbols for features such as caves, overhangs, saddles and canyons, as well as commonly seen fish and marine life. Here divers can get a pre-dive glimpse of what they can expect to see during the dive. EXCELLENT stuff, thoroughly researched and exquisitely photographed. For visitors to The Maldives, who have diving in mind, this book is an absolute MUST HAVE.