Now there is no excuse for getting lost in this tropical paradise. Malways is a complete island directory of the Maldives with 23 pages of maps including an updated map of Male, the island capital of the archipelago. Maps are printed in full color and clearly show reefs, islands and other features such as protected marine areas, wrecks, airports and heliports. Where a resort name is different from the traditional name of the island, the traditional name is included in brackets. At the back of the book is an index of 1068 islands with latitude and longitude coordinates for quick reference.
Tim Godfrey is the author and researcher of Dive Maldives: A Guide to the Maldives Archipelago and Atlas of the Maldives: A Reference for Travellers, Divers and Sailors. In 1996, he established his publishing company, Atoll Editions, and has since released multiple editions and translations of his thoroughly-researched guides, atlases and maps.
Atoll Editions has quickly established a reputation for both quality and accuracy and our products have become the standard reference for both divers and instructors. The Ministry of Tourism in the Maldives have acknowledged the usefulness of Dive Maldives by using many of the stories, information and maps in its official Website and CD-Rom. Atoll Editions is going from strength to strength with more publications and translations due for release.
Research
We started out mapping divesites before GPS was available by using an underwater slate, compass and depth gauge. Our visual reference was the islands and our guides were fishermen and divebase leaders who shared our vision to make our divesites safer and more enjoyable for divers. Now we have invested in a purpose built research vessel, Shukuriya: a small but versatile vessel capable of making lighter work out of formerly difficult and time-consuming underwater mapping tasks. While there is no substitute for the powers of underwater observation, the shape and dimension of reefs can only be accurately displayed through the generation of geo-referenced 2D and 3D bathymetric data. With the potential of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), our underwater mapping will continue to be a major focus of our marine research work. Through the increased accuracy of our maps, we hope to build on the creativity of others and work in partnership to improve the enjoyment, awareness and the protection of our marine environment for all to enjoy (check here for details of research and for boat details).
Products
Our first product was a hand-sketched divesite log-book, printed in 1987 by Novelty Printers and Publishers in Male'. They remain an integral part of our business through the distribution of our products in the Maldives. Through the proceeds of sales, our product range has been gradually extended to include other relevant items of interest, including atlases and photographic guides to marine life. However, our core focus remains with mapping divesites and unexplored reefs as well as researching marine life. With the aid of our new research vessel, we expect to increase the quality and range of our products in the future and continue to provide our valued customers with detailed, accurate guides to the Maldives Archipelago.
