Live Aboard Scuba Diving Cruise In Maldives

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If you love the sea and scuba diving, then why not charter a live aboard scuba diving cruise with your diving buddies. Collectively, you can save much more money and time if you live a board a diving cruise ship and go island hopping, scuba diving and fishing for the next ten days of your vacation. That is because you can do away with your hotel accommodation, save traveling time and can go to a lot more dive spots. Where to go for a cruise diving vacation? Try going to the Island nation of Maldives.

Maldives rudder fish (Kyphosus cinerascens), M...
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Although there are many world class spas, hotels and resorts in Maldives such as the Banyan Tree Spa resort, you have no need to stay in them unless you wanted to. Well, if you want to stay in a luxurious resort, it can be an excuse for you to travel to the Maldives again to enjoy these spa resorts. This is because, once you have scuba dived in Maldives, you will want to go back there again. Maldives is a scuba diver’s paradise.

The atolls of Maldives were formed when millions of years ago, a great range of volcanoes rose from the floor of the Indian Ocean. As time passes, the volcanoes sunk back into the Indian Ocean leaving behind the coral reefs on the Maldivian atolls and islands we see today. That is why Maldives is best known for its white sandy beaches and crystal blue lagoons teeming with marine life.

The country have no big land mass, but instead is made up of about 1200 coral islands with a total area of 104,00.00 sq kilo 99% of which is the sea. Of these islands, only slightly more than 200 of them are inhabited. Most of the islands are not higher than six feet(about 2 meters) above sea level and scientists have warned that they are very susceptible to global warming and may one day, disappear into the ocean. There are already signs that this is happening.

Needless to say, the mainstay of the Maldivian economy is powered by the fishing and tourism industries. About 500,000 tourists arrive on these islands annually. The capital of Maldives is Male (pronounced as Ma-leh). Upon touching down at the airport, you willbe whisked away by a fishing boat because the capital is no larger than a few football fields and have one of the most dense population in the world.

Maldives has been an independent sovereign country except for a brief occupation by the Portuguese. It then became a British Protectorate in the mid-fifties and gained full independence in 965. It has been an Islamic country for more than 800 years.
During the Ming Dynasty, Chinese sailors called Maldives the “submerged mountain chain” wrote commentaries about these islands.

If you enjoy vacations in tranquil tropical islands or simply love fishing and diving, then Maldives will be a great holiday destination for you. Oh, I forgot to mention, if you are a seafood lover, I think there are no other places on Earth where you can get such a wide smorgasbord delicious mouth watering seafood, except in Maldives.

About the Author
Chris Chew is an avid diver and traveller. He has been diving for 30 years all over the world. More free articles at his site and blog Travel China Lijiang and Diving cruise travel guide

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Live Aboard Scuba Diving Cruise In Maldives

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Comments (0) Dec 04 2009

Scuba Diving in the Caribbean

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Caribbean scuba diving is one of the rare pleasures available to people vacationing along the warm and clear waters of that tropical paradise. Throughout the year the Caribbean offers comfortable and beautiful weather with white sandy beaches that make the perfect vacation spot for hundreds and thousands of tourists every year. Caribbean scuba diving can be enjoyed in more than 30 locations in the Caribbean Sea and they are all offer scuba diving facilities throughout the year. The difference between these various locations is that they offer you the choice of going the regular tourist way and saying in the company of other travelers like you or you could opt to go for a more non-tourist approach and try to spend the time there like the locals.

Emily at Angelfish Reef
Image by pfibiger via Flickr

One of the rarer spots for Caribbean scuba diving is found on the island of Antigua. Replete with the usual Caribbean advantages of great beaches and clement weather it also has some historical locations that make it a good place to collect memories. While the scuba diving around Antigua is not really deep, it is still breathtaking with the coral reefs that are unmatched in the entire Caribbean.

Another great place for Caribbean scuba diving was the island of Montserrat. This island was the home to a presumed inactive volcano that went unexpectedly active in the year 1996 and destroyed many locations along with half the town. Though the locals still maintain that the scuba diving is excellent though this has to be confirmed with the fact that the town is not nearly as restored to what it once was. This is also a good place if you like to watch active volcanoes at close range. Though this is not for everyone.

Then there are the well known British Virgin Islands that also offer some good Caribbean scuba diving. The British Virgin Islands are a group of small islands that attract many tourists every year. There are many caves, sinkholes, canyons, and ledges that make scuba diving a very interesting prospect in these areas. The most popular spot in the British Virgin Islands is the Painted Walls which feature rainbow colors during the dive. Wreck Diving is also possible here around the R.M.S. Rhone.

If you really want a remote and almost unknown place for Caribbean scuba diving then you should go to Nevis. There are many scuba diving sites on the east side of Nevis. Scuba diving can be done inshore as well as offshore with some beautiful naturally formed coral reefs.

About the Author
James Penn runs a highly informative Caribbean website which details exactly how to find cheap Caribbean vacations and also the ten best activities in the Caribbean for families and couples alike.

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Scuba Diving in the Caribbean

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Comments (0) Dec 03 2009