In our FAQs we have compiled a variety of questions about our Dive&Stay packages and what to consider when staying on a local island.
The Maldives is a Muslim country.
On a local island there is no alcohol and no all-inclusive resorts. Only the Maldivian airport hotel, resorts and safari boats are permitted to serve alcohol to tourists without restriction.
Accommodation is in guesthouses run by Maldivians. They are very hospitable people who are happy to make the tourists’ vacation as enjoyable as possible and who are very helpful and available to answer any questions on site.
Muslims are called to prayer several times a day by the muezzin. The first call to prayer is made at around 05:00 in the morning and can also be heard in the guest houses.
Friday is Sunday, just like here, and many things are closed during the day. Supermarkets reopen in the evening.
When you are out and walking on the island, you should have your shoulders and knees covered. T-shirt with short sleeves and shorts are ok. Also swimwear on the boat.
There is an extra tourist beach on Guraidhoo where you can swim and lie on the beach in a bikini or swimming trunks. On Fuvahmulah you can swim at the public beach, but only with at least a T-shirt and shorts. Bikini is not allowed there. There is currently no tourist beach, but this is being planned. You can wear swimming trunks/bikinis in the guest houses and on the boat.
Tourism is still in its infancy on the local islands. Nothing here meets European standards. You may have to wait a little longer for your food or the supermarket/restaurant may not open at the advertised opening times. There may also be brief power outages. Not everything here is completely organized, orderly or secured as we know it in Europe. There may be a hole in the road, a lid missing on a drain, etc. Everyone is responsible for themselves and appropriate caution is always recommended.
If you want to get to know Maldivian life, enjoy the hospitality of the Maldivians and don’t need the all-inclusive and evening program of a resort island, you will get world-class diving at a sensationally low price.
During Ramadan, Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink after sunrise. Please be considerate of this situation and do not eat directly in front of them. Many restaurants are also closed during the day during this time. After sunset, however, everything is open again.
To be on the safe side, it is advisable to buy some fruit and cookies at the supermarket in the evening for the next day, so that you are well supplied. During Ramadan there may also be restrictions on diving. Especially at the end of Ramadan, when the “Eid al-Fitr” festival takes place, it can occasionally happen that a dive is canceled or postponed.
At the dive center, additional services that have not been booked in advance can be paid for in cash (EUR, USD, Rufiyaa) or by credit card (with surcharge).
Almost all restaurants only accept cash payments (USD, EUR, Rufiyaa). ATMs on the local islands only accept the local currency with a credit card.
All guest houses offer a choice of breakfast, half board or full board. However, we recommend booking breakfast only, as there are plenty of good restaurants on the islands. Maldivian and European food is on offer. There are many dishes with rice, curries, but also pizza, steak and pasta dishes.
For a meal (e.g. rice or noodle dish) you have to pay on average between 10-15 USD incl. VAT. drink. Of course, there are also steak and specialty restaurants that are a little more expensive.
In the Maldives, most goods are imported from all over the world. Some come from Europe, but most come from India, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Australia and many other countries. Many goods come into the country by plane and are then transported to the islands by ship. The procurement of goods is therefore very costly, which is also reflected in the price of Western products.
Yes. Dive&Stay packages must be paid 8 weeks before your arrival by bank transfer to our German bank account. Conversion into euros is carried out at the current exchange rate at the time of invoicing. Bank charges for international transactions are borne by the remitter.
Yes.
If you have booked a Dive&Stay package, you can of course book additional dives at any time.
If you arrive on your own, it is best to come to the diving center directly after your arrival and discuss everything else with our team. Please inform us briefly by email so that we can schedule you.
No, this is optional. If you book in advance, you will receive a 5% discount. This must be paid before arrival and is non-refundable.
If you do not have an advance booking, please let us know by email so that our team can schedule you: info@divepoint-maldives.com.
The low season is from May to October. When it is also warm in Europe, fewer holidaymakers come to the Maldives. During this time it is not so crowded and there are attractive Dive&Stay offers.
We need a picture of your passport and international flight ticket to book the domestic flights. This information will be forwarded to the domestic airline MALDIVIAN.
Flight times Fuvamulah (as of 23.05.2024):
MLE-FVM: 15:00-16:30 or 23:00-01:00
FVM-MLE: 05:00-07:10 or 17:00-18:30
Times can easily change. The exact flight schedule is only finalized a few weeks in advance.
Please go to the national airport terminal in Male and check in for your flight to Fuvahmulah. The national terminal is located right next to the international airport and can be reached on foot in just a few minutes. There is also an ATM at the entrance in front of the departure hall.
Please make sure that you have at least 3 hours transfer time before international flights and 2 hours before domestic flights.
You can dive at Fuvahmulah all year round and the tiger sharks are always there. As well we have a good population of thresher sharks around the island also the whole year same as Grey reef sharks, Silvertips, Barracudas and some more big stuff.
Hammerhead sharks are regularly spotted from October to February.
Various species such as whale sharks, mola mola and oceanic manta rays are more likely to be found in March/April.
Diving in remote areas such as Fuvahmulah does not always run smoothly. The dive center is run by locals and you can’t expect German thoroughness here. Most of the dive guides were born on the island and know the underwater world around Fuvahmulah very well.
The island has only been a tourist destination for a few years and has quickly shot to the top as a diving destination, as it is the best place in the world to see tiger sharks. This means that unforeseen challenges can always arise. We work hard to offer the best service on Fuvahmulah and are in constant contact with our cooperation partners. However, this takes time.
The monsoon seasons are not as pronounced on Fuvahmulah as on the other islands, as it is very close to the equator. Short rain showers can occur all year round. Climate change is also making itself felt here.
In the Maldives, a dive may be max. last 60 minutes. However, the actual duration may well be shorter. The decision on when to end a dive lies solely with the dive guide. The safety of the divers always has top priority.
Nitrox offers a gain in safety for many dives. However, nitrox can quickly become dangerous on Fuvahmulah. Even though diving is only permitted up to a depth of 30m, undercurrents can quickly cause you to dive deeper unintentionally. A cramp caused by too much oxygen can quickly become life-threatening. With air, this would only result in an unintentional deco stop.
To increase the safety of divers, the Shark Expedition diving center is the only diving center on Fuvahmulah to have the ENOS GPS system on board. Please make sure you get the ENOS before every dive and if a guide forgets it, always insist on it.
Fuvahmulah is not suitable for diving courses of all levels, as there are hardly any suitable dive sites. You will receive good training at our dive centers on Guraidhoo and the resort islands. Those who come to Fuvahmulah have experience and want to see big fish. As a result, there is hardly any training capacity here.
It’s a long way to the nearest pressure chamber. After a diving accident, very high costs can be incurred for transportation and treatment. These costs are often not covered by normal health insurance.
There are providers who also offer snorkeling tours. We don’t have it in our program because most of the dive sites are not suitable for snorkeling. Therefore, no snorkelers can be taken on the trips for the dives.
If you want to relax or can’t dive the last day before departure, you can rent a moped or bicycle to explore the island. There is a nature reserve and two freshwater lakes. The guesthouse is happy to help with the planning and can also organize a barbeque dinner on the beach.
No. DivePoint Maldives does not have its own dive center on Fuvahmulah. With the local diving center “Shark Expedition” we have found a cooperation partner who welcomes DivePoint divers.
The speedboat ferry departs to/from Guraidhoo up to 4 times a day. The transfer is included in the Dive&Stay package and we will book the transfer for you to match your international flight so that you have as little time as possible in Male.
A member of the guesthouse staff will meet you at the airport in Male and take care of you and your luggage.
We offer 3 boat dives every day: 2 dives in the morning and return to the island at noon, so you have enough time for lunch. In the afternoon we go out again for a dive. If you book a non limit dive package, you can of course also dive on the house reef. We offer night dives on request.
The island is very small and the dive center is within walking distance of every guest house. We will of course collect your diving equipment at the beginning of your vacation and bring it back to the guesthouse carefully rinsed and dried by our team before your departure.
There are more than 35 dive sites around Guraidhoo. Our team makes the decision in the morning based on the current weather and current conditions. Just off Guraidhoo are some of the best dive sites in the Maldives, such as Kandooma Thila and Coca Corner. Sharks, eagle rays and turtles can almost always be found here. Large pods of dolphins also regularly pass by.
From May to October there is a very good chance of seeing manta rays at the cleaning station directly at the harbor entrance of Guraidhoo.
