Dive Review of EcoPro in
Maldives

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EcoPro: "EcoPro Seascape - Maldives", Aug, 2024, by Philip Karp, AZ, US ( Sr. Reviewer 10 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 13056.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I just completed a 7 day trip aboard Seascape, the newest addition to the EcoPro Fleet which operates in the Maldives and Indonesia. Overall, the trip was a bit of a disappointment, but for reasons outside the control of the operator. This was my first time diving in the Maldives and I had high expectations based on what I'd read and heard from other divers. Unfortunately, extremely bad weather caused the trip to be something of a wash out. Conditions were challenging throughout the trip, with rain and high winds (25-30mph) throughout the week, resulting in rough seas, low visibility and difficulty getting back on the boat after dives. The challenges arising from the bad weather were compounded by the composition of the passenger group. On a positive note, there were only 11 divers which allowed for plenty of space on the dive launch. On a less positive note, half of the contingent were a group of Chinese divers whose experience levels and dive etiquette were, to put to mildly, less than ideal. The two dive masters did their best to address the shortcoming by dividing the divers into two groups and by spacing entries a bit, but this was made difficult due to the bad weather and rough seas. The weather and sea conditions made it impossible to follow the planned itinerary, which was to have included Maldive's northern atolls. We were instead limited to diving in the proximity of Male atoll with 1 day at Vaavu atoll. We did have very good dives at Lanka Beyru (Manta Point) a manta cleaning station and Aquarium. But dives at other highly rated sites such as Miyaru Kandu and Alimathaa were disappointing due to strong currents and very low visibility. The guides tried to make up for the inability to get to expected dive sites by offering a final dive at the entrance to Holemale Harbour, a site that is not normally included on the itinerary of liveaboards and is known for an abundance of rays and large body sharks. Unfortunately, only the rays were present. On a positive note, Seascape is a beautiful vessel with roomy cabins and large common areas. Food was excellent and service was exemplary. Cabins were made up each day during the early morning dive, with a different fragrance used each day, a nice touch. My only quibble was the extra charge for brewed coffee drinks (even Americano). The two hosts/divemasters, a couple from the Netherlands, were great. Dive briefings were very clear and informative. Experienced divers were given some leeway in terms of diving their profiles; I suspect there would have been even more flexibility had the conditions been better. Overall, I definitely recommend both the vessel and the operator and plan to dive with them again hopefully with better weather conditions.
Websites	EcoPro
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Belize, Bonaire, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Egypt, Cozumel, Roatan, St. Croix
Closest Airport	Male	Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	windy, rainy	Seas	calm, choppy, surge
Water Temp	75-78°F / 24-26°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	15-25 Ft/ 5-8 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	dive with assigned group
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of EcoPro in Maldives

EcoPro: "EcoPro Seascape - Maldives", Aug, 2024,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of EcoPro in
Maldives