Bandos Island Resort, March 1996, Rick Gaffney, Kona, HI. "Great destination. Immense variety, countless dive sites, superb Indo-Pacific ecosystem unsullied by human intrusion. 1200 islands in 26 atolls, about 60 resorts, almost all offer diving. . . . Only negative; European dive ethic preferring just two dives a day. Shore diving is superb so additional dives can be made at island resorts. Most resorts have European dive operators. Equipment compatibility no problem. Most boats not set up for serious underwater photography (no rinse tanks). vis.75­150 ft. water:80°­82°. . . . Resort has 220 rooms. Reserve rooms #150 to #220 for shorter walks with camera equipment to dock. Super resort, accommodating staff and dive operators."

Diggiri Island, March 1996, Max Herndon, Los Osos, CA. "In the Felidhu Atoll; caters mainly to Swiss with a few Germans and Austrians. Smaller and prettier than Ellaidhoo and offers over-water bungalows and better food. Staff excellent; Swiss-run dive operations is friendly, professional and efficient. 21 different sites; diving as good as Ari Atoll, but lacks guaranteed shark and manta sites, but saw plenty of sharks, usually white-tips, some gray, an occasional hammerhead. Had two Marlins swim directly over us on one dive. Vis 100 to 150 feet; most dives had strong to ripping currents. Tropical paradise. Best time to visit the Maldives for prime weather and diving conditions; mid-November to Mid-April."

Ellaidhoo Island, March 1996, Max Herndon, Los Osos, CA. "Sharks, mantas, stingrays, gorgeous reefs covered with hard and soft corals and a profusion of fish that is mind boggling. Beautiful tropical islands, white sand beaches, comfortable accommodations, good food, perfect weather; In the Ari Atoll; caters to Germans. 42 sites within 45 minutes; two boat dives/day, unlimited shore diving - excellent. German-run dive operation is professional and efficient. Traditional dhoni's take 12­14 divers - cramped. Stride entries and exits via ladder. Eight to twelve gray sharks at some sites; two hour boat ride to manta sites; 2­15 mantas. Strong to ripping currents on most dives; vis 50 to 80 feet. Bungalows are all beach front, spacious. Food fair, repetitive. Breakfast lunch buffets; sit down dinner, service friendly and helpful. Full bar on all tourist islands."

Paradise Island, April 1996, Tom Millington, CA. "Thirty-six hour flight from LA. Hotel 5 star - rooms beautiful, service and food excellent. . . . Delphi Divers Dutch run; we were first Americans. At first refused to let us dive due to American reputation for lawsuits! We printed our own releases and they ok d us. . . . Tanks only 60 cu ft - 30 meter limit first dive, 18 meter 2nd. vis: 80­100 ft. water: 83°. Some locations excellent with good currents, huge schools of jacks, snapper, lots of eels, scorpion fish, lionfish, small critters. Turtles on all dives. Some spots ho-hum - coral affected by run-off from construction on island. Divemasters baby-sat group of 8­10 divers until they knew you - then gave a little freedom for us photographers. Too restricted dives, too safety-oriented."

Veligandu, January 1996, Peter Louwerse, Kobnacht, Switzerland. "Located in the Rashdu Atoll, North of Ari and West of South Male. 60 bungalows, almost all on the beach. AC, warm and cold water (reverse-osmosis water plant). Bungalows somewhat Spartan and lack storage space, but to be refurbished in summer. Food good for Maldivian standards - fish, chicken, prepared in different and innovative ways. . . . Dive shop is Swiss-managed, well equipped, 12 liter aluminum tanks, BC's, regulators, computers for hire. Logbooks and C-Cards are inspected and a check dive is mandatory, then free to dive on your own. Diving is done from dhonis, which is tolerable, but no more. My wife has back and hip problems and had great trouble getting back on board. Maldivian crew gave her extra help. Safety stressed; instructor checks the current. Two or three instructors or divemasters to guide and help the inexperienced. . . . Reef around island inside the atoll; disappointing. After two dives we gave up. Outside reef: dhoni takes you twice a day to sites on the outer reef - and what sites they are! On our checkout dive, a 15 ft Manta almost knocked off our masks and subsequent dives (although poor visibility) almost always resulted in meetings with Mantas. The South side is richer. Clouds of reef fish obscure the sun. 9 hammerheads. Two whitetips of 8 ft came for a look; every dive turtles. School of 40 mobulae, a smaller variety of manta. Saw them regularly. Once a week - an early-morning hammerhead dive. At sunup, you swim from the reef out into the blue at a depth of 80­100 ft. Hammerheads came for a look and circled around us. Word of warning: currents horizontal and vertical. Often, swept into the channel by currents of up to 5 knots. The dhoni follows and picks up the divers, who all have safety sausages provided by the dive shop. Some the reefs have excellent corals, but that is the minority. . . . Transfers from the international airport at Male are made by float plane; you're in your bungalow 2 hours after arrival of the intercontinental flight. Traditional transfer by dhoni may take up to 5 hours."

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