Eriyadhoo, Maldives
Sonja and Wouter Gijsbertse
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Diving on Eriyadhoo, Maldives - Visit Report
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Eriyadhoo is one of the many Maldivian islands and situated in the top of the North Male Atoll.
The island is reached by fast boat in approx. 45 minutes from Male airport.
In Mai 1999 we spend one week on this small but beatiful island. The island is quit small but
still has many things to offer. It was a great relaxing holiday with great dives, good food and
much peacefullness and tranquility. At that time, much of the coral reefs were still largely
affected by the high water temperatures caused by El Nino. However, the huge amount of fish and the
amazing colours largely make up for this.
Our personal rating (May 1999)
| Topic | Rating | Comments |
| Island |
| The island is quit small but is not at all crowded. Some of the cabins/bungalows are
directly situated on the beach. |
| Bungalows |
| Spacy and comfortable. Air conditioned and even equipped with a bath which seems just a
bit too luxureous. |
| Eating and drinking |
| Delicious buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner but not extremely varied. The
coffeeshop offers small snacks and drinks which can be enjoyed with a marvelous view over the
ocean. A full board upgrade was fairly cheap. |
| Facilities |
| Watersports, especially scuba diving and snorkeling. |
| Under water |
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Much of the corals are dead due to El Nino. However, there
are many small and bigger fish (reef sharks, rays, etc.). Water
temperature: 29°C (5mm shorty is sufficient). |
| House reef |
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Directly accessible from the beach, several exits through
the reef, beautiful for snorkeling or scuba diving. Book a few
days non-limit diving and go on early-morning dives and/or night
dives. Dive packages are cheaper than single dives anyway. |
| Dive sites |
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Some 35 excellent diving sites at less than an hour with the
Dhoni (e,g, Lucky Rock just outside the atoll). Each morning
and afternoon the dhonis leave for the dive sites. Lunch is
usually again at the hotel. |
| Dive centre |
| Not very cheap, but very professional. Good and modern equipment. |
| Prices |
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Not cheap (especially diving), but worth it: 25$-35$ per dive
(without boat, incl. air and weights but using own equipment).
Cocktail drinks are 8$, a bottle of water costs 3$. |
| Conclusion |
| Definitely not a bad choice if you are looking for a small and quiet island. |
Eriyadhoo and other Maldivian islands
If you want more information on Eriyadhoo, checkout this site of Werner Lau or visit this site: Visit Maldives - Eriyadhoo.
If you have any comments, don't hesitate to let us know!
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