Ocean One Tauchsafari, Malediven

Good week but too French

DIVING/GUIDING - the visibility during this week was poor to bad to very bad. Unfortunate. - The manta rays and sharks were impressive. Whale sharks’ visit was amazing. - Quite a few dives sites are obviously over-dived with very damaged coral everywhere. Sometimes we would be the 5th or 7th boat to anchor at a site. Super crowded under the water. - Out of the four dive masters, Luli, the English spreading guide, was the most responsible in making sure all the divers at both OW and Adv were well looked after. She also worked hard to find interesting things for the group to see. - Salume was also good n helpful. - Francesco would find a few things per dive to show and switch off for the remaining dive. He assumed everyone was advanced, which was not true since the minimum level for this tour was just OW. He would be the first one to board the dhoni after a dive. - Tony is the most experienced on this boat but he showed no interest in showing the group anything at all during the dives. He crossed his arms from the beginning to end and did not work at showing the group anything. Nothing changed even after repeated complaints. Very disappointed. FRENCH BOAT - this’s a French boat with French signage, French culture norms. - Out of 24 guests, 16 were French and only 3 of them would communicate with the English speaking group of 8. The rest couldn’t speak English. 5 of the 8 English speakers came to this boat due to a last minute cancellation of a different boat. Otherwise, it would have been a very lonely week for the 3. - At the airport arrival pickup, there was No sign saying Ocean One. The sign was the name of the French company who owns the boat. There probably was an email somewhere saying one should look for this French company name. How hard is it to just make a sign to say Ocean One which is what this tour is known for on Liveaboard .com ? This would really help the guests just coming off a long flight to find the group easier among the utter chaos at the airport. - Would recommend English speakers to either come with your own group or come if you speak French. FOOD/BAR - At all the 15 lunch/dinners I attended, there was only one main entree per meal; 6 of which were tuna. That got old very quickly. Salad and fruit were usually the same/similar everyday. The entrees were simple like deep fried calamari, deep fried scampi, … etc. - the lasagna was good. - Except for one or two meals, vegetarians could only eat the sides like salad and rice and potato. There was no entree for them. - The BBQ was good with excellent steak. - the bar was good. Tea n coffee available all day. OTHER SERVICES - the staff made a video of the trip n would give to the guest free of charge. That was much appreciated. - There’s no place for the guests to wash their wetsuits after dive. The best they offer is a shower one could rinse off. - There are two short racks in the dhoni where everyone hangs their wet suits. Nothing ever dries there. - The WiFi is bad. The only strong signal is right outside the office. Luckily, when we moor near island, they usually have cell service. - The supporting staff in the dhoni worked hard and were helpful. Much appreciated that Mostaff found my GoPro after it came off my wrist during a night dive. - Need designated smoking area. People lit up anywhere outside they like, sometimes right next to you having dinner. Very annoying. - Beach party was very nice. The island was beautiful. Would love to have some tiki to light up after dark.

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1. The whale shark visit 2. Manta encounter 3. Free video of the week

Wow! What an amazing experience!

I had such an amazing trip with Ocean 1. From start to finish, the crew and intructors were exceptional. So friendly and cannot do enough to make your experience the best it can be. For the few English speakers onboard (majority French onboard), attention was taken by all, but particularly by Luli who looked after us and made sure we understood our briefings and itinerary. She guided us on most of our dives and was very caring, helpful, and fun. I love her respect for the ocean & only wished every diver could appreciate marine life as much as her. The diving was insane... we seen so much and the majority of the dive sites were amazing. Even from the back of the boat on an evening- we had mantas, whale sharks, nurse sharks and dolphins. The dives were occasionally challenging however, therefore not suitable for those who don't have much experience- advanced minimum. The Donhi crew were great, very helpful and friendly. Special mention to Akram, super attentive and talented barman who kept the fun going throughout the evenings with his tasty cocktails. The jacuzzi- coupled with incredible shooting stars most evenings was a great addition. The cabins were very comfortable, though would benefit from some reef safe shower gel/ shampoo etc. dispensers. The food was lovely, there was so much of it! Fresh fish dishes caught from the boat, chicken and vegetarian options. We had additional activities like kayaking to a local island and beach time, and a trip to a sandbar for apero time which was brilliant. All in all it was a fabulous trip! And one I would definitely recommend to other diving friends! Thanks again to Luli & Checco who made this trip as fun as it was x

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The diving, the crew & the fun times

Great Maldives Intro Dove

Two great dives (mantas, sharks), little island party, and manta snorkling

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Cabins, Mantas, food

amazing

Dear Ocean one, it was a fantastic experience on your liveaboard. We had a great time. The crew members were also amazing, especially Lou. She was by far the best guide. She took care of the English speakers and did this with great passion. Her briefings before the dives were very clear. We had already done several diving trips and liveaboards where we received different guides and briefings. This allows us to conclude that Lou's passion, knowledge and dedication to diving was excellent. Checco also took great care of the less experienced divers and reassured them. We definitely want to come back with the Ocean One. If there is one point of criticism, it is that the boat is slightly dated. However, the rooms were clean and tidy and the food was very good. We have lost our hearts to the Maldives. Thanks to ocean one and the crew. Lots of love Yannick, Stephan and Sophie

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Lou, sharks, turtles

Magnificient dives beyond extreme south of Maldives

- Profusion of manta rays (especially oceanic ones then eagle rays), various sharks (particularly grey reef and white tip ones) - Tiger sharks dive - New ability, developed skill through positive experience to face up correctly with strong current dive spots - High quality (spacious) cabin - Crew absolutely oriented to satisfy every need, each expectation from participants promptly.

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1. Abundance of pelagic species 2. Demanding dives 3. Very good knowledge of underwater sites we explored by dive guides

Best diving experience in the Maldives!

The whole experience during my liveaboard with Les Amis des Maldives was absolutely amazing! It really surpassed all my expectations. Since the very first moment I felt like at home, as everybody made me feel super comfortable (crew, instructors...) and also I was lucky to meet nice people and we became the best diving buddies! We had some really cool dives: I can say the best dives of my life as we saw many different species of sharks, mantas, eagle rays, turtles, octopus, beautiful fish and coral, and so on... The underwater wildlife in the Maldives is really amazing and also at night, after dinner, we could see the whaleshark, mantas, dolphins, cuttlefish... right next to us, coming next to the boat and it was such a beautiful moment to experience. All the people working on Ocean One was always making sure that we have the best diving experiences: planning the itinerary and the dive sites very carefully always having in account those which have the best conditions depending on the weather and currents and making sure that there are no other divers apart from us. We did many cool dives (23 in total) and all the instructors are really nice and super good instructors. Mostly Lucila made me feel super comfortable underwater and was always making sure that we were having the best experience. Also on the boat she was always helping us with everything we needed and everytime I needed something Lucila, Francesco and all the instructors were there to help and make us feel better. I really appreciate that and I'm so grateful. Talking about the crew, they are the nicest people I've ever met, always ready to help us with a smile, they deserve the best! Also the food on board is really nice and they did the impossible to make a diary-free diet just for me, I really appreciate that, thanks chef! Thank you so much to everybody for making possible this amazing experience in the Maldives that I will never forget! Alexandra.

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Amazing dives, cool instructors and crew and comfy boat