Maldives - Things to do - Scuba Diving - Dive Safety
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Currents
To enhance the enjoyment and safety of a dive, consideration of the direction and strength of currents is extremely important, wherever you are diving; whether it is in the 'kandu', a pass between the atoll reefs or 'thila' a shoal, inside the atolls.The success of a dive almost always depends on these variables. The Maldivian archipelago is swept by ceaseless currents caused by the monsoons; generally east to west during the northeast monsoon, from December to April and west to east during the southwest monsoon, from May to November. However this is not a hard and fast rule, as changes in wind directions and tides can offset the influence of the oceanic currents - especially so during the transitional period between the two seasons.
Further, the location of islands reefs and 'thilas' cause great irregularity in the flow of current streams inside atoll passes. Many local boat captains show great skill in telling the direction of the current by observing tiny ripples or wave patterns on the surface. However, the dive guide often jumps into the water to determine the exact strength and direction.
Strong currents often make a dive site livelier, and that makes the additional effort worthwhile.
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