Guest User
March 1, 2024
I booked an entire diving package for Dhangethi and Fuvahmulah through Hassan and his team at Fuvahmulah Central Dive Center. If you’re going to spend a lot of money on a ‘once in a lifetime’ trip like this, then you’ll probably want to know details, so here goes… I’ll provide an honest review with the ups and downs (though there’s not many of the latter). From the moment I first contacted Hassan he was very responsive, and always was in the build up to my holiday. This was both via WhatsApp and email, and I really appreciated the speed and clarity of the information provided and questions answered. I explained to Hassan what I was looking for, and was quite rigid on dates. He built a package around that, which was 3 nights in Dhangethi and 4 nights in Fuvahmulah. Hassan and the Fuvahmulah Central Dive Center (FCDC) team took care of everything. On arrival at Male I went to the counter that I was instructed to in advance, where I was expected and warmly greeted. I was quickly shown to the speedboat and was on my way very soon. No hanging around at the airport, which I’ve encountered in the past. The speedboat accommodates about 50 passengers and is indeed speedy. The only downside was that it was almost full by the time I got on it, so I had to sit next to the Captain. That sounds fun but in reality is the bounciest and most uncomfortable seat on the boat! Still, better that then waiting round for the next one. At Dhangethi harbour I was greeted by the Manager of the guesthouse I was staying at. My bags were whisked away and we took the 5 minute stroll to guesthouse. Banyan Villa is lovely. Quite simple as you’d expect from what I’d say is a 3* guest house, and perfectly clean with a good shower, comfy bed, and a fancy jacuzzi bath that I didn’t get round to trying. The wi-fi was good, and I enjoyed the 3 meals a day that I ate there. As instructed, I met Shalley the Dive instructor at South Ari Dive Center that evening. We filled in the forms and I left my equipment with him. The following day I took the short walk from the guesthouse back to the harbour and off we went. Although I’d booked 4 dives on Dhangethi as part of the package, I’d said when I met Shalley I’d be keen for 3 dives each day and they were very happy to provide this. Both days, I was the only diver. That meant 1-2-1 guided dives, and the full team was professional and very good at why they do. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see any Mantas or Whale Sharks. I don’t think we even tried to find Whale Sharks – i.e. none of the dive spots I was taken to had even a slim chance of seeing them. Perhaps it was the wrong time of year, but even my confirmation emails said ‘including Whale Shark and Manta dives’ so it was a bit disappointing to seemingly not even try. On the other hand we did one dive to a Manta cleaning station. They didn’t show up, but I can’t blame the dive center for that! That’s often how it goes with diving. I’ve been spoiled in th