We’ve all been there – on a dive, hoping to see sharks and then at last they appear, but a glance at your dive computer shows you must ascend to a shallower depth; you notice other divers are still there, and back on the boat there is much talk of the spectacular sighting that you missed. Let us introduce Nitrox – the handy gas blend that can improve safety and extend bottom time.
By completing the PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver specialty course, divers can reduce the amount of nitrogen in the gas they breathe underwater and therefore reduce the risks and limitations of diving with ‘normal’ air. There’s nothing complicated about Nitrox, it’s simply a gas with a higher percentage of oxygen and lower percentage of nitrogen and once you’re certified to dive with it, you’ll have the opportunity to dive at renowned shark diving sites with ease.
To get started select here the dive centre you will be visiting then pick ‘Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver’ – complete the online theory and then you’ll go through the practical elements of gas analysing, filling in the nitrox log and setting your dive computer correctly with an instructor once you arrive at the resort – you’ll be diving safer and longer in no time!
Tell us about your shark adventures with Euro-Divers in the comments below.
Shark diving sites to look forward to:
Havodda Maldives
With Euro-Divers Havodda you have access to some of the best channel dives in the atoll, two of our favourites for shark diving are Rahadhoo Kandu & Madaveli Kandu. When the current is right, there is a high chance that divers will be greeted by a school of grey reefs sharks, eagle rays, white tips and other big fish such as tunas, Napoleon and barracuda, as well as green sea turtles. Hanging around on the reef to watch these creatures swimming by can be a real treat.
Eriyadu Island Resort, Meeru Island Resort & Spa and Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa
The Euro-Divers teams have identified the best shark points in the region as Finger Point, Helengeli Bodu Thila, Miyaru Faru and Woshimas Thila. These dive sites are real shark magnets that provide breath-taking close encounters with different kinds of sharks. Regular sightings of up to 20 grey reefs and white tips are enjoyed, as well as frequent silver tip encounters. 20-30 schooling eagle rays can be seen – a spectacle that cannot be missed. Tuna, jacks and napoleon are amongst the other big fish seen at these sites.
Kurumba Maldives
Embudhoo Express is the favourite place to be for shark dives in the Maldives with Euro-Divers at Kurumba. About 45 minutes away, this dive site has it all and can be dived all year round. During the incoming current, it gives a panoramic view of the channel’s mouth and in outgoing currents, grey reefs, white tips and occasionally silver tip sharks come close showing their full size.
Other than sharks, jacks, eagle rays, turtles, Napoleon can be seen here. Kurumba House Reef is also a great shark watching spot – it has about a population of about 20 black-tip reef sharks with sizes ranging from 1-2 metres in length. They swim very close to you, checking you out. And can be seen during snorkelling too. Kurumba House Reef also offers octopuses, turtles, and eagle rays, as well as the usual abundance of fish.
It is recommended that for all of the above dives, with the exception of Kurumba House Reef, divers should certified to PADI Advanced Open Water Diver level or equivalent, and be qualified to dive with nitrox.
Everything started with my Open Water Course at Koh Tao, Thailand. I’m hooked with the first breath I took underwater – this magical and peaceful world with all these different colors and creatures made me forget about everything else. It felt like an addiction.
This time made me realize that I don’t want to keep diving only as a hobby. I wanted to become a Diving Instructor and make diving my profession.
I was working as an entertainer in one of the resorts in South Malé atoll. The first time I tried diving I absolutely fell in love with it, so every day off I would go diving.
I was lucky enough to meet people from Euro-Divers who helped me complete my instructor course and employment later on.
That trip changed everything. Since 2014, I visited more than 50 countries in three continents.
2019, 2020, 2021 – still in Maldives, enjoying what I love the most.
Im sonnigen Süden (Ägypten) lernte ich im Urlaub die unglaubliche Unterwasserwelt bei einem Schnuppertauchgang kennen und lieben.
Anfangs arbeitete ich im Tauchcenter im Büro, mir wurde jedoch schnell klar, dass ich die Gäste nicht nur über Wasser sondern auch unter Wasser begleiten wollte. Somit machte ich die Divemaster Ausbildung.
I studied Hotel management and ended up working for several years in different Hotels/Resorts around Italians seaside where I spend my days off diving and achieving the Dive Master rating.
I choose to stay in Oman because of its unspoiled dive site, beaches and many undiscovered dive places! We do not have mass tourism here and the country itself is spectacular besides being the safest place to live in.
Bored and burnt out of the stressful life in Holland, I quit my job as Manager Back Office & Finance and I went to Curacao for holiday. On this tropical island I took my first breaths under water with Instructor Marc, who is still my buddy in life.
Diving keeps me grounded, relaxed and connected with Mother Nature (myself). It supports me to let go, to put things into perspective and it helps me to stay focused and balanced in my position as a manager.
But diving was not at all my purpose of the journey, in fact I was not even a diver yet, I became a diver after I got passionate in freediving in Egypt in 2012 while freediving with dolphin in the wild, eager to become a snorkeling guide, I did my life guard licence and then my PADI open water!
I love freediving but scuba diving is an all other story for me, learning scuba diving make you discover part of yourself you didn’t know, you learn to control things that you would have never imagined possible, I regularly see many of my students discovering how calm they can be underwater when in life they tend to be hyperactive and then in the other hand I see calm or introverted persons becoming excited and move like a torpedo underwater 🙂 so diving might not be for everyone but it is definitely to discover!
I decided after my hospitality studies to enter this fascinating new world. I have started my career in Club Med as Guest Service and had the opportunity to travel some of the famous destinations for diving or snorkeling.
I am the perfect example of someone who was scared of diving, the only advice I could give is to believe in yourself.
But since I was young, I knew I wanted to travel the world, to go on adventures, have fun and meet people from everywhere. Unfortunately, those jobs didn’t give me the opportunity to do it so after 5 years I decided to move to Thailand.
Scuba Diving is a sport of passion.
During this time, I wanted to try something new, so I started scuba diving and I will never forget my first underwater experience. I felt nervous at first but at the same time a lot of excitement.
Some people might think that diving is a difficult sport, but there are many ways to enjoy safe diving for any age or gender.
