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Red Sea and Maldives Diving holidays have a reputation for offering some of the best scuba experiences on the planet. But how can you choose between the two? Online reviews are all well and good, but if a certain resort doesn’t meet a guest’s individual tastes, or if they happen to visit during a freak storm, then one poor review can sometimes overshadow what may otherwise be a world-class diving destination.
For an honest, straightforward comparison of Red Sea verses Maldives diving, that will help you to make a fair and realistic judgement, read on…
Marine Life
The Red Sea offers more shark action than the Maldives (especially from a Red Sea Live Aboard), and perhaps a greater volume of fish life. More than 1000 different species of fish live in the Red Sea’s extensive coral reefs and oceanic predators, such as barracuda and jacks can be found in alongside hammerheads, mako sharks and whale sharks. There are around 170 endemic species here, including the Arabian angelfish and dotted parrotfish.
The sharks you’ll encounter on a Maldives diving holiday will most likely be the harmless kind, such as zebra sharks and grey-tipped reef sharks; hammerheads have been sighted, but are rare. Whale shark viewing is considered amongst the best in the world here, with manta ray and sperm whale encounters also likely to top the Red Sea. In the open ocean, manta rays, tuna and whale species are common. In the shallows, expect to see sweet lips, parrot fish, turtles and snapper.
Wreck Diving
The Red Sea is certainly the better destination for wreck diving. Storms, dangerous currents and abundant reefs have made the Red Sea difficult to navigate; yet ships have sailed and sunk in these waters from as far back as the ancient Egyptian era. The Thistlegorm is the most famous Red Sea wreck – this 1940s British ferry ship sunk with a cargo of ammunition, tanks and BSA motorcycles. And the Dunraven comes a close second – this Victorian steam ship hit a reef in the 1870s and sank upside-down to a depth of 30 metres.
It’s possible to visit several wrecks on a Maldives diving holiday but they tend to be less spectacular than those in the Red Sea, and many have been purposely sunk. The best known Maldives wrecks include The Victory – an 82-metre oceanic freighter that was run into the reef by an inebriated captain in 1981; and the Halaveli Wreck – better known as ‘Stingray City’.
Natural Beauty
The Maldives certainly has the edge on the Red Sea in terms of natural beauty, but if entertainment and tourist amenities are what you’re after, then Egypt may suit you better. If you’re staying in Sharm-el-Sheikh, for example, you can expect a built-up resort, with plenty of inexpensive souvenir shops, entertainment venues and grocery stores. Further away from Sharm, areas such as Dahab are less built-up. Tourism in Maldives, however, is carefully controlled by the Maldivian government, who stipulate that all tourist developments must be sustainable and aim to preserve the islands’ natural beauty. Accommodation here is likely to be smaller-scale, as opposed to the whitewashed hotels and tourist complexes in Sharm-el-Sheikh.
Cost
You’re more likely to find a budget holiday in the Red Sea, with a huge array of cheaper hotels and backpacker accommodation as well as more exclusive resorts on offer and cost effective Red Sea Liveaboards. Low-cost airlines also fly to several destinations in Egypt, bringing costs down further. The Maldives, on the other hand, focuses on high-end accommodation and luxury, barefoot living, with each resort located on its own private island. Long-haul flights will also add to the expense, making a Maldives diving holiday a better choice for a special treat or a honeymoon.
Tags: Red Sea Liveaboards, Red Sea Live Aboards, Maldives Liveaboards, Maldives Live Aboards, Red Sea Diving, Maldives Diving, Egypt Diving, Egypt Dive