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Haa Dhaalu Divers
Haa Dhaalu Atoll has seen seen 39 new Open Water Divers trained as part of a BDSC initiative to encourage skills development in the area. Working out of Kulhudufusshi island in the upper North of the Maldives, Into Scuba worked closely with the BDSC to make these subsidised courses possible.
By helping people take their first breaths underwater and then guiding them step by step through the training we ensure that they receive a solid education in diving and a first hand impression of how important scuba diving can be to local tourism within the region.
Hopefully our efforts have also encouraged a greater understanding of the island ecosystem and the delicate nature of the coral reefs. Part of the project was to sensitize people to the harmful effects that inappropriate waste disposal has on their own natural heritage. By getting members of the community involved in cleaning up their piece of the ocean we showed them how they too can be pro active in their responsibilities to help create a better Maldives.
This project has been a fantastic collaboration and the overwhelming enthusiasm expressed by the course participants is a testament to it’s perceived success. It’s been a challenge but also a greatly rewarding experience to bring scuba diving to the local communities.
The Road Ahead
In September Into Scuba will be on the road again. This time we’re heading North to Haa Dhaalu to provide the same opportunities in scuba diving as received in the South by the people of Addu.
This project is a collaborated effort supported by the Ministry of Economic Development MoED, the regional Business Development Service Centers BDSC and funded by the Asian Development Bank ADB. It’s aim is to provide subsidised diving opportunities to the local community in an effort to create involvement in tourism related industries and to promote awareness on diving safety and various environmental issues.
Based on the local island of Kulhuduffushi, Into Scuba will be training 40 entrants from this region in PADI sanctioned scuba diving courses. If you are from this region and interested in participating in this program then please visit the BDSC office on Kulhuduffushi to register. Entrants will be required to fill out a medical statement to ascertain their medical fitness for diving and contribute a 20% share – 973 MRF, of the total course fee.
The remainder of the course fee has been generously subsidised by the collaborating agencies.
For more information on this program and whom to contact please visit the following website:
Zuvaanunge Dhirun
Note that the site content is written in the Divehi language only.
Due to the limited availability of placements for this program, registrations will be handled on a first come first serve basis. Admissions will be closed once 40 participants have been enrolled so be sure to apply early and guarantee your place underwater.
Haa Dhaalu we look forward to taking you scuba diving!
City Diving
Addu City – Into Scuba has reached out to the local community to encourage them to dive and the people have responded. Almost 40 participants have now completed this BDSC funded program with the last few certifications to be concluded this week. Yesterday during an information evening called by the BDSC’s south office, overwhelming positive feedback was received from the attending students who were eager to share their excitement with the committee. The bottom line – Diving is helping to bring people together in a very unique and positive way. Thank you Addu City and thank you BDSC.
Into Addu
Into Scuba is going due South for the month of July. In association with the Ministry of Economic Development and the regional Business Development Service Centers we are going to deliver truly affordable diver training programs to the communities of the South Atolls.
At the heart of this initiative lies the growing need to introduce diving and related activities as a viable industry to support mid level tourism in these regions. Previously only seen on resorts, dive centres and dive professionals could play a valuable part in encouraging visitors to come to these remote but beautiful local destinations.
Besides involving the community in diving, this program also aims to encourage a deeper sense of environmental awareness and will deliver a strong message of marine conservation and of protecting endangered species. Similarly it aims to teach people the standard safe practices of scuba diving and will hopefully discourage them from engaging in other dangerous diving industries such as sea cucumber collecting which cause serious injury and even fatalities to young people each year.
For this initiative to be received in a positive light, the highest degree of professionalism supported by excellent equipment is called for. Each student will receive a full set of PADI student materials for their course and the equipment made available to them is brand new and totally in line with the afore mentioned safe practices. Into Scuba will be sending it’s highly trained and professional IDC Staff instructors to deliver the training and to conduct the awareness sessions.
Addu….. here we come!
Into Scuba Backs a Winner
Into Scuba sponsored team DBC at the 31st National Basketball Tournament. DBC won the finals for the Men’s Division 2 tournament. Congratulations to all the team players on and off the bench! It was a great game and everyone was behind you!!!
As usual a photo album of the event can be seen here on facebook or simply check out our facebook fan page embedded on this site.
Victory for Into Scuba
Last Friday Into Scuba organised a dive trip for advanced divers to visit the famous Maldives Victory shipwreck! It was a fantastic day out! The conditions were good and everyone was in for a great dive. The Maldives Victory is a cargo vessel which was sunk in the waters just adjacent to Hulhule airport. The wreck stands fully upright with it’s keel embedded in the sandy bottom of the channel. It’s one of the best wreck dives in the Maldives and really close to Hulhumale making it perfect for half day trips or for teaching PADI Wreck diver speciality courses. The photos of the dive can been seen on our facebook page. To view the album just follow this link. Thank you to everyone who participated and made it such a memorable day!
The PADI handshake
Following Into Scuba’s acceptance into the the PADI International Resort & Retailer Association (IRRA), Thomas Sobotta, the PADI regional representative for the Maldives paid Into Scuba a visit to hand over our official PADI Dive Resort certification.
Along with the official “PADI handshake”, Thomas wished us the best of luck in our endeavours to encourage diving and diver training in the area. As a PADI dive center, Into Scuba is authorised to conduct a wide range of PADI programs and courses. Take a look at our courses section of the website for a full overview of what we have to offer.
Children’s Day Charity Event
In lieu of Children’s day and in celebration of Formax’s 10 year anniversary in Maldives, Formax hosted a charity event at the artificial beach in Male. The Into Scuba team offered their diving services free of charge to the event organisers to help in raising funds for needy children. The day was a huge success with many visitors, young and old, enjoying a variety of activities over the local weekend.
Click here to See our facebook album of the event.
Finally a word of thanks once again to all those generous people who helped out on the day.
Here’s to “doing it for the kids” – cheers guys!
Into Scuba Inauguration
On Saturday the 7th of May Into Scuba inaugurated the establishment of their dive centre in Hulhumalé with a grand opening day. The event began in the morning and ended at sundown. Over 100 adults and children were given the opportunity to experience the thrill of scuba diving first hand.
The bubblemaker activity was aimed at children between ages 8 and 10 and introduces children to scuba diving and the equipment used. Discover scuba diving was offered to adults to get them wet too. Many local Instructors and divemasters came to assist with the in-water activities and it was only with their help that so many people could be accommodated. Thank you to everyone who lent a hand in making this day such a big success!
The venue was decorated with diving flags, balloons, banners, posters and various colourful tents. The DJ crew kept the mood lively and the whole place was filled with the happy faces of people of different ages and backgrounds.
The inauguration ceremony itself was held at 4pm. The Minister of Youth and Sports, Hassan Latheef, and Education Minister Shifa Mohamed participated in the ceremony. Into Scuba Dive Center was inaugurated by the Youth Minister himself who raised the flag of Into Scuba at the event.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Youth Minister said that,”99 percent of Maldives is made up of water. Only one percent is land. So the younger generation needs to be more familiar with it”.
The Minister of Education, Shifa Mohamed, also spoke at the ceremony. “The children need a more practical approach to learning. They need to experience things first hand rather than read about it from a book”, she said.
Into Scuba aims to educate the younger generation and create awareness while teaching them about their responsibilities to the aquatic world
After the ceremony an evening of live entertainment was provided by famous singer Unoosha and the band Harubee.
Into Scuba Grand Opening Day
You’ve seen all the posters now come and see us!!!!!
We are hosting a grand opening day at BBQ beach this Saturday 7th of May. All are welcome. There will be:
- Live entertainment
- The chance to try diving for free!
- A grand prize raffle
- And much…. much…. more!!!!!!!
Join us and be part of something very cool! We look forward to seeing you there.
Come and visit us!
