If you have a trip to The Maldives planned and you want to go scuba diving, you may be wondering whether non swimmers can do scuba diving in The Maldives. Scuba diving is classed as a dangerous sport, as it’s in an environment that is not what we a used to. It is for this reason why it’s important to understand whether or not non-swimmers can do scuba diving in The Maldives.
Non-swimmers cannot scuba dive in The Maldives, as it is a requirement to swim 200 metres (656 feet) to get certified as a scuba diver. You will probably be able to do a try dive in a swimming pool at your resort on “Discover Scuba”, but this will not allow you to dive on the reefs of The Maldives.
The best way to dive the Maldives is by a scuba diving liveaboard. You can check the latest and best deals on Maldives liveaboards using the following window:
It is necessary to be able to swim to dive in The Maldives. As part of the PADI scuba diving qualification you have to swim 200 metres (656 feet) and float and tread water for 10 minutes.
But even better, I suggest you get yourself scuba diver certified before you go to The Maldives. This way you are not spending your holiday having to read diver manuals and taking exams, but instead you can enjoy the amazing diving there, right from the get go.
Is Maldives good for non-swimmers?
The Maldives isn’t a good place to go for non-swimmers, as non-swimmers will miss out on the amazing underwater world. You will enjoy The Maldives much more if you learn to swim before you go, as this will open up the opportunity to snorkel on the house reef of your resort.
Having said that, some of the land-based resorts in The Maldives will take non-swimmers snorkelling with a life vest for safety. But you will enjoy these activities much more if you are confident in the water, and confidence comes from knowing how to swim. It is much safer too to be able to swim before you go anywhere near water.
The second advantage of learning to swim before you go to The Maldives is it will allow you to get certified to scuba dive too.
Can you go to Maldives if you can’t swim?
There’s nothing to stop you from going to the Maldives if you can’t swim, but you will enjoy your trip more and be much safer when in the water if you learn to swim before you go.
There are other activities you can enjoy in The Maldives if you can’t swim, like sun-bathing, relaxing on the beach reading a book, yoga and so on. Some say you can enjoy other activities like kayaking, but what happens if you fall off the kayak if you can’t swim?
Be safe and learn to swim before you go to the Maldives, and you will enjoy your trip so much more.
What can non-swimmers do in Maldives?
There are a number of activities that non-swimmers can do in The Maldives, which include:
Sun-bathing on the beach.
Read a book.
Write.
Enjoy the spa.
Go to the gym.
Play tennis.
Play table tennis.
Beach volleyball.
Fishing.
Windsurfing, jet skiing, catamaran, canoeing or kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding.*
Snorkel.**
* With windsurfing, jet skiing, catamaran, canoeing or kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding you should be able to swim before taking part in case you fall into the water, but in theory you could do these, but I strongly recommend you don’t if you can’t swim.
** You can go snorkelling with an organised tour if you can’t swim, as there will be guides to teach you to snorkel and swim. But you will be better to know how to swim before you go so you can snorkel on the house reef too.
Can you snorkel if you are not a good swimmer?
If you are not a good swimmer you can snorkel, but until you gain confidence in the sea be careful how far you swim away from the shore. Snorkelling on the house reef of most Maldives resorts is shallow and safe, and will be ideal to improve your swimming skills.
I hope you enjoyed this page about an non swimmers do scuba diving in Maldives
If you have more questions either about snorkelling or scuba diving (or specifically about can non swimmers do scuba diving in Maldivess), please comment below with your questions.
Please share your experiences, plus dive sites, resorts and liveaboards you recommend. Share the time of year of your trip together with what you saw, the visibility, currents and dive operator, as this will help others who read this page.
There will also be many more pages and articles about scuba and scuba diving safety tips (and on snorkelling too) for you to read and learn about this fabulous sport.
Have fun and be safe!
Can Non Swimmers Do Scuba Diving In Maldives: Safe Sub Aqua
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Article written by Russell Bowyer who has been a scuba diver since diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in 1989. After his first dive he trained as a BSAC diver in the UK. He attained his Diver Leader certification with BSAC. He then went on to become a scuba diving instructor, teaching others how to dive and was voted as Diving Officer and Treasurer for the Saffron Walden BSAC club too. Russell has dived all over the world, including the UK, on liveaboards in the Red Sea, the Caribbean, South Africa and the USA. Russell is experienced in all dive types, including drift diving, deep dives that involved decompression stops and recreational dives too.
