Divers' Perception of their Diving Experience in The Maldives

Divers' Perception - The Maldives

by: Ahmed Salih, Ph/Fax: 0064 3 477 4017, email: solih@xtra.co.nz

"A Shark Hunted For Its Meat, Oil And Fins Yield Far Less Income Than One Left Alone For The Attraction Of Divers"

His Excellency Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of the Republic of the Maldives

Abstract	Acknowledgments
Introduction	Scuba Diving	Primary Research Results & Discussions
Objectives of the Study	Studies on Scuba Diving	Response Rate
Study Design & Methodology	Maldives as a Dive Destination	Divers' Comments
Study Instrument		Conclusions & Recommendations
Study Area		Limitations to the Study

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to examine the demographic, socio-economic characteristics, diving related attributes, and the perception of the quality of experience of the divers visiting the Maldives. The results provide a diver profile, the level of satisfaction among the divers and divers’ opinion regarding some dive related attributes/issues and Maldivian tourism product.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was made possible with the generous assistance from a number of individuals and organisations. First of all, I would like to thank Dr. Alison McIntosh (Centre for Tourism, University of Otago) for her assistance in carrying out the study.

To the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Hassan Sobir, I am grateful for the support given to me in administering the questionnaire in the Maldives, and to my colleagues specially Sharmeela for the personal interest she took in this study. I thank the management of all the resorts and dive schools, who welcomed the questionnaire and to all the divers who took time off their vacation to make it happen.

Finally, I thank my family for their love and support during the project.

INTRODUCTION

Tourism is a dynamic, multifaceted and is regarded as the largest industry. The World Tourism Organisation (1999) forecasts that the earnings from international tourism will soar from US$ 443 billion in 1997 to more than US$ 2 trillion in 2020. Small island nations like the Maldives want to share the benefits of tourism because it generates the desperately needed foreign exchange earnings, creates employment, and the multiplier effect of tourism is substantial.

Maldivian tourism industry is totally based on the natural environment. More of the country being under water, it has the perfect ingredients to make it one of the great diving destinations: good visibility, the sheer number and variety of fish, and thriving coral reefs (Camerapix, 1992; Hassan, et al, 1994). So Scuba Diving is the main recreational activity offered in the resorts. It is estimated that 35 per cent of the tourists visiting the Maldives participate in diving. Information regarding how the divers perceive their experience could be utilised in a number of avenues. This study was carried out to aiming to understand some of the behavioural aspects of the divers.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This study aims to fulfil the following objectives.
1 - To examine the perception held by divers regarding the quality of their diving experience in the Maldives.

This objective was adopted because it is important to understand the divers’ response to tourism activities and its application in advertising or consumer persuasion (Bealer & Willits, 1989).
2 - To document sociodemographic variables of the divers visiting the country.

This objective was adopted because the perception of the quality of experience differs depending on sociodemographic variables Crompton (1979), Goodrich (1978) and Reilly (1990). Furthermore, information such as nationality, age, gender, occupation are useful in target marketing.
3 - To study the level of diver satisfaction.

This objective was adopted because the divers’ satisfaction levels will determine whether they will return to the Maldives or not and pass on positive word of mouth (Bryant et al, (1998).
4 - To understand the divers’ view regarding certain issues related to diving, and Maldivian tourism product in general.

This objective was adopted to obtain the divers’ view on some important issues related to diving. These include the controversial limitations of a dive depth limit of 30 meters implemented by Ministry of Tourism, the level of damage to corals, cost of diving in the Maldives and the limited opportunities available to experience the local culture and way of life.

SCUBA DIVING

"The Silent World" Jacques Coustea
Humans have been hunting the oceans for food for many years equipped with tools of different sizes and shapes. During the depression of 1930’s and 1940’s young skin divers hunt the coastal waters for fish, lobsters or for any fresh seafood. Their equipment was mostly home-made and consisted of little more than a mask or goggles (http://www.rockisland.com).

Many people believe that the first self-contained underwater breathing apparatus was invented by Jacques Cousteau or Hans Hass. In contrary a Paris dentist, Lemaire D'Augerville beat both of them in 1828 (David, 1999, Cousteau, 2000). Little is known about D'Augerville except that he was trying to make some money by salvaging contents of sunken ships. (Colin Taylor, 1996)

Since the invention of the breathing apparatus, the equipment has undergone a lot of changes, allowing easy access to the sport of diving for people with different level of capabilities. Large numbers of divers are enjoying the underwater world day and night. Millions of people have followed the footsteps of the pioneers of diving into the depth of the oceans to experience the adventure and the excitement for themselves.

Today scuba-diving

" has become one of the most appealing of all leisure activities, totally hooking many of those who take part"(http://www.divernet.com)

The feeling of weightlessness and the magnificent offerings and the sensational clear blue sea is attracting more and more people to diving.

Diving also presents opportunities to study of the extraordinary marine life that exists only underwater. While some divers are excited by the possibility of finding treasure underwater, others take to underwater archaeology and some become involved in marine conservation projects.

MALDIVES AS A DIVE DESTINATION

The Maldives contains thousands of submerged reefs with rainbow-coloured fish, corals and critters. The warm tropical temperature with an average of 24 degrees Celsius, visibility at more than 30 meters and easy access to a large number of coral reefs attracts divers from different parts of the world each year.

"The Maldives are certainly one of the great wonders of the world. Here more than anywhere else on the planet, perhaps, one can savour the beauty of undersea fauna" Hans Hass.

The marine species living on all the reefs are not the same. While some reefs in the Maldives are homes for sharks, some for turtles, others have all the attractions like Maya Thila in North Ari Atoll. This submerged reef is
"…. one of the most exciting and vibrant reef systems in the world. One of those that underwater adventurers dream about and die to see." (Aw, 1999)

The first divers to the Maldives were Italians but contrary to what we are experiencing today, their main purpose was hunting. They arrived in the Maldives, equipped with spear guns and other hunting gear. They used spear guns daily in and killed sharks, manta rays and eels. The first brochure on Maldives was prepared to promote Maldives as a good place for spear fishing. However, German tourists who visited the country in the same year raised their voice against spear fishing and use of guns in the water. So the resort operators banned spear fishing and today spear fishing is banned in the Maldives (Ministry of Tourism, 1998).

STUDIES ON SCUBA DIVING

A landmark study recently released by the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) reveals that close to half of adult Americans are interested in scuba diving (http://www.dema.org ).

"This study is significant because in addition to the 16 million Americans who consider themselves active diving participants, there are more than 75 million Americans who want to know more about our sport" Robert Watts, DEMA’s Executive Director

This study also revealed the attractive demographic features of the dive fraternity; 40 per cent of the potential American dive market has an annual household income of more than $ 50,000. Out of the total surveyed, 77 per cent are under 45 years old and 67 percent are college educated.

According to Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) there are 8.5 million certified scuba divers in the United States. PADI alone has certified between 8 to 8.5 million divers worldwide. Diving is dominated by male gender (72 per cent), however the gap is gradually reducing. There is an increase in the number of females following diving. For example. Out of the total membership of the British Sub Aqua Club 35 per cent are women. The average age is 36 years and 58 per cent of divers are married (http://www.padi.com)

When these figures are compared with studies done by Skin Divers in 1987 and in 1989, there are not many variations. They also found that divers are well educated, young, financially secure and dominated by male. Similarly, the average age increased from 30.8 in 1987 to 35.3 in 1989. In the study done by PADI they have found that the age has gone up to 36. This increase in age could be due to highly advanced and state of the art equipment and training (http://www.divernet.com). So diving is no longer a sport for the hardy few but for anyone seeking new adventure.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

This study was designed primarily to understand the divers’ perception of the quality of diving experience in the Maldives. As secondary data on the topic is not available, primary data on several aspects of the divers were needed to achieve the objectives of the study. A research process to gain an understanding of divers’ perceptions of quality of services and their respective sources of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with diving experience in the Maldives was applied (Bryant et al, 1998).

Study area, research sample and procedures, study instrument, methods of analysis, administration of the questionnaire, limitations of the study are discussed in the following sections.

THE STUDY AREA

Diving in the Maldives is mainly limited to 10 atolls out of the 20 atolls comprising the archipelago (Refer Fig. 1). Hence, the main focus of the study was to cover these 10 atolls; North Male and South Male Atoll (K), North Ari Atoll (NA), South Ari Atoll (SA), Baa Atoll (B), Raa Atoll (R), Lhaviyani Atoll (LH), Vaavu Atoll (V), Faafu Atoll (F), Dhaal Atoll (DH), Meemu Atoll (M) and Addu Atoll (S). Resorts from each of the above atoll were chosen aiming to cover the dive sites in each atoll. It was not possible to include all the resorts in each atoll, live aboard safaris and dive schools operating in the capital due to financial and administering limitations. Table 1 shows the resorts selected for the survey.

Fig. 1: Map of the Maldives

THE STUDY INSTRUMENT

The study instrument consisted of a structured questionnaire containing behavioural, demographic, and attitudinal questions. The questionnaire was used chosen with the objective of obtaining accurate information from respondents and to provide a structure and format as well as to facilitate data analysis. The questionnaire comprised of three sections: a) a diver profile, b) visitor satisfaction, and c) a general socio-demographic section.

To analyse divers’ perception visiting the country, a representative sample of divers visiting the country could have been used. However, because of time and money being limited, the spatial and temporal scope of the study was limited.

RESPONSE RATE

Out of the 1430 questionnaires distributed only 287 (20%) were returned. Out of the 36 resorts, 24 resorts sent back completed questionnaires (Refer Table 2). The resort management and the dive school staff were contacted a number of times to increase the response rate. The reasons for the low response rate are manifold.

The main reason reported by the resorts was language barrier. As this is the first study of this nature at resort level the resort management and dive school could be vary of the real purpose and the benefits of the study, even though the purpose was clearly mentioned in the introduction. However, the response rate achieved is not low compared to other studies in the field (Oppermann, 1996).

LIMITATIONS TO THE STUDY

The obtained sample cannot be considered representative of divers visiting the Maldives. Perhaps a response rate of 50 per cent is more desirable. The study was a one shot case study, and data collection was not a random process. Furthermore, the distribution of the survey and the makeup of the diving market make it difficult to adequately capture all segments of the marketplace. Therefore the study must be considered as exploratory. While the survey method did not ensure every diver visiting the Maldives had an equal opportunity of participation, the results provide an "indicative" picture of divers’ opinion, as the researcher did not know any other similar study in the Maldives. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 7).

PRIMARY RESULTS & DISCUSSION

Out of the 36 resorts, responses were received from 24 resorts (Refer Table 2). The average response rate from the 19 resorts is 39.5 per cent. Only Rihiveli Beach Resort and Ihuru Tourist Resort completed all the questionnaires.

SOCIODEMOGRAPHICS

Nationality

The following Table 3 is a comparison of nationality breakdown of the respondents with the arrivals in the Maldives from the respective nationalities in 1999. While some markets have been over-represented, others are under-represented in the study. For example, Switzerland, France and Austria are over-represented while the Netherlands, and Japan are under-represented. However, the main generating markets; Italy and Germany are well represented.

Country of Residence

The study indicates that divers from various nationalities residing in countries like Turkey, New Caledonia, United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, and Vanuatu are visiting the country (Refer Table 4).

Age Structure

The age structure of the sample agrees with the studies carried by PADI (http://www.padi.com) and DEMA. (http://www.dema.org). The study by DEMA revealed that 77 per cent of the divers are less than 45 years old. PADI study revealed that the average age is 36 years old. This study shows that 48 per cent of the divers are in the age bracket 30-39 (Refer Graph 1). When these figures are compared with studies done by Skin Divers in 1987 and in 1989, there are little variations. They also found that the average age increased from 30.8 in 1987 to 35.3 in 1989.

Education

Several studies in sociodemographics of diving fraternity have indicated that divers are highly educated (Skin Diver, 1987 & 1989, http://www.dema.org., http://www.padi.com). This study demonstrates similar characteristics. 48.73 per cent of the respondents have attended university education with either at Under Graduate or Post Graduate level (Refer Graph 2).

Employment

Graph 3 depicts the employment status of the respondents. 60 per cent of the respondents are employed full time, 23 per cent are self-employed, 5 per cent are employed part time and only 3 per cent are unemployed. The sociodemographics of divers visiting the Maldives could be summarised as mature, highly educated and financially sound.

DIVER PROFILE

The first question in section A, tries to find the countries where the respondent had the first dive experience. The results show the wider travel pattern of divers (Refer Table 5). This supports the notion that divers are novelty seekers and will not revisit a place they have visited in the past unless new experiences are expected. The high percentage of the divers (27.08 per cent) indicating that had their first diving experience in the Maldives could be visitors who took up diving in the Maldives during this trip or on a previous trip. The second highest number of divers had their first experience in Italy (12.5 per cent), followed by Germany (7.64 per cent).

The second question in this section assessed the diving certification held by the divers. The results reveal that 34.9 per cent of the divers are holding Open Water Certificate. 23.3 per cent with Advanced/Advanced Plus level Certification, 13.1 per cent with Rescue Diver Certificate, 9.5 per cent with CMAS two star certificate, and 5.1 per cent with Divemaster Certificate.

Graph 4 shows the number of years divers have been involved in diving. The findings reveal that only 19.44 per cent of the divers have been involved diving less than one year. So the divers visiting the country is experienced. As a result the divers have a referral points to compare their experience in the Maldives. They can perfectly comprehend the favourable and the less favourable features of their experience in the Maldives. It is important to attract experienced divers rather than beginners as the damage to the marine environment will be minimal form experienced divers unlike the beginners who are learning to control their buoyancy.

Another question that is related to the travel pattern of respondents is the average number of dives per year. The results indicate that 65 per cent of the divers had less than 30 diving experiences in a year. Out of the total responses 21 per cent indicated that they had a diving experience between 31 and 51 times in a year, 6 per cent with 52 – 72 diving experiences and 8 per cent with more than 73 diving experiences in a year (Refer Graph 5).

The results to question 2 of this section show that divers travel quite extensively. 31 per cent of the respondents have travelled to more than 4 countries, 20 per cent have been to 3 countries, 22 per cent to 2 countries and only 10 per cent have been to only one country. Majority of the respondents has visited to Egypt, Germany and Italy.

The purpose of question 3 in this section was to find the prime competitors for the Maldives as a diving destination. Egypt is noted by the respondents as the destination with the most satisfying diving experience followed by Australia, Mexico and Philippines.

Where do divers get the information about the Maldives? Graph 6 shows sources divers refer for procuring information about the Maldives. The main sources are magazines, books and brochures (29 per cent), friends and relatives (23 per cent), tour operators (13 per cent), travel agents (14 per cent), and Internet (11 per cent).

Maldives should be proud of hosting a very high number of repeat divers. This is clearly seen in Table 6. Only 22 percent of the respondents are visiting for the first time, 19 per cent have visited the country two times and 60 per cent have visited more than twice. This is in contrary to the study done by Ghazali, (1992). His studies indicate that only 8.9 per cent of the divers visited Spidan in Malaysia more than two times. More repeat business clearly indicates the highest level of satisfaction and the loyalty among the divers. However, the large number of repeat visitors has its drawbacks; they have high expectations and could be demanding.

With regard to the duration of stay, the shortest stay recorded is 2 nights and the longest stay is 150. The mean is 13 nights with a standard deviation of 11.68. (Refer Table 7). This reflects the holiday characteristics of the European market. The average length of holiday in Europe is about 2 weeks. 32 per cent of the respondents indicated that their length of stay is 14 days and 15.1 per cent indicated that their stay is 7 days. The national average of duration of stay in 1999 was 8.07 (Ministry of Tourism, 1999). So majority of the divers are staying longer than the national average making the dive market very attractive.

The responses to question 7 indicated that divers visit the Maldives mainly for diving (Refer Table 8). 80 per cent of divers indicated that the purpose of the trip is solely to dive in the Maldives. 15 per cent of the divers visit the Maldives for general holiday including diving. 3 per cent reported that they visit the country for purposes other than diving. Only 1 per cent included diving with another country on this trip. Ghazali’s (1992) study also showed that 79.9 per cent of the divers visit Sipadan in Malaysia solely for diving. So the divers arrange their trip for a specific purpose and it is important that the services provided to them enhances their experience from the time of arrival to the time of departure.

The study also prompted a question related to difficulties in organising the trip. The responses reveal that the main difficulty faced in organising the trip to the Maldives is lack of specific information about diving in the country (36.71 per cent) and difficulty in obtaining general information about he country (25.95 per cent). 18.99 per cent of those answered indicated difficulty in arranging the flight. These findings highlight there is an information gap to be bridged in the market. Presently, Maldives Tourism Promotion Board produces a brochure with general information about the country and another brochures specifically on diving. These brochures need to be evaluated and especially the one on diving.

Potential visitors to the country could be having difficulty in obtaining seats due to advance booking of seats by tour operators and travel agents. It is worth to note that in 1985, 73.9 per cent of tourists arrived by scheduled flight. However, this percentage has gradually declined and in 1997 only 61.8 per cent arrived by the scheduled flight. Dependency on charter flights has increased from 26.1 per cent in 1985 to 38.2 per cent in 1997 (Ministry of Tourism, 1998). This significant increase in charter arrivals is critical as charter operators could stop operation as and when they feel to do so. Perhaps, if and when we are able to operate a successful national carrier, scheduled flights could be arranged to bridge shortage of supply in the market. The high percentage of respondents in the study purchasing packaged tours (69 per cent) illustrated the significant level of control of access by tour operators and travel agents (Refer Graph 7).

The resorts in the Maldives are mainly sold by tour operators and travel agents. Only one or two local resort operators have sale offices overseas. Hence, majorities of the visitors travel on package tours (Ministry of Tourism, 1998). The visitors make their payment to the operator at the originating country. As a result these payments never enters the local economy and only a "small" amount is paid to the resort operator (UNDP, 1990). However, it is worth to note that 86.5 per cent of the respondents said that to diving was not included in the package. This means that the dive operators in the resort are selling diving totally independently. It is worth to find the possible benefits from including diving in these packages.

The Maldives is regarded as an "expensive" destination. The researcher understands that perception of "expansiveness" varies from person to person. However, the study reveals the contrary. Table 09 shows the costs of the packages which were purchased by the majority of the respondents. 12.14 per cent of divers indicated that the cost of the package was US$ 2000.00, 11.4 per cent indicated that the cost of their package was US$ 3000.00. The most expensive package was US$ 10,000.00 while the lowest was US$ 81.00 Mean price of the package was US$ 2626.09. The average length of stay being 14 nights meant that cost is less than US$ 200.00 per night, which is not expensive compared with destination such as Cayman Islands, or Micronesia where the cost is about US $ 235 a day (Sport Diver 2000).

With regard to sales and distribution, Maldives is being sold by a large number of tour operators and travel agents in Western Europe. This study reveals 56 agents selling packages to the Maldives. 10 per cent of the respondents booked their package through Hotel Plan and 8 per cent of them purchased through Kuoni.

Graph 8 shows that 63 per cent of those respondents booked their package only 3 months in advance. 26 per cent booked between 4 and 6 months. Only 11 per cent booked between 7 and 12 months in advance and none of the respondents booked more than 12 months in advance. This information is important for sales and promotional activities.

VISITOR SATISFACTION

Questions in section B aimed to examine the level of divers’ satisfaction regarding the facilities and services at the resort, dive school and attributes related to diving. The first question asked about the name of the resort, where the respondent spend most of the holiday. The results show that 10 per cent stayed at Alimatha Aquatic Resort in V. Atoll followed by Reethi Beach in B. Atoll (9 per cent) and then Fihalholhi Tourist Resort and Rihiveli Beach (7 per cent) (Refer Table 10). No responses were not received from resorts in Meem and Seen Atoll.

Table 11 shows the ratings of selected services and attributes at the resort level such as "Transfer from the airport to the resort", "First Impression of the Resort", "Friendliness of the Staff", "Peacefulness and Tranquillity" and "Value for Money". The respondents were asked to rate them on a 5 point Likert Scale ranging from 1 = Very Good, 5 = Very Bad. Respondents were also requested to rate services offered at the dive school (Table 12) and some important attributes related to diving in the Maldives (Table 13).

In question 5 respondents were asked to show their agreement or disagreement with statements regarding diving and the Maldives in general using a 5 point Likert Scale ranging from 1= "Strongly Agree" to 5= "Strongly Disagree". Table 14 shows the mean scores for these statements.

The respondents strongly agree with the statement that Maldives has a varied and rich fish life. The question arising now is how rich and how varied. We can only answer these questions by maintaining a regularly monitored inventory of the fish stock, specially of reef fish. There is no doubt that the pressures on marine species are increasing dramatically; diving, snorkeling, increased boat movements, night fishing (locals and tourists), ornamental fish export, and from increasing demand for reef fish. So to ensure sustainable use of this resource, appropriate management tools have to be implemented with input from the stakeholders and the general public.

The study reveals that Marine species in the Maldives do not show fear of divers. Why? Because we have been feeding them for the last 25 years. Feeding disturbs the fragile ecosystem. This has led to the introduction of regulations disallowing feeding animals in countries like Australia, USA, Canada and New Zealand.

Respondents agree that diving in the Maldives is expensive. Out of the 284 divers who answered this question, 101 divers (35.6%) strongly agree that diving is expensive, 76 divers (26.8%) said they agree that diving is expensive, 21 divers (7.4%) disagree, and only 5 divers (1.8%) strongly disagree with the statement. The reason why the divers feel this way is unknown. Perhaps, the divers have very high expectations due to the false marketing and advertising messages. It is strongly recommended to carryout further research to examine the causes.

It is not surprising that the divers agree to ban night fishing. They are the "eyes of the sea" and they see the extent of damage caused by anchoring, the nets woven by fishing lines along the reefs, and chemical poisoning caused by the large number of lead pieces being stuck on the reefs. Even though it is not the purpose of this survey to study the environmental impacts of night fishing, the extent of damage caused by night fishing have been raised at a number of forums. As tourist resort owner and operators are earning income from their dive operation, it would be fair to stop the operation of night fishing as well as big game fishing especially with the increasing number of locals taking up the activity.

Another relevant management issue related to diving is the zoning of dive sites. Since, the introduction of tourism in the Maldives, some of the dive sites has been visited on a daily basis. As there is no consistent monitoring of these sites, it is hard to assess the impacts of diving on these sites. But some of the repeat divers have expressed concern regarding dwindling of some species at some of the dive sites. Hence, it is suggested to introduce zoning with different levels of access ranging from total closure of severely damaged sites to open access as divers also agree to closure of dive sites for rejuvenation (mean = 2.54).

Divers agree that the recent global warming has taken its toll on the coral reefs in the country. This is shown in their agreement with the statement majority of the corals in the Maldives are dead due to coral bleaching (mean = 2.26). 32 per cent of the respondents strongly agree with the statement, 25.9 per cent agree, 8.6 per cent disagree and only 4.3 per cent strongly disagree. It is important to disseminate this information in a positive manner to minimise disappointment and dissatisfaction among the divers.

Two very important issues, which have been discussed in dive seminars and a number of meetings attended by the researcher as an official of Ministry of Tourism, is the depth limitation of 30 metres implemented by Ministry of Tourism and the prohibition of unsupervised diving by divers regardless of their qualification and experience in diving. The divers’ views on these two issues were sought. The divers do not agree to allow to dive deeper than 30 meters (mean = 3.30) nor to allow unsupervised diving by professional divers (mean = 3.02).

The evening entertainment is an important aspect of the nightlife of the tourists staying in isolated resorts in the Maldives. live music, cultural shows and other activities are organised to entertain the visitors. The survey revealed that divers disagree with the statement Maldivian Resorts lack evening entertainment (mean=3.29). Respondents also disagree (mean=3.43) that All the resorts in the Maldives offer the same experience. Divers also disagree with the statement, one visit to the Maldives is enough (mean=4.11).

The segregated tourism in the Maldives "minimises" negative social impacts of tourism on the host community. However, this form of tourism has its disadvantages too. It is not only tourists who are isolated but the locals as well. The study reveals that visitors desire greater opportunities to experience the local culture (mean = 2.78)

Overall Satisfaction

Overall the respondents are pleased with their trip. As the Graph 9 shows 65 per cent of the respondents are very satisfied, 29 per cent are satisfied, and 4 per cent said that they are indecisive. Only 1 per cent said they are very dissatisfied and another 1 per cent said that they are dissatisfied.

Question 7 asked the respondents to rate whether their diving experience met their expectations along a 5 point Likert Scale ranging from 1= "Very Satisfied to 5= "Very Dissatisfied. (Refer Graph 10). 48.41 per cent of respondents reported that they are very satisfied with the diving experience in the Maldives. 38.16 per cent said that they are satisfied. 7.42 per cent of the respondents couldn’t make up their mind while 3.3 per cent said that they are dissatisfied and 2.6 reported that they are very dissatisfied.

In question 8 respondents were asked to express the three highlights of the diving experience in their own words. Most of the respondents are impressed with the diversity and richness of marine species in the Maldives. "Many Sharks", "Mantas", "Many Fish", "Whale Sharks", "Corals", "Eagle Ray", "Soft Corals, were mostly mentioned by the respondents.

Question 9 asked respondents to list the three most disappointing aspects of their visit to the Maldives. Respondents were mainly disappointed with "Coral Bleaching", "Destruction of Corals", and the high "Prices".

In question 10 respondents were requested to name the best dive site in the Maldives. 86 sites were listed by the respondents. Table 15 is a list of the 25 highest ranked dive sites (names are as mentioned by the divers).

The last question in section B asked the whether the respondent would recommend Maldives to friends and dive buddies. The responses are presented in Graph 11. 94 per cent of the respondents said that they would recommend and only 6 per cent said they would not.

The last question gave the opportunity to respondents for any additional comments. These remarks can be categorised into "compliments", "concerns" and "disappointments". 11.58 per cent of the comments stressed their concern for protection and preservation and following are some of the comments.
"I come back to Maldives every year, but I am afraid of future crowding."

"The Maldives are beginning to feel overdeveloped and less enjoyable than on previous visits dating from 1988 onwards."

"Trips to Maldives are getting cheaper and cheaper, what you can also see by the mentality of the guests; they are not really interesting in treating the marine life with respect."

"No more tourist resorts. It’s enough."

"Divers are getting worried every year, less sharks & whale sharks. What ever happened to them?"

"I would prefer strict control of diving behaviour by the staff of diving school to save the marine life of Maldives."

"Increase of safety and control of safari boats. No collecting, touching and hunting with cameras. No gloves should be allowed in protected dive sites."

"All the noisy water sports activities (Jet Ski, Water Ski …) and fish feeding should be banned. The Maldvian government should be aware of not developing the tourism too much. (most of the resorts are over-crowded - too many bungalows on a small island)."

"Fish feeding forbidden. Very noisy water sports (Jet Ski). Save the nature."

"There should be more protected area & more shipwrecks."

"Protect the Sharks"

"Preserve Maldives."

"Be Careful!"

"No Big Game Fishing. Protect your ocean!"

9.47 per cent complimented the tourism product offered in the country. Some of the comments include:
"Enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of these wonderful island and feel sure we will visit more times."

"Even though there is coral bleaching, I am enjoying very much my diving holiday in the Maldives. For me it’s one of the most beautiful places."

"The Maldives are still one of the very few easy accessible Holiday destinations that is not over commercialised where one can really relax."

"You have wonderful country! We were enhanced. The Maldives."

"Amazing Place! Would love to Return."

"I cannot imagine a nicer place to dive than the Maldives! We will keep coming back."

"My best holiday ever! Wish I had come earlier. It is more expensive than some others, but worth it."

9.47 per cent were very unhappy with price of diving and drinks. 5.26 per cent express that the services offered in the resorts are not satisfactory. Following are some of the comments expressing the respondents’ unhappiness.
"Too expensive for all drinks. Should be able to bring in own alcohol for personal consumption. This one reason I would not visit again."

"The dives are too expensive! Drinks are too expensive!"

"Alcohol is too expensive, especially wine of the quality offered"

"Beer too expensive"

"Too expensive drinking water, US$ 3.50/1 set + 10% Service Charge."

"Nice holiday. Drinking water too expensive."

"Prices on the Tourist Island are very high. I think that’s no ok."

"Drink and diving are expensive, would have done more of both if cheaper!"

"Price and entertainment not satisfying."

"Maldives is expensive for mineral water and soft drinks compared to Seychelles."

"Maldives are becoming too expensive. Drinks in the Maldives cost more."

"Customer service is neglected."

"Don’t let the visitors feel to be welcomed only for their US$. An island that does not even accept its own currency is weird."

"5 start prices + 10% service charge without 5 star accommodation & services. Please rather have 3 start prices + 10% service."

7.37 per cent of the comments praised the high standard of services offered at the dive schools.
"Every visit seems to get better & the dive school is run with a more efficient & professional awareness."

"Excellent dive school, superb efficiency, very knowledgeable friendly staff, delightedly communicable. Every visit gets better!"

"Very friendly and Professional dive school."

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The study clearly revealed that overall divers are very delighted with their diving experience in the country. However, further research need to be carried out to understand the causal factors. One area, which needs urgent attention, is the high level of discontent among the divers regarding the prices of drinks and diving. Consideration need to be given to changes in satisfaction levels and tourist arrivals because these two are complimentary. Low level of satisfaction will effect the number of tourist arrivals. At present, the studies mainly focus on tourist arrivals and the number of dollars coming into the country.

This study aimed to fulfill the following objectives.

To examine the perception held by divers regarding the quality of their diving experience in the Maldives.

To document sociodemographic variables of the divers visiting the country.

To study the level of diver satisfaction.

To understand the divers’ view regarding certain issues related to diving, and Maldivian tourism product in general.

This study provided a number of insights to tourism researchers, regulatory bodies and economic planners as well as environmental planners alike. Furthermore, from a research perspective, future research should consider how to broaden and capture all the elements in the diving market, especially divers staying on safari boats and cruise ships.

Satisfaction among the divers is very high. The study revealed that the divers visiting the country are very satisfied. 94 per cent of the divers said that they would recommend Maldives to their friends and dive buddies. The main factors contributing to the high level of satisfaction included diversity of marine species, the high standard of dive operation, the depth of information provided before and after the dive and easy access to dive sites. However, there are some concerns to be addressed too. Divers are disappointed with the geological features of the underwater, poor visibility, and the extent of damage to corals.

As mentioned earlier the results of the study may not be the general view of the divers. However, the following recommendations are suggested, as the research results could be "indicative".

Maldives tourism industry desperately needs to tap into new dive markets specially the American dive market. Fresh marketing and promotional campaign need to be begun specially targeted for divers in dive magazines and books. New brochures focused on diving in the country need to be produced in different languages to meet the diver’s requirements based on research findings.

A separate web-site on diving in the Maldives should be established as 11 per cent of the respondents referred to Internet for information on diving.

Resort Management and dive school operator should jointly promote diving at the resort level and should also develop dive packages.

Divers are clearly indicating that they are not receiving the appropriate return for their money. Further studies should be carried out to find the reasons.

Divers are very disappointed with the extent of damage to the corals and it is very clear in some of the comments. So divers should be told the truth about the extent of damage to corals to minimise discontentment.

Divers are not satisfied with their experience in wreck diving. Further studies should be done to understand the reasons and potential benefits of new wrecks should be considered.

Appropriate management measures need to be implemented to maintain the environmental integrity of the dive sites. It is suggested that in view of the sensitivity of the reef system, appropriate environmental technologies and management techniques that are proven in other similar environments to be implemented. The existing "marine protected sites" scheme is not very effective as some divers were disappointed with the presence of fishing boats in protected sites. Zoning with controlled access shall be introduced as a starting point.

Divers are deeply concerned with the expansion of the tourism in the country and the eventual diminishing of the quality of the environment and in turn the quality of the experience. In line with the control of bed capacity at resort level, bed capacity in tourist accommodating vessels should be controlled.

Standards of service at the resort level need to be improved.

Divers say that the cost of diving and drinks are really expensive. Further studies should be carried out and the necessary adjustments should be made.

Night fishing and Big Game fishing should be banned and opportunities shall be provided to experience the traditional pole line fishing which is unique to the Maldives.

Further research is needed to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of transfer services offered and necessary action should be taken to improve the service.

Closure of heavily impacted dives sites for rejuvenation.