The Fuvahmulah city council has enacted new rules and introduced a fee for scuba diving.
According to the regulations gazetted on Monday, the council's permission would be required for diving for any purpose other than fishing in any area of the sea within Fuvahmulah's jurisdiction. A fee must be paid for the permit.
The fee structure
- Foreign vessels - USD 200 per person for Maldivians and foreigners
- Fee for safaris and diving schools not based in Fuvahmulah - USD 55 per person for foreigners and USD 20 per person for Maldivians
- Fuvahmulah diving schools - USD 40 per person for foreigners and USD 20 per person for Maldivians
The council also determined rules for diving in the famous 'Tiger Shark Point' near the island. Feeding and touching sharks while diving was prohibited. The rules also limited the number of divers to 35 at a time.
Divers say that touching and feeding sharks are common at the spot. As a result, the creatures face difficulty in finding prey naturally.
In addition, dive centers in Fuvahmulah were also regulated to an extent. The council decided to make registration of dive centers mandatory with a requirement for at least 50 percent of staff to be locals.
Anchoring at dive points and dumping waste were prohibited. The rules also state that approval must be sought for photography for commercial purposes as well as for conducting academic underwater research.
