Most diving cruise or liveaboards boats in the Maldives do not provide internet onboard. In this article, I tell you how to buy your sim card in the Maldives and how to get internet in the Maldives.
It is easy to buy a sim card so that you can stay connected to the world during your cruise.
Content of this article:
Where to buy a sim card in the Maldives?
You should buy a Maldives data sim card. Many phone providers do not offer roaming to the Maldives and if they do it can be super expensive so check before you use it
It is easy to get a Maldives Sim card as soon as you exit Male Airport. There are 2 providers with shops within the terminal As you get out of the airport after picking up your luggage, walk to the right outside the airport exit door.
The two providers are Ooredoo and Dhiraagu. Both providers are equivalent
Overview of the tourist plan from Ooredoo
Overview of the Dhiraguu tourist plan from Dhiraagu
I bought the Ooredoo sim card. You can buy a sim card valid for one month with 17 GB of data for 30 USD.
They will take a copy of your passport and register the card for you. The whole process takes about 5 minutes
Tip: Before buying a Sim card abroad, ensure that your phone is unlocked and can be used with another providers sim card
Quality of the internet signal while diving cruise in the Maldives
I work online and for me, being able to connect to the internet during a cruise is important
During my cruise on the Blueforce one liveaboard, I was very impressed with the quality of the 4G signal in the Maldives. You can read more about my diving cruise on Blueforce one liveaboard here.
My Ooredoo sim card worked very well during the whole trip to the central islands. We were able to connect to the internet every day. Most places had strong enough signals to do WhatsApp calls. A few places had enough internet to do video calls.
There were only a few hours during the trip while navigating between atolls when the internet was not available.
Tip: the higher you are on the boat, the better the internet signal becomes. So if you stay in a below-deck cabin and it doesn’t work, try the top deck or the sun deck.
For more information about traveling to the Maldives, read my articles on the Blueforce Liveaboard, the Scubaspa liveaboard, and the Maafushivaru resort.
For more information about how to fly to the Maldives, read my article about Emirates Business class flight to Male