Divers from the Southern City of Fuvahmulah have staged a protest after the City's Council decided to implement a fee for diving on the Atoll-island's diving spots.
Last June, the government published the regulation on managing the diving spots under the jurisdiction of the southern city and set a fee for the diving spot which promoted concern for the City's Diving Association.
Today, the Association orchestrated a protest at the City Council with many holding up boards with wording against the decision to implement a fee on the diving spots.
The Association said that its main concern was that the fee was implemented by the Council without discussing it first with the City's divers.
Divers also said that the fee would deny them their most fundamental form of income.
Those gathered at the Council also called for the resignation of the City's Mayor Ismail Rafeeq and called on the Council to lower the diving fee.
Speaking to 'The Press about the new fees, a media official at the Council Ibrahim Aleef said that the regulation was compiled upon consultations with the divers and the public and that the regulation was passed only after the discussions.
Aleef said that more discussions were held with the divers after today's protest and that the Council is yet to decide on the matter.
Under the regulation, fees for diving have been set for two categories and sub-categories under these two and they include
- Maldivians, individuals with work or student visas
- Foreign Vessel: USD 200 per head
- Safari vessels and diving school vessels from other islands: USD 20 per head
- Fuvahmulah diving schools; USD 20 per head
2. Foreigners
- Foreign Vessel: USD 200 per head
- Safari vessels and diving school vessels from other islands: USD 55 per head
- Fuvahmulah diving schools; USD 40 per head
Diving without registering and paying the fee is subject to fines between MVR 5000 and MVR 8000.
