Diving in the Maldives is excellent. I've been twice--once at a land-based resort and once on an LOB (the Julia).

The boat you are on sure looks like a beauty!

Getting to Male: Singapore Airlines and Malaysian both have nonstops from New York and LAX to S'pore and Kuala Lumpur, respectively. From either hub you can get a direct flight to Male. Other carriers may stop in Colombo first (or on the return).

Landing in Male is amazing. It's a little island that was landfilled in order to make a long enough runway for landing big jets, but once you're down, the airport itself is a tiny--one baggage carrousel! You walk out of the airport and step into a boat! Literally! The island on which Male (the capital) is located is across a channel, and every resort is on its own island. LOBs are the way to go in the Maldives for experienced divers since the country is so spread out.