MV Emperor Virgo Liveaboard

ROUTE DETAILS

The Best of the Maldives route aboard the MV Emperor Serenity takes you to the best and most famous dive sites of the Maldives. It does not have a fixed itinerary, as the crew plans it according to the conditions and time of the year to ensure you enjoy a dive holiday that gives you all you could wish for: channels, drifts and pinnacles where you have every chance of meeting mantas, whale sharks and huge array of mesmerising marine life. The itinerary will give you a great mix of big fish like these, smaller reef fish and abundant macro life.

Maldives has a very special underwater landscape. The country has 26 gorgeous atolls - ring-shaped coral reefs that end up encircling relatively shallow lagoons. These are usually connected to the open ocean through different points through which the water enters and exits, originating channels (called “kandu” locally) with currents rich in nutrients that feed a vast range of fish, corals, sponges, gorgonians and other marine species. Based on the reefs’ geographical formation, diving activity in the Maldives can be carried out in either these channels, in the “thilas” or “giris” (underwater rock pinnacles that develop from 30-40 metres to nearly up the surface) or in the “faru” (the edge of the atolls). Learn more about the coral reef system of the Maldives.

If you would like to learn more, the page Diving in the Maldives (Central region) will give you a good understanding about diving in this region.

ROUTE DETAILS

The “Deep South & Southern Sharks” itinerary runs from February to April and is the perfect choice for the most intrepid divers wanting to explore the out-of-way southernmost Maldivian atolls in search for some shark action. Around Foamulah, you can expect to meet tiger and silver tip sharks and at Huvadhoo, one of the deepest lagoons in the Maldives, the currents are ideal for close encounters with whale sharks, silkies, hammerheads, tiger and grey sharks! The night dive on the Hyatt reef is definitely one not to be missed on this trip! This route is suitable for experienced divers with 100+ who must be comfortable in strong currents, as it has a strong focus on drift diving. Please note that an intern flight is involved, as you will either be taken from Male to Huvadhoo by plane to join the liveaboard or from Huvadhoo to Male, depending on how you have chosen to dive this route.

Maldives has a very special underwater landscape. The country has 26 gorgeous atolls - ring-shaped coral reefs that end up encircling relatively shallow lagoons. These are usually connected to the open ocean through different points through which the water enters and exits, originating channels (called “kandu” locally) with currents rich in nutrients that feed a vast range of fish, corals, sponges, gorgonians and other marine species. Based on the reefs’ geographical formation, diving activity in the Maldives can be carried out in either these channels, in the “thilas” or “giris” (underwater rock pinnacles that develop from 30-40 metres to nearly up the surface) or in the “faru” (the edge of the atolls). Learn more about the coral reef system of the Maldives.

If you would like to learn more, the page Diving in Maldives (South region) will give you a good understanding about diving in this region.

The “Sharktastic” route takes place between January and April – a period during which the currents running from Sumatra and Indonesia to the Maldives bring with them clean waters that allow for fantastic visibility up to 40m, as well as a huge variety of pelagics! That is the reason why most dives during this period take place on the channels on the eastern coast of the Maldives. These channels, or “kandus”, as they are locally called, attract a vast array of big-sized marine species, such as grey reef sharks, dog tooth tuna and eagle rays, amongst other surprises. The soft corals from this area are also impressive, with the multicoloured ones covering the gorgeous overhangs from Vaavu and Meemu forming an impressive underwater landscape!

After diving the channels of eastern Maldives, you will cross to South Ari Atoll. It is on this atoll that you will be looking for whale sharks and mantas at Maamagili and Rangali Madivaru, while dive sites such as Kudarah Thila and Kudimaa Wreck are great for macro, such as leaf and frog fish.

Divers joining this route do not need to have a minimum number of dives logged, but should be comfortable with drift dives, as currents can be strong.

Maldives have a very special underwater landscape. The country has 26 gorgeous atolls - ring-shaped coral reefs that end up encircling relatively shallow lagoons. These are usually connected to the open ocean through different points through which the water enters and exits, originating channels (called “kandu” locally) with currents rich in nutrients that feed a vast range of fish, corals, sponges, gorgonians and other marine species. Based on the reefs’ geographical formation, diving activity in the Maldives can be carried out in either these channels, in the “thilas” or “giris” (underwater rock pinnacles that develop from 30-40 metres to nearly up the surface) or in the “faru” (the edge of the atolls). Learn more about the coral reef system of the Maldives.

If you would like to learn more, the page Diving in the Maldives (Central region) will give you a good understanding about diving in this region.

The South Central Atolls route takes place between January and March and is the ideal option for experienced divers looking for action, as it covers several atolls and is packed with speedy drift dives, mantas, sharks and even a wreck!

Manta activity is concentrated at Ari Atoll and there is also a great manta cleaning station on Meemu Atoll, whereas fans of hammerheads and whale sharks can often find them in Thaa. Channel dives in this area are outstanding, with loads of schooling snappers, jacks, barracuda, white tip and grey sharks, grouper, napoleon wrasses, turtles, eagle rays and much more! And if you are into wreck diving, you will have a great time exploring the Kuda Giri, famous for its rare black corals and macro life, including the resident frog fish.

One of the best things about this itinerary is that you will find a very small number of dive boats (if any!) on the visited dive sites, as it covers atolls that have very few resorts and lots of uninhabited islands – this means that quite often you will have the dive site for yourself and your group only! Also, the visibility is usually outstanding in the southern atolls, so if you are an underwater photographer of normal or macro marine life this is definitely a route that you will not want to miss!

Most dives in this itinerary involve deep and drift diving with currents, therefore it is not suitable for beginners and a minimum of 100 logged dives is recommended to join. Please note that, in order to ensure a memorable and safe dive trip, the Cruise Director will decide which are the best atolls to visit depending on the conditions, so you may not dive all of them.

Maldives have a very special underwater landscape. The country has 26 gorgeous atolls - ring-shaped coral reefs that end up encircling relatively shallow lagoons. These are usually connected to the open ocean through different points through which the water enters and exits, originating channels (called “kandu” locally) with currents rich in nutrients that feed a vast range of fish, corals, sponges, gorgonians and other marine species. Based on the reefs’ geographical formation, diving activity in the Maldives can be carried out in either these channels, in the “thilas” or “giris” (underwater rock pinnacles that develop from 30-40 metres to nearly up the surface) or in the “faru” (the edge of the atolls). Learn more about the coral reef system of the Maldives.

If you would like to learn more, the page Diving in Maldives (South region) will give you a good understanding about diving in this region.

If you would like to learn more, the page Diving in Maldives (South region) will give you a good understanding about diving in this region.