Prices are per person per week and in Euros based on 2 persons sharing a cabin.
Exact pricing is available on the schedule here as prices vary dependant on the time year and the length of the trip and sometimes special offers are available.

The trip price includes

Domestic flights required for the itinerary
3 meals per day, afternoon snacks
Free Nitrox
Unlimited drinking water, tea, coffee
*Complimentary glass of wine with dinner
17 dives per week in total (2-3 dives per day but no diving on the arrival/departure day)
Tanks, weights, Nitrox (certification required)
Service of experienced Dive Guides
Transfers for boarding and disembarking – Set times
GST 12%& Green Tax
1 BBQ night on a local island (if the weather and route conditions allow)
Land visit (unguided, transfers arranged upon request
We will now be giving a free glass of wine (red or white) with diner on all Maldives boats

The trip price does not include

International or other domestic flights
Diving or travel insurance
Diving Equipment, 15 litre tanks and other tank requests must be pre-ordered
Alcohol and soft drinks
GST 12% on onboard services
Other services which are not listed here or above and which might be requested by the guest.

The upper deck cabins are an extra €200 per person per week supplement and the Executive suite is an extra €575 per person per week supplement more than the standard price shown in the schedule.

Terms and conditions:

Individual bookings:
Booking deposit:
30% of booking is required within 7 days of booking - non refundable
70 % is due to 90 days prior to departure - non refundable.
Balance due 90 days before your trip departure date - non-refundable.
Individual booking made less than 90 days before the departured ate are payable in full at the time of booking.
Cancellation at any stage involves forfeit of monies already payed.

Group charter:

Booking deposit:
10% - within 7 days of booking - non-refundable
Second deposit:
20% 180 days prior to departure - non-refundable
Balance due
90 days before departure - non-refundable

Leo accommodates 24 divers in 4 lower deck double and 4 lower deck twin Cabins, 3 upper deck double / twin cabins and 1 Executive Suite for double occupancy with Jacuzzi.
Upper deck cabins: 1 executive suite, 3 double/twin
Lower deck cabins: 2 double, 2 twin/double, 4 twin
The upper deck cabins are an extra €200 per person per week supplement and the Executive suite is an extra €575 per person per week supplement more than the standard price shown in the schedule above.

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  Executive Suite

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  Executive Suite bathroom

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  Standard lower deck double

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  Standard lower deck double

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  Standard lower deck twin

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  Standard lower deck twin

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  Jacuzzi

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  Jacuzzi

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  Salon

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  Salon

BEST OF MALDIVES

• Rasdhoo Atoll: Hammerhead Dive, Beautiful Reef with Pelagics
• North Ari Atoll: Grey Reef Sharks, Maaya Thila Night Dive, Multiple Manta Cleaning Stations
• South Ari Atoll: Whalesharks, Beautiful Pinnacles
• South Male Atoll: Grey Reef Sharks, Eagle Rays, Other Pelagics, Beautiful Macro Wreck
• Vaavu Atoll: Grey Reef Sharks, Eagle Rays, Other Pelagics, Traditional Maldivian Channel Diving
• North Male Atoll: Beautiful Pinnacles

The Best of the Maldives route covers dive sites in the areas of North Male - Rasdhoo - North Ari - South Ari - South Male However they reserve the right to change it dependant on the conditions and prevaling currents. On the last day there is a free trip around Male to experience a little of the culture and life that makes this oasis in the Indian Ocean so unique.

The Best of the Maldives does just what it says on the tin - you dive the best and most famous dive sites of the Maldives in a single week of sublime liveaboard diving. This is a dive holiday in the Maldives to remember that hits all the seasonal hot spots of North Male, South Male and Ari Atoll. Dive the many channels, drifts and pinnacles, encountering the manta, whalesharks and reef residents as you go. The exact order of things is left deliberately flexible to ensure that no matter what time of year your holiday to the Maldives is, the breathtaking world underwater is unveiled in all its perfection.

Best of the Maldives itinerary aims to mix up big fish manta and shark dives with scenic reefs dives, hunting out the smallest reef fish, morays and macro life that are so abundant. Cleaning stations allow you to get up close and personal with massive Maldivian manta, and dives at Manta Point, Dhonkalo Thila and Madivaru provide just such opportunities. Maaya Thila is one of the best known dive sites in the Maldives and for a good reason. This pinnacle is about 30m diameter that descends to reveal sharks and fish a plenty. Night diving here is hard to beat and should not be missed. Log yet more pelagic sightings as grey reef sharks patrol the Ari Atoll area. The boat will also take some time out along the route to look for whalesharks you can snorkel with - grab your fins as these gentle giants can move fast!

SHARKASTIC

• South Ari Atoll: Whalesharks, Beautiful Pinnacles
• South Male Atoll: Grey Reef Sharks, Eagle Rays, Other Pelagics, Beautiful Macro Wreck
• Vaavu Atoll: Grey Reef Sharks, Eagle Rays, Other Pelagics, Traditional Maldivian Channel Diving
• Meemu Atoll: Grey Reef Sharks, Eagle Rays, Other Pelagics, Traditional Maldivian Channel Diving

PELAGIC MAGIC

• North Ari Atoll: Grey Reef Sharks, Maaya Thila Night Dive, Multiple Manta Cleaning Stations
• South Ari Atoll: Whalesharks, Beautiful Pinnacles

Final day

On the final evening Emperor will return to port to provision and refuel for the following charter.

Check out and departure On departure : Guests will depart from the boat at 7am and returned to the airport so the boat may be cleaned for the next incoming guests.

They will not be able to arrange direct transfers from the boat to resorts.
The crew will transport you to the Airport to check bags into storage.
If you are travelling later in the day you may consider a day room pass at a local hotel such as the Hulhule Island Hotel which is the closest to the airport. Normal day passes are for 12 hours and include use of the swimming pool, shower, towels, luggage storage etc., depending on which hotel you choose.

If you would like to arrive the day before it is possible to stay in the airport hotel which is on the adjacent island (HulhulMale) as the airport (Hulhule island) or stay in another guesthouse on Hulhulemale Island for the night, we don’t recommend booking somewhere in Male as this involves a ferry ride to the next island. If you stay on Hulhulemale island your hotel will then deliver you back to the airport the following day (the day of departure) where you will be met by the boats representatives and taken directly to the ship. Please check with your hotel / guest house if this is a free transfer as some of them charge for this service. Planes do not fly late into the night so you will be able to sleep.

Emperor leaves from and returns to Male but doesn’t follow a set itinerary as it’s all about the giving you the best diving possible.
As you may know the Maldives has 2 very distinct currents running at different times of the year and this effects which side of the Maldives all the marine life is on at any particular time. Basically, dependant on the currents and the winds, they will select the route and dive sites.

On arrival: Guests arriving at Male Airport on the “check-in” day will be met by a representative of Emperor Maldives who will be wearing an Emperor Maldives T-Shirt and holding an Emperor Maldives sign. The meeting point is near the Help Desk.

For your flight times for this trip ideally you should aim to arrive around mid-afternoon on the day of departure as due to a same day turn around of the boat the guests from the trip before will be departing in the morning. The rest of the morning the boat will be being cleaned and prepared for your arrival around lunchtime. There are 3 complimentary transfer times from the airport to the boat on embarking day at 11:00am, 16:00pm and 22:30pm.

Guests taking the 11:00am transfer from the airport to the boat have to accept that the boat may not be fully cleaned or ready for boarding until 13:00pm. A light sandwich style snack will be provided for lunch. Any other transfers required on embarking day, other than the 3 stated above, can be arranged at a charge of 5 EUR per person, this charge will be added to your booking invoice.

The ship has a sturdy mahogany wood hull, teak decks, custom built furnishings, ten spacious cabins and one deluxe king suite with adjoining spa. Each individual cabin has private bath, private climate control, and daily fresh towels in cabins. High-tech amenities include high definition wide-screen LCD monitor, DVD and CD player, mini bar, electronic safe, telephone, and Wi-Fi. Bose sound system provides surround sound in a huge comfortably appointed salon, and on the spacious exterior decks.

• Year built: 2007/2008 - refit 2012
• Boat length: 115 foot / 35 meters
• Beam: 31 foot / 9,30meters
• Draft: 2,7 meters
• Engine: 500hp, Cummins - Turbo diesel
• Speed: Cruising speed: 12 knots
• Electricity: 2 x 40 kW Onan quit generators, 230V, 24 hr electricity Water: two water makers each producing 12,000 litres/day, and storage 9500 liters Nautical equipment: Radio, GPS, * Sonar
• Safety equipment: Oxygen, fire alarms, fire extinguisher, life preservers, life boats, eight- person Zodiac
• Crew: 12 people on main ship, two people on diving dhoni
• Decks: cabins in the lower deck, suite on top deck and sun deck. Parlour: restaurant, bar, TV, video, DVD, Hi-Fi internet Wi-Fi, rechargeable battery station for cameras other * personal gadgets Cabins: Ten spacious double cabins (eight deluxe cabins, one upper deck double and one suite) can be booked as double, twin accommodations, each with private bathroom containing toilet, vanity and private climate control, * LCD TV, DVD and CD player, a private mini bar, electronic safe, telephone, Wi-Fi, and daily fresh towels. Kitchen: dine on contemporary flavors from the Maldives, the east and the west prepared by our chefs. The finest * crustaceans cooked in various aromatic styles are guaranteed to suit palates of all nationalities
• Bar: all types of beers, various wines, champagne, cocktails, spirits, mineral water and soft drinks.
• Diving dhoni: length 20 meters, width 7 meters
• Tanks: 12 L Alu/DIN/INT
• Compressor: two dive compressors
• Nitrox: NRC membrane system
• Weights: weight belts and weights available free for usage Rental equipment: regulator complete, BCD complete, dive lamp, dive computer, mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit, * snorkel set, weight and belt.

The Maldives offer the best that diving and snorkelling has to offer, Manta rays are guaranteed on pretty much every trip and there are a myriad of sites where you can see these beautiful creatures of the sea.
All of our liveaboards will do the best to give you the best experience possible dependant on the current conditions on the date of your trip and our boats are liveaboards for people enthusiastic or serious about their diving but also welcome snorkellers and non-divers who will have their own separate itinerary.
One of the highlights of any Maldives safari is the possibility to see one of the gentle giants of the ocean. Whale sharks are unusually common in the Maldives and are seen nearly year round in some areas and all our liveaboards will do their utmost to give you this chance encounter of a lifetime.
Diving from a liveaboard in the Maldives is without doubt one of the cheapest and easier ways to experience the best that the Maldives has to offer and these are, in our opinion, the best liveaboards in the area in terms of value for money, comfort and quality of service.

Maldives dive sites

Ari Atoll - Some of the popular dive sites

Kudarah Thila

Type of dive: Reef dive
Description: One of the best dive sites for soft coral and fish life.
The marine life here is so abundant, that the divers have named it ‘fish soup’. The thila is in a circular shape and can be covered in a single dive at different depths, if the current is not very strong.

Maaysa Thila

Type of dive: Reef dive / Night dive
Description: The thila is about 80mters in diameter.

The whole thila can be done at different depths in a single dive. There are manycaves and overhangs around the thila. The large rocks on the north eastern side have large black coral trees growing on them. The site is famous for the sharks and a great barracuda which reside here. The site can be dived at any time of the day, each with different activity going on the reef. The best chance to get close to these creatures is at night time, when they are hunting. You will see sharks, barracudas, rays and eels trying to grab a morsel.

Bathala Maaga Kanthila

Type of dive: Drift dive
Description: The northern tip of Magaa reef extends into Bathalaa Kandu and is home to a number of grey reef sharks and white-tip reef sharks. They can be seen patrolling along the reef looking for food.

Maalhos Thila (Blue Curves)

Type of dive: Drift dive / Reef dive
Description: The thila is known for the abundance of soft coral growth on the thila, particularly the blue/violet colored variety that grows on the ceiling of the caves and overhangs, thus the name ‘blue caves’. In addition a large variety of fish life can be observed here.

Rasdhoo Madivaru

Type of dive: Drift dive / Channel dive
Description: The reef on the southern side of Rasdhoo drops vertically to the ocean depths. The site is home to a school of Scalloped Hammerhead sharks (sphyrna lewini). In the early hours of the morning they rise from the deep waters off the atoll into the shallower depths, accessible to divers.

South Male Atoll - some of the more popular dive sites

Guraidhoo Kandu South

Type of dive: Drift dive / channel dive
Description: Since the eastern side of the channel is Open Ocean, large predatory fish can regularly be spotted here. This site is famous for sightings of sharks, schools of eagle rays and the occasional Sail fish and Hammerheads. The best condition to do the dive is when the current is flowing into the Atoll. The dive begins on the outer reef following the current into the atoll. Most of the pelagic species can be observed on the eastern side, where the reef drops off into the deep ocean. At the end of the dive in the channel, along the reef you can find overhangs with plenty of soft coral growth and small fish.

Kandooma Thila

Type of dive: Drift dive / reef dive
Description: Located in a channel, the reef is subject to strong currents at times. The ocean currents carry lot of nutrients to the reef, supporting an abundance of sea life. The site is well renowned for the soft coral growth, turtles, diverse fish life and invertebrates found on the reef. At the reef slope you may find sharks and eagle rays.

Embudu Kandu (Express)

Type of dive: Drift dive / channel dive.
Description: Similar to Guraidhoo Kandu, but more sharks are likely to be spotted here. The currents can be very strong at times. The stronger the current however the better chance of seeing sharks. Under the guidance of an experienced dive guide, the dive can be managed done easily.