Destination: Maldives
The Best of Maldives & Northern Lights (7-10 Nights)| From $340/night
Emperor Explorer Quick Pitch
The Emperor Explorer offers contemporary and spacious accommodation alongside top-notch service. At 42 metres, she effortlessly accommodates 26 guests in 13 well-appointed ensuite cabins all with air-con. Additionally, the vessel also has a spa, as well as other spacious diving and relaxation areas. The Emperor Explorer operates 7-day itineraries chosen specifically to suit the best seasons in the Maldives with longer 10-day trips focusing on dive sites further afield. All diving is done from her large dhoni (tender), giving more living space on board and getting you to the best dive spot every time.
Why You'll Like M/V Emperor Explorer
- High quality, newly-constructed contemporary liveaboard
- The spa on the main deck
- Choice of spacious dining and relaxation areas
- Visit a local island for a barbecue dinner under the stars
- Dive with mantas, man-sized nurse sharks & whale sharks
- FREE Nitrox and wine with dinner
- 4 dive guides
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Accommodations - Facilities - NEW! Schedule, Rates & Availability
Dive Info & Itineraries - Other Information - Booking & Inquiry - Underwater Gallery
Dive Overview
Boasting warm waters with rich marine life, coral reefs visited by schools of fish and playful dolphins, mantas and whale sharks, the Maldives is one of the most diverse scuba diving destinations in the world. Amazing channel dives draw animals from the deep, which will leave you spellbound. Mountainous pinnacles rise from 35m and taper to 8m, which make them ideal for those slower, more relaxing dives.
[See: Maldives Dive Travel Guide]
Accommodations
Types of Cabins, Amenities and Photos
Accommodation overview
At 42 meters, she easily accommodates 26 guests in 13 well-appointed en-suite cabins, all with air conditioning.
- Upper deck cabins: 2 king-size double and 2 twin
- Main deck cabins: 2 double with a single bed
- Lower deck cabins: 5 double with a single bed and 2 double
General Facilities
Emperor Explorer's Salon
Indoor Dining Area & Hot Tub
M/V Emperor Explorer boat Facilities
- Open air dining area at the stern of the main deck
- Air-conditioned saloon for relaxing or watching TV
- Bar
- TV/Video/DVD, library with board games
- Covered, open area at the upper deck
- Sundeck
- Spa at main deck
- Charging stations, air gun, rinse tanks & camera table
M/V Emperor Explorer dive facilities
- Free Nitrox
- All diving is done from Emperor Explorer's large dhoni (tender)
- Dive equipment rental
- PADI courses and specialties available onboard
- Non-divers get free snorkeling kit + $50 voucher to spend onboard
Food & Drinks Aboard Emperor Explorer
The meals on board are usually buffet style with a variety of local and international dishes to suit everyone. Local food is traditionally a bit spicey, fish is available on-board, mostly frozen with a few fresh catches along the way. Water, tea, and coffee are complimentary. Soft drinks, fresh juices and alcohol are chargeable.
M/V Emperor Explorer Liveaboard Deck Plan
Schedule, Rates & availability
The rates shown below are per person in USD for Standard Lower Deck Cabins. The pricing at the time of booking may vary depending on the latest EUR/USD exchange rate.
Supplements: €235/person/week for an Upper Deck Cabin, €180/person/week for a Main Deck Cabin. If a Double with single bed cabin is booked as a twin share then a €35 per week supplement is added to guarantee the double bed. Single Occupancy Supplement: standard rate + 50%.
[See also: Inclusions & Exclusions]
Inclusions
- 7 or 10 nights on board
- Up to 4 dives daily (weather and itinerary permitting)
- 3 meals a day including afternoon snacks
- A glass of wine included at dinner
- Return transfers to boat on day of embarking/disembarking (3 timings)
- Separate diving dhoni
- Guide, tanks, and weights
- FREE Nitrox and air fills
- Unlimited drinking water, tea and coffee
- 1 BBQ night on local island subject to route and weather conditions
- Land visit
- Government Green Tax, Goods and Service Tax (GST) and bed tax
Exclusions
- Flight
- Diving equipment
- Soft drinks, fresh juices or alcohol
- Tip for the crew
- Cabin supplements
Rates & Availability
For more information on rates and availability email us at info@bluewaterdivetravel.com or call us at +1-310-915-6677 and we will gladly help you plan your dream dive vacation!
Dive Information & Itineraries
Best of Maldives
This is the Best of the Maldives - and it delivers exactly that. This is where you dive the best and most famous dive sites of the Maldives in a week of wonderful liveaboard diving across Male and Ari atolls. For this itinerary, you should be comfortable with drift dives. Currents can be strong. All your diving is made from dhonis or zodiacs to give precise entry and exits points. Experienced divers can dive in a buddy pair unguided.
- 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: Whale Sharks, Beautiful Pinnacles
- South Male Atoll: Grey Reef Sharks, Eagle Rays, Other Pelagics, Beautiful Macro Wreck.
- Vaavu Atoll: Action packed night dive with Nurse Sharks and others.
- North Male Atoll: Beautiful Pinnacles.
Northern Hi-Lights (July - October)
10 day trips - Male to Male
This itinerary combines some of the best and most famous dives sites from our Best of Maldives and Hanifaru & North itineraries, creating a trip with highlights from what is generally referred to as the 'Northern Atolls' and it delivers exactly that.
A diverse marine mix of reef animals, stony and soft corals, abundant macro life, marine turtles, manta rays and whale sharks awaits where you can get up close at the cleaning stations without disturbing the locals.
Some of the best channels for diving with Maldives reef sharks can be found in North Male. Often the best chances for whale shark and manta encounters can be found in Ari Atoll, such as at one of the best-known dive sites, Maaya Thila. For hammerheads, it's a visit to Rasdhoo Atoll in North Ari.
Although diving is not permitted in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hanifaru Bay, we are allowed to go in and snorkel with these gentle giants in the lagoon. After a manta has enjoyed its feed it needs to get cleaned, so we take you to known manta cleaning stations in both North Male and Baa Atoll. Hopefully, these will give you sightings all week long. Of course, sightings can't be guaranteed but diving at this time means your chances are high.
You don't need a minimum number of dives but you should be comfortable with drift dives as currents can be unpredictable and strong. If you are an Open Water Diver, some dives are below 18m therefore we recommend having advanced experience or taking your PADI Advanced Open Water course on board to maximise your enjoyment of the trip.
Deep South & Southern Sharks (February & March)
7 day trips - Laamu to Addu / Addu to Laamu
February and March are the best times to sail to the southerly Maldivian atolls and dive into the shark action in these out-of-the-way southern dive sites between Huvadhoo and Addu (Seenu) Atolls. Spend a week away from the madding crowds and dive Foammulah and Huvadhoo on the lookout for the Indian Ocean's larger residents; tiger sharks, silver tips, grey reef sharks, whale sharks and many, many more.
From Male we take you to Laamu (Kadhdhoo) or Addu (Gan) by domestic flight to join your liveaboard, and then it's off on our adventure. Laamu is an oval shaped southern atoll, which has some of the top dive sites in the world such as Guraidhoo and Gan. In Foammulah you can expect to meet tiger and silver tip sharks. At Huvadhoo, one of the deepest lagoons in the Maldives, the currents are ideal for even more shark sightings including, hopefully, whale sharks and silkies, hammerheads, tiger and grey sharks spotted most of the time. There are swift channel dives with several kandus; Vilingilli, Nilandhoo, Mareehaa and Kondeey. Addu Atoll hosts the WWII wreck, HMS British Loyalty, as well as popular majestic Manta Cleaning stations with more relaxing sites to either start or end the trip with too.
This itinerary suits experienced divers (100+ dives) looking for 'away from it all and different diving' with quite a focus on drift diving.
South Central Atolls (January - March)
January to March is the time to join us as this is when the current in the Kandus is largely incoming from the east. There's a good variety of diving from thrilling channel dives to more relaxed diving inside the atolls on Thilas or Giris.
The best thing? There are few other boats as we visit atolls that have very few resorts and lots of uninhabited islands so liveaboard competition is low.
Hammerheads are often found in Thaa as well as whale sharks who visit our boat at night attracted by the krill, which, in turn, are attracted by the lights. When the currents are running well, the channel dives here are outstanding. Abundant with schooling snappers, jacks, barracuda, white tips and greys, grouper, Napoleon wrasse, turtles, eagle rays and more.
You will either join your liveaboard in Male or Laamu (Kadhdhoo), and then it's off on our adventure.
This itinerary has a lot of drift diving so it's best suited to more advanced divers. With visibility being really good in the southern atolls, this is ideal for photographers and videographers looking for larger Pelagic action.
Other Information
Boat specifications
- Year built: 2019
- Length: 42m
- Beam: 13.2m
- Construction Material: Wooden hull
- Cruising Speed: 10 knots
- Engine: 700 HP Doosan Daewoo
- Generators: 2 x 50 KW Cummins
- Water Makers: 12 Tonnes/24h RO Plant
- Navigation and Communication: VHF radio, GPS chart plotter, Telephone, Mobile, EPIRB
- Air Systems: Two Coltri Compressors + Nitrox
- Maximum guests: 26
- Number of cabins: 13
Practical Information
- Time Zone: UTC+5
- Local Currency: MVR (Maldivian Rufiyaa)
- Language Spoken: English
- Electricity: 220 volts AC 50Hz
- Payment Onboard: Cash (Euros, Sterling and US dollars) & credit cards (Visa and Mastercard)
Got Questions? Ready to Book?
Call us today at +1-310-915-6677 or email us info@bluewaterdivetravel.com
And let us book your dream vacation!
Underwater Gallery
Photos by Marc Stickler
