Join Everette in the Indian Ocean atolls of the Maldives on the Emperor Explorer liveaboard.  

Liveaboard diving in the Maldives is a must-do for every avid scuba diver. A dreamy tropical oasis above and below, the Maldives atoll offers world-class diving experiences wowing with an abundance of marine life and spectacular coral reefs. Made up of nearly 1,200 islands, the inner and outer reefs are a haven for wildlife. Scuba divers will have the opportunity to see congregating sharks, manta rays, and whale sharks – year-round. As well as marvel at the unique underwater pinnacles and thila.

Up to 4 dives daily from a dhoni (tender). Dive the ‘Best of the Maldives’ to see it all!
World’s largest known population of reef manta rays.
Whale sharks can be seen year-round.
Oceanic blacktips, tiger sharks, thresher sharks, and hammerheads.
Thilas, caverns, walls, and drift diving.
Unique underwater topography of inner and outer reefs.
Copious amounts of reef fish – turtles, rays, flatworms, anemones, and more.

Have you thought about making your dives count for the environment? As part of the trip, we will be offering several conservation diving courses. Are you ready to take the next step in your education and become an Advanced Open Water Diver? What makes this trip fantastic is it is easy to continue your diving career with specialty courses under the supervision of the Blue Crew pro team and many can be completed alongside the diving we will be doing.

November-April is the Maldivian summer. Even so, there is little difference in temperatures from season to season. Conditions are drier, visibility is generally very good, and the reef life is usually colorful. Current can be very strong dependent upon itinerary. Due to currents flowing from the northeast, there can be a lot of shark action on the east side of the atolls. During this season, the manta and whale sharks will mostly be found on the west side of the atolls.

Currents: On average, the currents begin to flow in November and get stronger through January. As we move into February they begin to subside a bit and April has more slack currents. But, it depends a great deal on what itinerary you are on – the further south you go, the stronger the current due to the amount of channel diving. In addition, April and November are months where the currents start changing therefore making them more difficult for the dive guides to predict.

Visibility: Should be very good on the east side of the atolls; can be a little reduced on the west side but that’s where you’re more likely to find the mantas and whale sharks.

Sealife: As mentioned above, same creatures year-round but there will be more species of sharks the further south you go. The mantas will be found mostly on cleaning stations rather than feeding in lagoons. The reef life can be beautiful. Good photo opportunities but it can be very challenging on itineraries with strong currents, especially with a large housing with strobes.

There’s a reason this is the most often requested and often run Maldivian liveaboard itinerary! Fish life galore (over 1000 species are found in the Maldives), nudibranchs, sea turtles, whale sharks, and more mean something for everyone’s wish list. Photographers will be hard-pressed to decide between macro and wide-angle lenses! On this popular itinerary, divers experience a sampling of the many extraordinary types of sites including lush thilas (reef mounts), manta cleaning stations and deep channel dives. It’s easy to see why many guests choose this for their first Maldivian adventure and then return!

You don’t need a minimum number of dives for this itinerary but you should be comfortable with drift diving, 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 maximize your enjoyment. All diving is made from dhonis to give precise entry and exit points.

The MV Emperor Explorer was launched in 2019. It is the model of lavish liveaboards and at 42 m (138 ft), a dream vessel for avid divers from all over the world. Emperor Explorer’s four decks easily accommodate 13 spacious and well-appointed en-suite staterooms, all of which offer air-conditioning and a mixture of comfortable king, queen, and twin beds.

While onboard Emperor Explorer, enjoy five-star meals and a complimentary glass of wine with dinner in the open-air dining area or air-conditioned saloon. When not diving there are many open areas on this contemporary liveaboard to relax, stargaze, and soak up the sun surrounded by turquoise Maldivian waters. Additional amenities include a sizeable and modern dive deck, and free nitrox for certified divers. This is a liveaboard you’ll want to write home about!

The weather in the Maldives is tropically pleasant with a year-round sea breeze. Air temperatures range from lows around 78° F (26C) to highs in the upper 80s to low 90s (30-34C). There are two distinct but mild monsoon seasons in this equatorial country and each is named after the prevailing wind direction during that time of year.

The northeast monsoon runs from December to April and brings relatively consistent, fair weather, but also often brings significant currents. The southeast monsoon from May through October brings a bit more wind and occasional rain (usually short-lived), but generally not as much current.

The vessel’s itineraries are designed to take advantage of the changing conditions and to provide guests the best diving for the different seasons. The visibility is usually at its peak in December and January — sometimes well over 100 feet (30 meters)! Mantas can be seen throughout the year with the best feeding-station encounters typically during the May to November timeframe. Whale sharks are also seen most every month of the year, with the highest concentration seen in the monsoon transition months of April, May, October and November.

Water temperatures remain a toasty 80-85º F (27-29C) throughout the year. Most divers are comfortable with at most a 3mm wetsuit.

On-board charges of Nitrox, Port, Immigration, Marine Park, and Fuel surcharge fees will be collected on the last day of the trip. They may be paid by cash or credit card. For the trip itself, WeTravel charges a convenience fee for credit card payments. If you want to avoid that fee, payments can be made by cash or check at Blue Crew.