AMBA

(6 customer reviews)

34m / 112ft MAX 20 NITROX PADI WIFI

PRICE PER DAY FROM USD 167

LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEE SPECIAL OFFERS APPLY

At a glance:

Specialises in northern atolls routes
2019 Operator of the Year
Dive The World Gold Range product
All cabins have en-suite bathrooms
Stand-up paddleboard, 12 & 15 litre tanks
Dhoni has camera table, rinse tanks, oxygen

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TRIP REPORT

'Amba' means 'To your health', and you will certainly feel like you are being pampered aboard this sleek boat. MV Amba received Dive The World's prestigious Operator of the Year award for 2019.

MV Amba offers nitrox diving and is the only Maldives liveaboard that operates some tours in the areas of the Haa Alifu and Haa Dhaalu atolls, meaning that there will be very few other divers in the area, and you will feel like you have the whole underwater paradise to yourself. All diving is conducted from the dhoni which features a Western-style toilet, a freshwater shower, and significantly more space for added comfort and convenience.

All 10 cabins onboard Amba feature air conditioning and en-suite facilities. There are 2 standards of cabin to choose from - standard lower deck cabins and 25 square metre luxury cabins on the upper deck which afford you breathtaking panoramic views.

The spacious saloon offers comfortable sofas from which to take in a movie or simply discuss the best dive of the day. There are ample sundecks for those wishing to top up their tan or find a quiet corner to relax, and the upper deck sundeck even has its own bar so there's no need to interrupt the sun worshipping to order an after-dive cocktail!

Quite unusually for the Maldives, the languages covered on the M/V Amba include English, German, French and Italian. Amba caters mostly, but not exclusively, to German speakers so you can expect a mixed range of nationalities on board.

There are 7 Standard double/twin bed cabins with portholes on the lower deck, and 3 double/twin bed cabins with panoramic windows on the upper deck. 2 of the upper deck cabins also have their own private deck area.

All the liveaboard cabins have:

Individual control air-conditioning and fan cooling
Portholes or windows
Private bathroom with toilet and hot water shower
Hand basin and towels
Reading lights

Daily housekeeping
Bedding, cabinet and mirror
Round twin prong 220V mains outlet
Fire warning system
Life jackets

No. of bathrooms / showers - 10 / 10 - hot water

Maldives Central Atolls (11 Days / 10 Nights - 25 Dives)

Trip highlights: whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, shark action, manta rays, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, drift diving, very popular, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: North and South Male, Ari, Felidhoo and Rasdhoo atolls

Day 1
MV Amba crew will wait for your arrival at Male International Airport and escort you by dhoni to the fantastic diving yacht. A scented towel, a refreshing soft drink, and then you are taken to your cabin to settle in. There will be an introductory briefing, then the rest of the day is all yours. You can start working on your tan on the sundeck, relax by watching a movie in the air con saloon, or start setting up your dive gear. Cocktails and dinner will be served and there is an opportunity for you to get to know the crew and the other guests better.

Days 2-10
There are 3 briefings per day followed by dives, with 2 scheduled in the morning at 07:30 hrs and 11:30 hrs, then one in the afternoon at 15:00 hrs, or a night dive at 19:00 hrs instead. Hot drinks and cookies are offered when you wake up, but the real breakfast happens after the 1st dive: fresh fruit juice, cold meats, cheese, tomato salad, and scrambled eggs or spreads (jam or chocolate cream) on toast. Main meals are influenced mainly by European cuisine, using fresh vegetables for tasty salads and 2 or 3 hot dishes served for lunch and dinner of freshly-caught fish, chicken or beef. A freshly-prepared dessert always completes the meal.
Obviously the cruise is not only about delicious food. There will be drift dives in passages and channels, submerged pinnacles, manta cleaning stations, and a wreck dive or two. Miyaru Faru is aptly named since ‘miyaru’ means shark in Dhivehi and not surprisingly this is where you can encounter the ‘big boys’. An overhang protects you from the current and provides an excellent viewing spot for the impressive parade of pelagics and patrolling grey reef sharks, or even the occasional hammerhead. The channel at Felidhoo Atoll has a spectacular wall showcasing caves, swim-throughs and overhangs festooned with colourful soft corals and bushes of black corals. Other highlights during your safari may include dozens of huge nurse sharks, midnight snappers, kingfish, schools of eagle rays and mantas, and whale sharks in these plankton-rich waters.
Please note that there will only be 1 dive the day before departure in order to stay within the no flying-after-diving guidelines.

Day 11
Check out after a light breakfast you will be taken back to Male Airport.

[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].

The crew comprises:

2-3 Divemasters
2 Captains
Cook
Kitchen Helper

Compressor Boy
Waiter
Room Boy
Dhoni Crew

Enriched air nitrox - Motorised wood hull dive tender and dinghy - 50m² saloon with bar, TV, DVD player, music system, internet facility, books and magazines - 70m² shaded area - 50m² sundeck with sun chairs - Stand-up paddleboard available at extra charge

There are either 1 or 2 diving dhoni tenders accompanying the Amba on each trip. These dhonis are equipped with rinse tanks and camera tables, and also carry oxygen. All the dive gear is kept onboard the dhonis for the duration of the tour, with the compressors being onboard too. These boats will drop you at the dive sites and return you to the liveaboard afterwards.

Amba also has an additional tender for safety that doubles as a watersking / wakeboarding boat to while away those surface intervals!

With its modern 20 square matre Nirsoat kitchen and large storerooms, the Amba is certainly not a liveaboard boat that you will go hungry on. The meals are a mixture of international favourites (steak, pasta, roast chicken) and local cuisine, with plenty of fresh vegetables and tropical fruits. Once a week, provided the weather is suitable, you can venture ashore on to an uninhabited island to enjoy an unforgettable beach barbecue.

International and Maldivian main dishes.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
Buffet service in the indoor saloon - 2 main dishes with vegetables and rice or noodles.
Vegetarians can be catered for with advance notice.
Cakes, biscuits, soft drinks, bottled water and alcohol are available for purchase.
No fixed menu.

Built in year 2004, and refitted annually
Size - 33m x 10m
Top speed - not known
Cruising speed - 12 knots
375 HP Volvo Penta engine
2 Fischer & Lombardini generators - 22 & 10 KW
2 Bauer dive tank compressors

12 & 15 litre aluminium scuba tanks with DIN valves (INT adaptors available)
Enriched air nitrox
Electricity - 220V 24 hours per day
Water capacity - 5,000 litres
Fresh water maker - 6,000 litres per day
Fuel capacity - 3,000 litres

1 or 2 Dhoni dive tender(s)
6m 115 HP Yamaha motorised dinghy
Global positioning system
Radar
Email
Radios
No depth sounder

Mobile telephone
First aid box
Oxygen - 12,400 litres
Life jackets throughout
Fire detectors and extinguishers throughout

"Service was functional and the crew was very helpful and professional. Food was excellent. Cabins however were a little wierd." - Kimmo Kallama, Finland, 14 January 2020 ...

"Excellent , constant customer service and attention. Divemaster very aware and thorough. Boat spacious and good refreshments and food. Very relaxing." - Todd McMichae, UK, 04 January 2020 ...

"MV Amba is a large and comfortable boat, roomy cabins, good food, motivated diving staff, very helpful boat staff." - Paulina Mydlowska, Germany, 28 May 2017 ...

"The dive operator was great with wonderful dive sites. The boat was clean and spacious. The operation was first class and I would consider this liveaboard again for another vacation. The only issue was lack of non-fish menu items, though the crew tried to help accommodate." - Nick Campbell, USA, 19 July 2013 ...

"Amba is a nice, large, clean boat.. good food + crew; easy diving! Current was zero to light ... mantas were there, as advertised!" - Earl Engan, USA, 29 May 2012 ...

"The German couple running the vessel are an excellent team providing guests with an exceptional scuba diving experience on a safari boat. Their staff are very helpful and friendly and overall the boat is also in very good condition with all the amenities which one can expect. In addition the food was of the highest quality with grilled fresh fish being served nearly every day, lots of vegetables and fruit etc.
The dive sites selected were extraordinary with untouched corals as far as the underwater visibility allowed for. It was one of the holiday experiences which one could repeat over and over." - Mathias Eick, Germany, 6 May 2011 ...

DEPARTURE SCHEDULE & PRICES

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Notes: Child policy: Minimum age is 14 years old.

Dive experience: Required - at least 30 logged dives and advanced certification. All divers must dive with nitrox. If guests are not qualified to dive with nitrox, they must take a EANx Specialty course onboard.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, hot drinks, juice, roundtrip transfers to the boat from local airport, dives (as detailed in the tours above), nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers, experienced English-speaking divemasters (max. 8 divers per guide), surface marker buoy, reef hook, tanks, weights and weight belts, GST on cruise price.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment (USD 229 per week), dive computer (USD 65 per week), dive insurance, Green Tax (USD 12 per night, payable in advance), 10% service charge (i.e. tips, payable in advance). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash - USD (20, 50, 100 notes) or bank card (+4% processing fee)).

Optional extras: Soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, 15 litre tank (USD 83 per week), torch (USD 47 per week), private guide (USD 35 per dive). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival. Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.

How to get there: Amba diving safaris depart from Hanimaadhoo, Male, Dharavandhoo or Ifuru. The above trips run from Sunday to Sunday but you can book Saturday to Saturday at no extra charge or any other day of the week with an additional transfer price. Amba provide a meet and greet service after exit from the arrivals hall in Male Airport. The crew will guide you to the domestic airport for the next flight check in.
For trip departures from Male, the meeting point is in front of the Burger King Restaurant at Male Airport at 12 noon. If guests arrive in Male airport after that time they will be picked up within 1 hour until 4 pm.
The last dive of the trip will be at around 8 am on the second last day of the trip. Amba spends the final night of each trip in port. Disembark between 6:30 - 9:30 am. Late check-out is not available. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving.
For more details, including airlines, see our How to Get to the Outer Atolls.

Non-diver rate: 10% discount.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travellers may choose to share a cabin (same sex gaurantee) and pay the normal price, or pay a supplement of 65% for their own cabin.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 9 guests and 1 extra person (total 10+ guests) can join the cruise free of charge (does not apply in peak season - February/March).

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Pay for 18 guests and 2 extra persons can join for free (total 20 guests).

Click to view product. Special discounted trips highlighted in yellow

Adora

From USD 277 per day

Customer rating: Excellent!

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AMBA

Maldives Central Atolls (11 Days / 10 Nights - 25 Dives)

DEPARTURE SCHEDULE & PRICES

MORE TRIP DETAILS