Horizon III

Horizon III is a 36m long fiberglass twin-engine liveaboard yacht that is among the most respected and safest in the Maldives. You will venture away from the crowds to find some of the most incredible species of the Maldives. Head north to Baa Atoll for the annual manta feeding frenzy, journey south to Thaa for night time encounters with whale sharks and Felidhoo for grey reef and nurse sharks, venture to the Deep South for hammerheads, threshers and tiger sharks.

The award-winning Horizon crew have been employed for many years and create a great ambiance onboard. This is evidenced by a returning guest rate of 70%. So confident are they that their cruises will remain popular that every cruise is a confirmed departure. An experienced Ayurvedic therapist offers rejuvenating post-dive spa treatments and massages. There is an upper deck Jacuzzi where guests can relax. The 5 comfortable leisure areas, and the light and clean interior design, provide a ‘home from home’ atmosphere.

There are 12 comfortable en-suite guest cabins onboard, including deluxe cabins with sea views. The restaurant serves up delicious buffet spreads of Western and Asian cuisine, and the bar provides draught beer and a comprehensive drinks menu.

Diving activities are conducted from the accompanying and spacious 20 metre dhoni dive tender. It houses 3 compressors and the nitrox system, the weights, and diver equipment baskets, which removes a lot of clutter from the mothership. You will find a battery charging station onboard, warm water showers, and fish ID and dive reference books. Tanks can fit both DIN and international yoke valves, and are standard 12 litre and 15 litre sizes, air and nitrox. There are 4 experienced divemasters onboard the Horizon, providing one of the most attentive dive services in the Maldives.

Non-divers are welcome on the Horizon too. They can ask the crew or captain to take them to a local beach or sand bar for island hopping, participate in a free guided snorkel tour, read books, play cards or chess, or watch TV in the lounge, try fishing, relax in the Jacuzzi or enjoy a therapeutic massage. So why not come and experience a scuba diving holiday in the Maldives like no other with the Horizon III.

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Notes: If you are short of time, Horizon could be the right choice for you. The liveaboard allows guests to pay for a speedboat transfer to or from Male and join or leave the cruise at any time. This means you can schedule a 3 night Maldives mini-safari at any time.

Dive experience: You should be Open Water certified (required) and have a minimum of 30 logged dives (recommended) to join a trip in the Central Atolls. You must be Advanced Open Water certified and have a minimum of 50 (recommended, 40 required) logged dives to join the Deep South tours.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, coffee, tea, drinking water, fishing, local airport transfers, dives (as detailed in the trips above), English speaking divemasters (max. 6 divers per guide), guided snorkelling tour, tanks, weights and weight belts, 16% GST on cruise price, 10% cruise service charge.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment rental (BCD, regulators, dive computer and SMB: US$ 255 per week, mask/fins US$ 30 per piece per week, wetsuits are not available), diving insurance, US$ 5 island fees for BBQ, Green Tax (US$ 12 per person per night). Unless otherwise stated, all listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash - EUR/USD - or credit card - VISA/Mastercard).

Optional extras: Alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers (US$ 112 per week), 15 litre tank (US$ 50 per week), torch (US$ 8 per dive; Keldan professional lights also available), Tiger Zoo dive fee (US$ 30), Ayurveda and massage sessions, Addu Nature Park entrance fee (optional). 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: Horizon's liveaboard trips usually depart from Male amd operate from Sunday to Sunday. For more details, including airlines, see our How to Get to the Maldives section. A boat representative will meet and greet you at the airport, wearing a Blue Horizon Shirt. You will then be transferred to the boat by dhoni. Boarding is at 11:30 am, and once everyone is onboard the yacht will depart at 12 noon.
If you arrive early and do not want to wait, you can drop your luggage at the airport and visit Male City or Hulhumale and get back to the airport around 11 am. If you stay in a hotel in the Maldives the night before the cruise, we recommend asking your hotel to drop you to the airport by 10:30 am near Burger King where one of the boat staff will meet you. Please let us know which hotel are you staying at so that we can also contact the hotel to ensure your transfer is on time.
The last dive of the trip is 7 am on the second last day of the trip. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving. Disembarkation is at 7 am.
For cruises in the outer atolls, local ports are used and domestic flights are often required. We will send you the additional details for these trips, but the standard times are - 11:30 am (for boarding) and 5:30 am (after disembarking).

Non-diver rate: Discount of US$ 15 per night off the full published price.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travellers may choose to share a cabin or pay a supplement of 50% of the published price for their own cabin.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 5 guests and 1 additional person can join the cruise free of charge (does not apply to trips on special offer).

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Pay for 19 guests and 5 additional persons can join the cruise free of charge (total 24 guests).

Maldives Central Atolls (8 Days / 7 Nights - 17 Dives)

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

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: South Male: Guraidhoo corner, Kuda Giri; Felidhoo: Alimatha, Miyaru Kandu; and Ari Atoll: Bathala Maa Gau, Maaya Thila, Hafusa Thila, Maalhos Thila, Degaa Thila, Panettone, Bulhalohi Thila, Rahdigaa, Rangali Madivaru, Maamigili Beyru, Dhigurah Beyru, Dhagethi, Dhigurah, Kuda Rah Thila; Felidhoo Atoll: Alimatha, snorkelling at Banana Reef

Day 1
A representative of the Horizon III will meet you at Male International Airport and take you to the dhoni that will take you on board this super 36m motor yacht. The boat will leave port, usually by 12 noon, and guests will prepare their scuba gear and do their check dive. Lunch and dinner will be served during the day. You will be able to get to know the crew and the boat better during the introductory briefing that the tour leader will give once all the guests are on board. You are about to have a great week of diving, fun, pampering and relaxation!

Days 2-7
The ‘Classic Atolls’ route includes a beautiful mix of Maldives highlights - sharks, rays, Napoleon wrasse, mantas, corals, whale sharks … you will love it. South Male features large schools of fish, big pelagics, plenty of soft corals and caves, as well as one very good wreck. 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 is also a great place to find reef sharks and has a spectacular wall showcasing caverns, swim-throughs and overhangs festooned with colourful soft corals and bushes of black corals. There is also a spectacular night dive with dozens of huge nurse sharks, sting rays and giant trevallies. Ari Atoll is famous for its mighty whale sharks which can be regularly seen in its marine protected areas. Hammerhead sharks, manta rays and other pelagic fish are also commonly encountered here. Highlights here include tuna, jacks, reef sharks, mantas and eagle rays.
A day on board the yacht runs like this – you start the day with a coffee. Then the first dive is done early in the morning. Then breakfast arrives. After relaxing for a while, the next briefing and dive is done. Lunch is served, followed by afternoon tea and snacks, then the 3rd dive. A refreshing coconut rounds of the diving activities. During the evening, dinner is served.
Meals are taken in the upper deck open air if weather permits, otherwise in the air-con dining room. The cook will surely make your trip a delicious one. Try the Maldivian breakfast of Masooni with Roshi. Lunch and dinner are a mixture of Western and Asian and consist of sausages, pasta, spaghetti, pizza, tuna, fried rice, vegetables, salad, fresh juice. A BBQ on a beach/sand bank will also be held (weather permitting). Tea, coffee, and snacks are available all day. All food is locally sourced. Pork is not allowed in the Maldives..

Day 8
Wake up to the smell of the last cooked breakfast of the tour in the early morning. Say your farewells and take your last group pictures before heading to Male airport.

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Maldives Deep South Atolls (8 Days / 7 Nights - 16 Dives)

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

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Addu: British Loyalty wreck, Maa Kandu Manta Point, Kuda Kandu, Kandhi Hera House Reef, Hithadhoo Muli, Hithadhoo Caves, Demon Point, Meedhoo Muli, Hulhudhoo Muli; Fuvahmulah: Tiger Zoo, North, South, East Wall, island hopping

Day 1
A representative of the Horizon III will meet you between 8:00-11:30 am at Gan Airport (Addu) and take you to the dhoni that will take you on board this super 36m motor yacht. The boat will leave port, usually by 12 noon, and guests will prepare their scuba gear and do their check dive. Lunch and dinner will be served during the day. You will be able to get to know the crew and the boat better during the introductory briefing that the tour leader will give once all the guests are on board. You are about to have a great week of diving, fun, pampering and relaxation!

Days 2-7
The cruise includes some extraordinary oceanic and atoll dives at Addu Atoll, as well as at Fuvahmulah. There are over 30 world class dive sites surrounding Addu, in the wide channels, and healthy reefs and thilas inside the lagoon, where you can see reef manta rays, turtles, sharks, big fish, and the largest wreck in the Maldives. Along the outer walls you can spot dogtooth tuna, silvertips, oceanic mantas, schools of batfish, fusiliers and jackfish. But for many, the highlight of a visit to the Deep South are the apex predators at Fuvahmulah Island. Be prepared for awesome encounters with thresher sharks, oceanic whitetips and tiger sharks. Here you’ll dive with a variety of large predators as they hunt the abundant smaller fish. Whitetip reef and grey reef sharks, mola mola, and sailfish are frequently seen.
A day on board the yacht runs like this - you start the day with a coffee. Then the first dive is done early in the morning. Then breakfast arrives. After relaxing for a while, the next briefing and dive is done. Lunch is served, followed by afternoon tea and snacks, then the 3rd dive. A refreshing coconut rounds of the diving activities. During the evening, dinner is served.
Meals are taken in the upper deck open air if weather permits, otherwise in the air-con dining room. The cook will surely make your trip a delicious one. Try the Maldivian breakfast of Masooni with Roshi. Lunch and dinner are a mixture of Western and Asian and consist of sausages, pasta, spaghetti, pizza, tuna, fried rice, vegetables, salad, fresh juice. A BBQ on a beach/sand bank will also be held (weather permitting). Tea, coffee, and snacks are available all day. All food is locally sourced. Pork is not allowed in the Maldives..

Day 8
Wake up to the smell of the last cooked breakfast of the tour in the early morning. Say your farewells and take your last group pictures before heading back to Gan Airport at 10 am and your flight back to Male.

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Maldives Central & Southern Atolls (15 Days / 14 Nights - 37 Dives)

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

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: South Male, Felidhoo: Alimatha, Devana Kandu, Fahumi Giri, Fotteyo, Fulidhoo Caves, Golden Wall, Kunavashi Kandu, Medhu Kandu, Miyaru Kandu, Vattaru; Meemu: Ashaa Thila, Hakuru Thila, Mulaku Kandu, Muli Corner, Vanhuravalhi Kandu, Veyvar Corner; and Laamu Atoll: Fushi Kandu, Guraidhoo Kandu, Isdhoo East, Isdhoo West, Munnafushi Kandu, Vadinolhu Kandu

Day 1
A representative of the Horizon III will meet you at 11:30 am at Male International Airport and take you to the dhoni that will take you on board this super 36m motor yacht. The boat will leave port, usually by 12 noon, and guests will prepare their scuba gear and do their check dive. Lunch and dinner will be served during the day. You will be able to get to know the crew and the boat better during the introductory briefing that the tour leader will give once all the guests are on board. You are about to have a great fortnight of diving, fun, pampering and relaxation!

Days 2-14
Get ready to dive the best sites of the southern atolls of the Maldives. Dive after dive you will explore the beauty of these relatively unknown atolls. Laamu and Felidhoo atolls will challenge you with deep channels and strong currents that attract different types of sharks, manta rays, and schools of trevallies and tuna in search of small prey. Meemu Atoll is where you will have the best chance to see whale sharks feeding on plankton, while Thaa Atoll is all about drift dives in the company of whitetip reef sharks and eagle rays. The beauty of the healthy corals, almost untouched by humans, will leave you speechless.
A day on board the yacht runs like this - you start the day with a coffee. Then the first dive is done early in the morning. Then breakfast arrives. After relaxing for a while, the next briefing and dive is done. Lunch is served, followed by afternoon tea and snacks, then the 3rd dive. A refreshing coconut rounds of the diving activities. During the evening, dinner is served.
Meals are taken in the upper deck open air if weather permits, otherwise in the air-con dining room. The cook will surely make your trip a delicious one. Try the Maldivian breakfast of Masooni with Roshi. Lunch and dinner are a mixture of Western and Asian and consist of sausages, pasta, spaghetti, pizza, tuna, fried rice, vegetables, salad, fresh juice. A BBQ on a beach/sand bank will also be held (weather permitting). Tea, coffee, and snacks are available all day. All food is locally sourced. Pork is not allowed in the Maldives..

Day 15
Wake up to the smell of the last cooked breakfast of the tour in the early morning. Say your farewells and take your last group pictures before heading to Male Airport.

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Maldives Central & Northern Atolls (8 Days / 7 Nights - 16 Dives)

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

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: North Male and Baa Atoll: Hanifaru Bay

Day 1
A representative of the Horizon III will meet you at 11:30 am at Male International Airport and take you to the dhoni that will take you on board this super 36m motor yacht. The boat will leave port, usually by 12 noon, and guests will prepare their scuba gear and do their check dive. Lunch and dinner will be served during the day. You will be able to get to know the crew and the boat better during the introductory briefing that the tour leader will give once all the guests are on board. You are about to have a great week of diving, fun, pampering and relaxation!

Days 2-7
Hanifaru Bay is a sanctuary for people who love snorkelling with manta rays and whale sharks. From May to December, concentrations of plankton attract these huge creatures and at any time there could be over a hundred mantas and several whale sharks feeding off the coral reef. This is the world’s largest known feeding station. This UNESCO biosphere reserve is a Marine Protected Area and there are strict regulations in place to protect and preserve this amazing wonder. Only snorkelling is allowed and diving is no longer permitted.
North Male includes a beautiful mix of Maldives highlights - Napoleon wrasse, tuna, jacks, reef sharks, mantas and eagle rays … you will love it.
A day on board the yacht runs like this - you start the day with a coffee. Then the first dive is done early in the morning. Then breakfast arrives. After relaxing for a while, the next briefing and dive is done. Lunch is served, followed by afternoon tea and snacks, then the 3rd dive. A refreshing coconut rounds of the diving activities. During the evening, dinner is served.
Meals are taken in the upper deck open air if weather permits, otherwise in the air-con dining room. The cook will surely make your trip a delicious one. Try the Maldivian breakfast of Masooni with Roshi. Lunch and dinner are a mixture of Western and Asian and consist of sausages, pasta, spaghetti, pizza, tuna, fried rice, vegetables, salad, fresh juice. A BBQ on a beach/sand bank will also be held (weather permitting). Tea, coffee, and snacks are available all day. All food is locally sourced. Pork is not allowed in the Maldives..

Day 8
Wake up to the smell of the last cooked breakfast of the tour in the early morning. Say your farewells and take your last group pictures before heading to Male airport at 7 am.

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Maldives Deep South & Southern Atolls (15 Days / 14 Nights - 34 Dives)

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

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: South Male, Felidhoo: Alimatha, Devana Kandu, Fahumi Giri, Fotteyo, Vaavu Caves, Golden Wall, Kunavashi Kandu, Medhu Kandu, Miyaru Kandu, Vattaru; Meemu: Ashaa Thila, Hakuru Thila, Mulaku Kandu, Muli Corner, Vanhuravalhi Kandu, Veyvar Corner; Laamu Atoll: Fushi Kandu, Guraidhoo Kandu, Isdhoo East, Isdhoo West, Munnafushi Kandu, Vadinolhu Kandu, Huvadhoo Atoll: Gadhoo Thila, Gadhoo Corner, Gemanafushi Kandu, Mareya Bayru, Gemanafushi Outside, Gemanafushi Kandu, Kodey Kandu, Nilandhoo Kandu, Kooddoo Kandu, VIllin’Gili Kandu; Addu: British Loyalty wreck, Maa Kandu Manta, Maa Faru; Fuvahmulah, island hopping

Day 1
A representative of the Horizon III will meet you at Male International Airport and take you to the dhoni that will take you on board this super 36m motor yacht. The boat will leave port, usually by 12 noon, and guests will prepare their scuba gear and do their check dive. Lunch and dinner will be served during the day. You will be able to get to know the crew and the boat better during the introductory briefing that the tour leader will give once all the guests are on board. You are about to have a great 2 weeks of diving, fun, pampering and relaxation!

Days 2-14
Get ready to dive the best sites of the deep south and southern atolls of the Maldives. Dive after dive you will explore the beauty of these relatively unknown atolls. Laamu and Felidhoo atolls will challenge you with deep channels and strong currents that attract different types of sharks, manta rays, and schools of trevallies and tuna in search of small prey. Meemu Atoll is where you will have the best chance to see whale sharks feeding on plankton. The beauty of the healthy corals, almost untouched by humans, will leave you speechless.
The cruise also includes some extraordinary oceanic and atoll dives at Huvadhoo and Addu atolls, as well as at Fuvahmulah. Huvadhoo is made up of vibrant reefs, untouched lagoons, walls and deep channels. Stingrays, turtles and a variety of sharks including blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, nurse sharks, spinner dolphins, manta rays, and thresher sharks are frequent visitors here. Occasionally you will also find hammerheads too. But for many, the highlights of a visit to the Deep South are the apex predators at Fuvahmulah Island. Be prepared for awesome encounters with thresher sharks, oceanic whitetips and tiger sharks. Here you’ll dive with a variety of large predators as they hunt the abundant smaller fish. Whitetip reef and grey reef sharks, mola mola, sailfish, and schools of tuna are frequently seen.
A day on board the yacht runs like this - you start the day with a coffee. Then the first dive is done early in the morning. Then breakfast arrives. After relaxing for a while, the next briefing and dive is done. Lunch is served, followed by afternoon tea and snacks, then the 3rd dive. A refreshing coconut rounds of the diving activities. During the evening, dinner is served.
Meals are taken in the upper deck open air if weather permits, otherwise in the air-con dining room. The cook will surely make your trip a delicious one. Try the Maldivian breakfast of Masooni with Roshi. Lunch and dinner are a mixture of Western and Asian and consist of sausages, pasta, spaghetti, pizza, tuna, fried rice, vegetables, salad, fresh juice. A BBQ on a beach/sand bank will also be held (weather permitting). Tea, coffee, and snacks are available all day. All food is locally sourced. Pork is not allowed in the Maldives..

Day 15
Wake up to the smell of the last cooked breakfast of the tour in the early morning. Say your farewells and take your last group pictures before heading to Gan Airport (Addu).
Note: these cruises sometimes run in reverse so please check the port of departure and return.

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[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].

There are 12 cabins onboard the Horizon - on the upper deck there is 1 Master cabin and 2 Deluxe cabins, each with a queen-size double bed. On the main deck there is one small standard double/twin bed cabin and on the lower deck. there are 8 standard cabins twin beds, double beds or twin bunk beds. All cabins have private bathrooms.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 14 / 14 - hot water

Customer reviews:

"The tour had little leadership/guidance. The Tour Leader was also the Head Dive Guide and over tasked. On the separate dive boat, smoking was allowed anywhere on the boat, no restrictions. DIvers would light up cigarette or vape at their equipment, tank, BCD station without regard to safety or non-smokers. We ask the Tour Leader to restrict the smoking to the dive platform but that was not enforced. Also my Dive Guide was tasked with guiding 8 divers. He was unsafe and the group spit several times and we had 3 low-air situations due to his lack of attention to divers. Very bad dive operator." - Billy Broyles, United States, 1 July 2024 ...

"I was not satisfied with the facilities and services provided by Blue Horizon. 1. Staff turned up 40 minutes late at pick-up time; no explanation was given when the staff finally arrived. 2. The boat floor was sticky. 3. No water supply for a few times and the water pressure was often so weak. 4. The air-conditioner broke during one night and we were forced to sleep outside. 6. We should have made a night dive but the staff told us the night dive would not be provided as there was no mantas at night; it was so ridiculous! 7. Our diving guide gave a very basic service for us underwater, and there was drift diving.
However, the food quality was fine and many of the staff were nice. " - Vincent Ma, Hong Kong, 8 October 2023 ...

"The Horizon 3 ship is well designed, spacious and bright. The crew seemed very good and all tasks seemed to be done as needed. The food was good but might have been a little more spicy or perhaps some special national dishes? Room care was good. The group of guests could have mixed more The ship and its maintenance are good It's a good design - better than a lot of the other live-aboard ships I saw." - MURRAY PARSONS, Sri Lanka, 25 July 2023 ...

"The whole week went well. The boat was good, the food varied and excellent and we had plenty of room being only 8 passengers out of 22. However, on the Saturday no activity was organized (snorkeling, possibly one or two dives in the morning). We all stayed on the boat waiting for any information. We were also extremely disappointed with the organization of internal flights and we had to spend a whole day in Male where there is absolutely nothing interesting to visit.
Dive The World were very good, available, responsive and competent." - Ottet, Switzerland, 25 March 2023 ...