Dive experience: Recommended: Maldives Central and Northern Atolls: participants should be Advanced Open Water Diver qualified. Maldives Central & Southern Atolls: divers should be Advanced Open Water Diver and have 30 logged dives. Maldives Southern Atolls: Advanced Open Water Diver and 100 logged dives. Divers with less experience will be able to join trips but may have to sit out some dives if their scuba skills are insufficient for the planned dives.
Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner (1 BBQ on deserted island weather permitting), snacks, drinking water, hot drinks, glass of wine with dinner, transfers to the boat from the airport, dives (as detailed in the trips above), nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers, experienced English speaking divemasters (6 divers per guide), tanks, weights and weight belts, Green Tax, GST on cruise price.
Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment rental (full set including SMB and dive computer US$ 336 per week, must be pre-booked), reef hooks, dive insurance. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash or credit card).
Optional extras: Soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, 15 litre tank (US$ 101 per week), torch (US$ 101 per week). 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: The regular port used by the MV Emperor Virgo liveaboard is Male, however some southern trips depart from Kadhdoo and Kooddoo. Your can arrive at any time on the first day as the first night is spent in the harbour. For more arrival details, including airlines, see our How to get to the Maldives section.
There are 2 complimentary transfer timings from the airport to the boat on embarkation day; 12 noon and 16:00 hrs. All transfers are arranged by a representative wearing an Emperor Maldives T-shirt and holding an Emperor Maldives sign. The meeting point at Male (Velana) International Airport is beside the Help Desk, or outside of the arrivals hall at Addu City (Gan) International Airport. Guests taking the 12 noon transfer from the airport to the boat have to accept that the boat will not be fully cleaned until 13:00 hrs. Any other transfers required on embarkation day, other than the 2 stated above, can be arranged at a charge of approx. US$ 15 each way. Groups with a minimum of 8 guests arriving on the same flight will not be charged if an alternative transfer is required on embarking day (after 12 noon).
The last dive of the trip will be at around 13:00 hrs on the second last day of the trip, before returning to port for the final night. You will disembark at 8 am on the final day. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving.
Non-diver rate: Non-divers receive a free snorkeling kit and a voucher worth US$ 50 to spend on board.
Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travelers may choose to share a cabin, or pay a supplement of 50% of the published price for their own cabin. If there is no other same sex guest for you to share with, you will receive a cabin to yourself with no single supplement.
Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 9 guests and 1 extra person can join the cruise in a Standard cabin free of charge (total 10+ guests).
Whole boat charter rate (per night): Pay for 16 guests and 2 additional persons can join free of charge.
Customer reviews:
"From the moment I sat foot on the boat the crew was friendly and forthcoming. It all made me feel very welcome. Dive briefings were done professionally and we were divided into smaller groups. We were limited to 4 divers per guide. The guides noted all dives on the whiteboard throughout the week and they actually plotted our route on a map as well. Cool service. My cabin was spacious and cleaned daily. The food served was tasty and despite the fact that we have limited ressources the chefs managed to make the menus varied throughout the week." - Thomas Weber, Denmark, 28 January 2019 ...Customer rating: Excellent!
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