The Maldives

The Maldives not only offer world class diving but are everybody’s idea of a true tropical paradise. On arriving you get a breathtaking view of tiny white islands surrounded by turquoise waters with reefs lying just below the surface. The Maldives is made up of 1200 islands in 26 atolls in the Indian Ocean far from any landmass. Clear warm waters and plankton rich currents support a rich marine eco-system resulting in some of the best diving in the world.

The Maldives are famous for regular sightings of larger pelagic fish including many types of shark and the Manta cleaning stations where close encounters with these amazing animals are common.

This holiday package is aimed at offering the best of both worlds. After landing at Male airport you will be transferred to the liveaboard Ari Queen by tender. MY Ari Queen covers the best dive sites of the central Maldivian Atolls, including Ari Atoll, while following a flexible itinerary that takes account of local diving conditions. During the seven night itinerary, Ari Queen visits several hotspots for seasonal marine life. The dive staff have an excellent record of bringing both divers and snorkellers into contact with whitetip sharks, grey sharks, manta rays, turtles, whale sharks and occasionally hammerheads. At the end of the week long trip on ari Queen you will then be transferred by speedboat to Eriyadu Island where you will spend 7 nights on a half board basis relaxing on the beautiful island of Eriyadu. Once on the island you could spend a week soaking up the sun or diving on the house reef or a mixture of both

Ari Queen
Ari Queen was launched in early 2009 and is receiving great feedback. This attractive, spacious boat comfortably accommodates up to 20 divers in 10 air-conditioned, en-suite cabins with hot water showers. 6 lower deck cabins feature a small double and single bunk bed over, 2 double bedded cabins on the main deck with windows and 2 further upper-deck cabins can be adapted from twin to double, also with windows. Each cabin has individually controlled A/C, warm water showers, wardrobe and storage.

TRIP COSTS:

(Package includes flights from Manchester via Dubai to Male with Emirates, transfers to Ari Queen for 7 nights full board including 3/4 dives per day. Then Transfers via speedboat to Eriyadu for 7 nights, half board based on twin occupancy, transfer back to Male and return flights)

DIVING:

Diving in the Maldives is influenced by the seasons. The quality of individual dive sites and marine parks is determined by the ebb and flow of seasonal currents, which in turn affects both the underwater visibility and the marine life. Liveaboards follow these seasonal variations, taking divers to the best sites for the time of the year.

Itineraries out of Male usually dive sites in North Male, South Male, Ari, Felidhe, Baa and Lhaviyani atolls. In South Male, the diving will typically incorporate the beautiful marine park of Guraidhoo. Further south, the sheer walls of Felidhe atoll often attract a great range of shark species. Dive sites in Baa and Lhaviyani are well established and offer some of the most thrilling drift dives in the Maldives. Itineraries will incorporate some (but not all) of these areas over a typical week’s diving.

BOOKING:

You will need to complete the booking forms, pay a deposit of £300 per person to Regaldive plus the £80 New Horizons fee. No surcharges will be applied to the deposit but a 2% surcharge will be made to balances paid by credit card (not debit card).

Please complete and return the Overseas trip booking form from our links page or visit the shop.

PREREQUISITES :

Due to the nature of the diving all participants must be at least Advanced Open Water qualified or equivalent and have a minimum of 40 logged dives.

GEAR RENTAL:

Gear rental is available from New Horizons for the trip. Please ask for details.

INSURANCE:

It is required that you have travel and diving insurance for this trip.

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