Liveaboard Scuba Diving Tours
Blue Force One – The Ultimate Maldives Liveaboard
The MV Blue Force One is a premium liveaboard dive boat. It takes the Maldives resort concept and transports it around the islands and Atolls. It has a spacious upstairs bar, a large outdoor restaurant and an enormous air-conditioned lounge with comfortable sofas. There are two jacuzzi pools and an enormous “chill out” area. In addition to this, the top sundeck is massive. All of her cabins are large and more reminiscent of hotel rooms with excellent bathrooms than a ship’s cabin.
When the Blue Force fleet built this vessel, they really went to town on her. Then when the Blue Force fleet hired the crew for this vessel, they got the best people in the Maldives!
The food is excellent and varied, with pre-dive tea and biscuits, breakfast, lunch, afternoon cake and tea, and finally dinner. Before dinner, there are aperitifs to be had in the rooftop bar.
The Diving ‘Dhoni’ (tender) for the Maldives Blue Force One is so large that when we first boarded it, we thought this was the actual liveaboard. It has a sundeck so that the occasional 45-minute rides to a dive site, can be just as much fun as being on board Blue Force One!
The dive guides are a mixture of excellent Maldivian and Spanish divers. They know their reefs and they know their clients. Every diver is guided within a small group. All diving is done to a high standard, but no one tells you what to do. It is always your choice.
Central Atolls Classic Route
This is the best-known route in the Maldives. It has the ease of departing from Hulumale, the airport island.
Once on board the Blue Force One, the typical route is to steam to and dive on the following Atolls: North Male Atoll, Ari Atoll, Felidhoo and South Male Atoll. This route is operated for 10 months a year (from August to May) with weekly departures. Blue Force really does know every detail, atoll, passage, seasonal change and pinnacle on the route. They know when to change the dive site, and when to dive the site. This 7-night itinerary includes 6-dive days. That is around 18 dives (with 2-night dives).
On the Central Atolls Classic Route, you should see: grey reef sharks, white-tip reef sharks, black-tip reef sharks, and if you are lucky, hammerhead sharks and dolphins. We often see whale sharks and eagle rays. You will always see schools of colourful fish, moray eels, tuna, gild-headed breams, groupers and turtles.
The Maldives Central Atolls Classic Route involves drift dives in gin clear passages, and diving on submerged coral sea mounts known locally as “Thila”. If you are lucky you will see the Manta cleaning stations where big mantas gather together to be cleaned by tiny cleaner wrasse. There are also chances to snorkel with whale sharks. You will also be able to dive a few purposely sunk, but quite impressive wrecks.
In addition to all of this, you’ll be able to participate in two of the most spectacular night dives in the world: one with mantas and the other with dozens of nurse sharks. You’ll have lunch on a Desert Island and once Covid restrictions are lifted you will be able to visit traditional Maldivian fishing villages.
The Blue Force One has 2 Jacuzzis on board, 2 kayaks, and some paddle SUP’s. All in all, the Maldives Central Atolls Classic Route dive safari is mind-blowing.
Diving Addu Atoll
Addu Atoll is famous for its sharks that inhabit its passages and its manta cleaning station, where Manta Rays come by and peer at divers in 30m visibility. But Addu should be dived for so much more than the sharks and Manta Rays.
Addu Atoll is one of the final frontiers of global scuba diving. It is host to the healthiest, most vibrant coral reefs that I have seen in 30 years. Every reef is packed with fish. If you wish to explore the outside of the Atoll, you can jump onto walls that descend down to the Indian Ocean floor. You drift through “farms” of gorgonian fans that stretch down from 10m-50m. Sometimes sharks will appear from nowhere, have a look at the divers and then disappear. Down deeper we see 300lb tunas investigate us.
On your safety stop the barracuda, turtles, eagle rays and jacks swim past you. In the lagoon, close to the pier of Maradu-Feydo, lies the MT British Loyalty. This magnificent wreck lies on her side in 32 metres of water, but only 14 metres from the surface. Sunk twice by the Germans and Japanese and refloated twice by the Royal Navy, the MT British Loyalty is a magnificent giant coral reef. Swimming into the cavernous engine room, the giant Sulzer engine is covered in yellow snapper. To sum up the diving in Addu: everything is pristine, untouched, unbroken and vibrant. Best of all you’ll be very unlucky to see other divers. Everything in this world is about people, and Marc Kouwenberg, the owner of Aquaventure, is no exception. His drive in searching out the most interesting sites in Addu has created a dynamic and welcoming dive centre. Aquaventure dive three times a day from their safe, reliable boats with excellent dive guides.
Central Atolls Classic Route
Maldives Liveaboard – Price Guide:
- Maldives Blue Force One Liveaboard dive package starts at £3945pp.
An eight-day scuba dive holiday around Addu Atol, transfers, meals and accommodation included.
