Seafari explorer 1

Go for 14 nights and head down to the equator where you have a rendezvous in Fohamulah with the tiger sharks! Before you get there, our new Seafari Explorer 2 boat will stop at the most beautiful manta ray cleaning stations, the most populated passes with grey, coral, and blacktip sharks, the fabulous nurse shark reserve of Vaavu, and many other surprises from our team of specialists on-site.

This unique cruise is organized and accompanied by Nicolas Viricel and Bruno Brechler, two great specialists in diving in the Maldives in general, and the interaction with the pelagics in particular!

The essential

• 32 dives over 13 days of diving included (possibility of additional dives).
• Minimum level required: Level 2, Advanced or equivalent + 50 logged dives.
• Departure and return: Malé (international flights not included).

All aquatic activities are under the supervision of a qualified instructor (CMAS or PADI) of the Seafari team.

Before each activity Instructors on board will make a detailed presentation of the site, currents, wildlife, and safety rules to be observed.

The choice of sites is at the discretion of the captain and Seafari Senior Instructor depending on the season and weather conditions.

The senior instructor may impose In water supervision or restriction from diving to any diver whose technical level is not sufficient to guaranty safe diving conditions.

Sample itinerary:

Day 1

Group transfer from the Airport to the ship. After a nice Welcome briefing by the Cruise Director, cabin allocation and ship orientation will take place, Guests can familiarize themselves with the vessel, set up equipment, and get comfortable.

Day 2 – 14

• Sunrise: Tea, coffee, and the first dive  (depending on the tide and the site)
• 8.30 am: Continental & local breakfast
• 9.30-10.30 am: Navigation
• 10.30 am: Some days the first or second  dive
• 12.30 pm: Lunch with fresh fish, vegetables, rice, fruit, local or international food
• 2 pm: Navigation or second dive
• 4 pm: island hopping for well-deserved rest.
• Sunset: Night Dive (1 per week)
• 6.30 p.m : Relaxing. Bar opening!
• 8 pm : Dinner: usually fresh fish and traditional Maldivian cooking and international cuisine.

Evening «under the stars», presentation of the fauna of the Indian Ocean.

Snorkeling sessions with manta rays are planned in secret places.

Day 15

Check-out, and group transfer to the airport.

Routes are indicative. They can change with the seasons. Visited atolls and dive sites are not guaranteed. 

The Senior Instructor in consultation with the divers and Boat captain will select the route and dive sites based on current, tides, and weather conditions in order to make the best possible dive safely.

The last dive will be on the penultimate day of the trip. Divers are recommended to wait for 24hours before flying after the last dive.

Required: CMAS 2* or ADV – 50 dives min.

Depart: from Male or Laamu (Khadhdhoo Airport, KDO)

Return: from Male or Laamu (Khadhdhoo Airport, KDO) 21-22 dives over 9 days (possibility of additional dives)

Welcome Aboard The first day a member of the Seafari team welcomes you upon arrival at Male airport or Kadhdhoo (Atoll de Laamu) depending on whether your itinerary takes you down to the deep south or back from the deep south to Male. This is a comprehensive cruise itinerary by our experienced teams to offer you the best of Maldives in 10 days. Your cruise will take you off the beaten path through the North Male Atolls, Ari, Vaavu, Thaa, Meemu, Laamu.

Onboard the crew will welcome you and after a quick briefing on safety and life on board you shall take possession of your cabin. It is sometimes possible to make a first dive in the afternoon and the boat is usually sailing the day after your arrival in the morning. The route and the dive sites Routes are indicative. They can change with the seasons. Visited atolls and dive sites are not guarantee. The Senior Instructor in consultation with the divers and Boat captain will select the route and dive sites based on current, tides and weather conditions in order to make the best possible dive safely.

A day onboard (scheduled times) Sunrise: Tea, coffee and the first dive (depending on the tide and the site) 8:30: Continental & local breakfast 9.30-10.30: Navigation 10:30: Some days the first or second dive 12:30 Lunch: with fresh fish, vegetables, rice, fruit, local or international food 14:00: Navigation or second dive 16h00: island hoping or well-deserved rest. At sunset: Night Dive (1 day / week) 6:30 p.m. Relaxing. Bar opening. 20h00: Dinner: usually fresh fish and traditional Maldivian cooking and international cuisine Evening “under the stars”, presentation of the fauna of the Indian Ocean.

The Last Day is Usually devoted to rest (no diving 18H before takeoff). Storage or Island visit. If your route takes you back to Male you can visit the city. The airport transfer usually takes place early in the morning after breakfast Note on Water Sports Diving, snorkeling, diving All aquatic activities are under the supervision of a qualified instructor (CMAS or PADI) of the Seafari team. Before each activity Instructors on board will make a detailed presentation of the site, currents, wildlife and safety rules to be observed. The choice of sites is at the discretion of the captain and Seafari Senior Instructor depending on the season and weather conditions. The senior instructor may impose In water supervision or restriction from diving to any diver whose technical level is not sufficient to guaranty safe diving conditions.

SEAFARI WISH YOU A NICE CRUISE North Male Atoll Back Faru  This site offers a nice drift dive along the fringing reef; often protected it’s a nice dive, ideal for a first contact with the underwater world of the Maldives. Pleasant surprises are regular there, tuna, leopard moray eels and turtles North & South Ari Atoll Maaya Thila, With a diameter of 60 meters Maaya Thila is a nature reserve full of surprises. Popular for night dives, one can see many turtles and sharks. The plateau at 6 meters depth is great to end your dive. Fesdu Wreck, This small wreck lies on a sandy bottom 30 meters next to garden eels. A little further west is a small thila filled with anemones and macro life. It is also one of the preferred sites to see the toadfish. Fish Head Superb thila! Gray sharks, reef sharks, jacks, turtles and schools of banner fish make it an unforgettable dive. Fesdu Lagoon Night dive with Manta Ray… Interested? Moofushi Kandu ou Corner Splendid dive. Depending on the season to see in a single dive, eagle rays, napoleon, gray sharks and Mantas! What else! Dhigga Thila, Also nicknamed “Bollywood Thila” this dive site is a 200-meters long Thila where one finds soft coral caves brightened up of all the colors. The dive ends on a plateau filled with Acropora tables that leaves no one indifferent. Rangali Madivaru, A Must see for manta during the northeast monsoon. This dive on the western edge of the Ari Atoll is also very beautiful for its architecture. Kudarah Thila A Small thila with thousands of fish. Reef Shark, Trevally, yellow snappers, field full of anemone & clown fish. Large groupers. A must! 5 rocks One of the finest examples of biodiversity in the Maldives. Huge sea fans, soft corals and tropical fish galore. Bodu finholu Thila Superb thila off the external reef of Ari. Gray sharks, stingrays, mobula, Reef Shark in quantity and sometimes a whale shark visits us. Maamigili Beyru or House Reef This dive site is not exactly a dive site since it extends over 3 kilometers.

However, it is here that we have the best chance of encounter with the famous whale shark. Bottom composition consists of Acropora tables and Thila at depth. Vaavu Atoll Miyaru Kandu Great channel with a school of thirty resident gray reef sharks Eagle rays and Napoleon will also join the show. Alimatha House Reef Exceptional night diving, with black tips sharks, stingrays, jacks inoblilis and numerous nurse sharks. Devana Kandu Very nice fishy channel, Gray Shark, Reef sharks, eagle rays, stingrays, and Napoleon … Fotteyo Kandu Undoubtedly one of the best diving in the Maldives. Exceptional soft corals in the overhangs, eagle rays and gray sharks . Meemu Atoll Vanhuravavalhi Kandu Great channel with a good chance of seeing the albimarginatus shark. Maduvari Kandu Very good swim through with a school of thirty resident gray shark. eagles ray and Napoleon, barracuda and trevally soal will add to the show. Muli Kandu : A Drift dive along the pass of Muli Island

Welcome Aboard – The first day a member of the Seafari team welcomes you upon arrival at Male airport. The Dhoni (traditional boat used for diving activities) will take you to your boat moored in the protected lagoon of Hulumale. On board the crew will welcome you and after a quick briefing on safety and life on board you shall take possession of your cabin. It is sometimes possible to make a first dive in the afternoon and the boat is usually sailing the day after your arrival in the morning.

The route and the dive sites – This tour combines the stunning channels of Male south Atolls and the spirit of discovery on the atolls of Meemu and Vaavu two atolls rarely visited by divers. The circuit may also include sites of South Ari Atoll.

This cruise offers a sense of “end of the world” when the boat is moored in lagoon of paradise islands. Diving is exceptional with abundance pelagic and marine life.

A day on board (scheduled times):

• Sunrise: Tea, coffee and the first dive (depending on the tide and the site)
• 8:30: Continental & local breakfast
• 9.30-10.30: Navigation
• 10:30: Some days the first or second dive
• 12:30 Lunch: with fresh fish, vegetables, rice, fruit, local or international food
• 14:00: Navigation or second dive
• 16h00: island hoping or well-deserved rest.
• At sunset: Night Dive (1 day / week)
• 6:30 p.m. Relaxing. Bar opening.
• 20h00: Dinner: usually fresh fish and traditional Maldivian cooking and international cuisine
• Evening “under the stars”, presentation of the fauna of the Indian Ocean.

The Last Day – Back to the marina. Check out after breakfast. The last day (optional program) Treat yourself by relaxing in the pool of the hotel Hulhule or discover the island capital Male and the fish market.

Note on Water Sports
Diving, snorkeling, diving
All aquatic activities are under the supervision of a qualified instructor (CMAS or PADI) of the Seafari team.

Before each activity Instructors on board will make a detailed presentation of the site, currents, wildlife and safety rules to be observed.

The choice of sites is at the discretion of the captain and Seafari Senior Instructor depending on the season and weather conditions.

The senior instructor may impose In water supervision or restriction from diving to any diver whose technical level is not sufficient to guaranty safe diving conditions.

SEAFARI WISH YOU A NICE CRUISE

Please Note: Routes are indicative. They can change with the seasons. Visited atolls and dive sites are not guaranteed. The Senior Instructor in consultation with the divers and Boat captain will select the route and dive sites based on current, tides and weather conditions in order to make the best possible dive safely.

Required: CMAS 2* or ADV – 50 dives minimum.
Depart from and return to Male
21-22 dives over 9 days (possibility of additional dives)

South Male

Guraidhoo Corner eagle rays and sharks schools

Cocoa Corner and Kandhooma Thila: gray sharks

Vaavu

Miyaru Kandu

Great channel with a school of thirty resident gray reef sharks

Eagle rays and Napoleon will also join the show.

Golden Wall

The highlight of the dive is a vertical wall studded with soft coral giving a golden appearance to the wall.

Alimatha House Reef

Exceptional night diving, with black tips sharks, stingrays, jacks inoblilis and numerous nurse sharks.

Meemu Atoll

Muli Kandu

A Drift dive along the pass of Muli Island a breeding site for turtles. During the dive one can see an abundance of fish including snappers and schools of tuna or kingfish, sharks and sometimes eagle rays.

Vanhuravalhi kandu

The width of this pass allows crossing through and admiring the overhangs covered with yellow soft coral. In the blue one can see silver tip sharks and school of gray sharks cruising, eagle rays, barracuda and trevally.

Muli corner

A site full of fish with school of jacks of various species, gray and white-tip sharks, barracudas. Several canyons, overhangs and blocks are adorned with yellow soft corals between 23 and 30 m. With outgoing current manta sometimes come across.

Kurali kandu: Mantas

Hakura Thila

Between 10 and 15 meters a large overhang forms a cave full of invertebrates.

South Ari

Rangali Madivaru

A Must see for manta during the northeast monsoon.

Dhigga Thila

Also nicknamed “Bollywood Thila” this dive site is a 200-meters long Thila where one finds soft coral caves brightened up of all the colors. The dive ends on a plateau filled with Acropora tables that leaves no one indifferent.

Maamigil Beyru

This dive site is not exactly a dive site since it extends over 3 kilometers. However, it is here that we have the best chance of encounter with the famous whale shark.

• 16 dives over 6 diving days included (possibility of additional dives)
• Minimum level required: CMAS 2*, Adv. or equivalent + 50 logged dives
• Departure / return : Male

A day onboard (scheduled times):

• Sunrise: Tea, coffee, and the first dive (depending on the tide and the site)
• 8.30 am: Continental & local breakfast
• 9.30-10.30 am: Navigation
• 10.30 am: Some days the first or second dive
• 12.30 pm: Lunch with fresh fish, vegetables, rice, fruit, local or international food
• 2 pm: Navigation or second dive
• 4 pm: island hopping or well-deserved rest.
• Sunset: Night Dive (1 per week)
• 6.30 p.m : Relaxing. Bar opening!
• 8 pm : Dinner: usually fresh fish and traditional Maldivian cooking and international cuisine
• Evening «under the stars», presentation of the fauna of the Indian Ocean.

Some atolls and dive sites of this itinerary

North Male:

Lankan Manta Point – Located on the east side of North Male Atoll, this site consists of a gentle slope ending on a sandy bottom. During the southwest monsoon, manta rays come to enjoy the cleaning stations.

Nassimo Thila – In addition to the main Thila, there are four stone blocks that are washed by the current and host a beautiful landscape with soft corals and a diverse and varied wildlife

Sunlight Thila – On a sandy bottom 18 meters-100 ft, three small coral blocks are home to a multitude of wrasses. The Mantas love this place to get clean from September to late November.

Back Faru – Ideal for a first dive to start the cruise, outer reef of the island of Hulumale, lots of moray including the beautiful leopard moray.

Banana Thila – A Thila full of fish. Trevally, napoleons, turtles, oriental sweetlips, and yellow snappers profusely

South Male

Cocoa Corner and Kandhooma Thila – There is no one way to dive this pass-rich pelagic life: one can start from Cocoa Corner and join Kandhooma Thila, which is in the middle of the channel. Or you can dive in the middle of the pass and slide down the 200 meters Thila length. With outgoing current, it’s one of the best places to see the gray sharks getting cleaned.

Guraidhoo Kandu – A Deep channel that sinks shaped stairs; it is also an ideal place for meeting eagle rays and sharks schools.

Emboodoo Kandu – So close to North Male and so beautiful! Gray sharks, napoleons, and big schools of eagle rays.

North Ari:

Maaya Thila – With a diameter of 60 meters Maaya Thila is a nature reserve full of surprises. Popular for night dives, one can see many turtles and sharks. The plateau at 6 meters depth is great to end your dive.

Fesdu Wreck – This small wreck lies on a sandy bottom 30 meters next to garden eels. A little further west is a small Thila filled with anemones and macro life. It is also one of the preferred sites to see the toadfish.

Fish Head – Superb Thila! Gray sharks, reef sharks, jacks, turtles, and schools of bannerfish make it an unforgettable dive.

Fesdu Lagoon – Night dive with Manta Ray… Interested?

Moofushi Kandu ou Corner – Splendid dive. Depending on the season to see in a single dive, eagle rays, napoleon, gray sharks, and Mantas! What else!

South Ari:

Dhigga Thila – This dive site is a Thila 150 meters long where one finds overhung cavities of soft corals of all colors. The Dive ends on a plateau filled with Acropora tables that leaves no one indifferent.

Kudarah Thila – Small Thila with thousands of fish. Kingfish, yellow snapper, the field of anemone full of clownfish. Large groupers. A must!

5 rocks – One of the finest examples of biodiversity in the Maldives. Huge sea fans and soft corals and tropical fish galore.

Kahambu Thila – For turtle lovers. An exclusivity of Seafari Maldives.

Maamigili HR – Outer reef where you can regularly see whale sharks and leopard Sharks.

Vaavu:

Miyaru Kandu – Great channel with a school of thirty resident gray reef sharks. Eagle rays and Napoleon will also join the show.

Alimatha HR – Exceptional night diving, with black tips sharks, stingrays, jacks inoblilis, and numerous nurse sharks.

Fotteyo Kandu – Undoubtedly one of the best diving in the Maldives. Exceptional soft corals in the overhangs, eagle rays, and gray sharks …

And snorkeling with mantas in secret locations known only by our instructors.

The last dive will be on the penultimate day of the trip. Divers are recommended to wait for 24hours before flying after the last dive.

Please Note: Routes are indicative. They can change with the seasons. Visited atolls and dive sites are not guaranteed. The Senior Instructor in consultation with the divers and Boat captain will select the route and dive sites based on current, tides, and weather conditions in order to make the best possible dive safely.