Open Water Diver

Sharks & Mantas

Year Round

Maldives

UD Rating - 4 Star

Emperor Virgo

Intimate Diving, Grand Discoveries

Emperor Virgo offers unforgettable Maldives dive safaris for up to 18 guests, following routes that explore the “Best of Maldives” and its vibrant reefs. Divers enjoy thrilling drift dives, coral gardens, and marine encounters, supported by a dedicated dhoni and expert guides. Between dives, guests relax on deck, enjoy sunset views, and unwind in a friendly, social atmosphere.

At 35 meter long, Emperor Virgo features nine air-conditioned cabins, including convertible doubles and a family cabin. The yacht offers a spacious lounge, bar, outdoor seating, and a sun deck for relaxation. A 16 meter dive dhoni manages all dive operations with compressors and full safety equipment, while onboard amenities include a water maker, generators, and modern navigation systems.

Lower Deck Double Cabin

The Lower Deck Double Cabins are approximately 10.5sqm with windows giving guests a comfortable stay. The cabins have the following amenities:

  • Double Bed with a raised bed
  • Air conditioning
  • Private Bathroom
  • Cabin Towels
  • Hair dryer available on request

Lower Deck Twin Cabin

The Lower Deck Twin Cabins are approximately 9sqm with portholes giving guests a comfortable stay. The cabins have the following amenities:

  • Twin Bed or Double Bed
  • Air Conditioning
  • Private Bathroom
  • Cabin Towels
  • Hair dryer available on request

Main Deck Twin Cabin

The Main Deck Twin Cabins are approximately 9sqm with windows giving guests a comfortable stay. The cabins have the following amenities:

  • Twin Bed or Double Bed
  • Air conditioning
  • Private Bathroom
  • Cabin Towels
  • Hair dryer available on request

Upper Deck Twin Cabin

The Upper Deck Twin Cabins are approximately 10sqm giving guests a comfortable stay. The cabins have the following amenities:

  • Twin Bed or Double Bed
  • Air conditioning
  • Private Bathroom
  • Cabin Towels
  • Hair dryer available on request

Route Options

The Best of the Maldives offers what its name suggests - the best of the atolls and marine life in the Maldives!

The itinerary includes channel dives, pinnacles, and a thrilling night dive with nurse sharks, along with close encounters at cleaning stations—all while respecting the natural behaviour of the marine life.

Divers can expect to see an impressive variety of species including sharks, manta rays, reef fish, turtles, moray eels, eagle rays, and abundant macro life, with possible sightings of hammerhead and whale sharks.

This week-long liveaboard adventure explores the best and most iconic dive sites across the Maldives, focusing on the renowned atolls of North Male, South Male, Ari, and Vaavu. With no fixed itinerary, the journey remains flexible to ensure the best diving conditions and encounters, regardless of the time of year. Divers can expect to explore channels (kandus), pinnacles (thilas), and bustling cleaning stations, all teeming with life.

Throughout the cruise, guests dive alongside reef sharks, manta rays, eagle rays, moray eels, turtles, and large schools of reef fish. There's also a chance to spot hammerhead sharks and the elusive whale shark. The itinerary offers a perfect blend of thrilling big fish action and the rich diversity of the reef’s macro life.

One highlight of the trip is Fish Head, a protected pinnacle in the Ari Atoll. Here, divers can encounter resident turtles, patrolling grey reef sharks, large schools of fusiliers pursued by trevally, and vibrant blue-line snappers crowding the overhangs. Night dives bring a different kind of excitement, with the possibility of close encounters with nurse sharks.

This is truly the Best of the Maldives — delivering unforgettable underwater experiences at every turn.

8 Days 7 Nights Deep South Itinerary Highlights:

Less crowded dive sites with plenty of action.
Foammulah; Tiger sharks, oceanic manta and thresher sharks. Oceanic Island with incredible visibility.
Huvadhoo; Whale sharks at night, tiger sharks, silver tips, grey reef sharks and many, many more.
Addu Atoll; WWII wreck HMS British Loyalty, majestic manta cleaning stations
Laamu Atoll: Beautiful fish filled channels with great shark encounters This itinerary has a lot of drift diving so it's best suited to more advanced divers.

The period from December to March is considered the best time to explore the southerly atolls of the Maldives, offering exceptional shark diving at remote sites between Huvadhu and Addu (Seenu) Atolls. This week-long itinerary takes guests far from the crowds to dive the pristine waters of Addu, Fuvahmulah, and Huvadhu, all while searching for some of the Indian Ocean’s most iconic large marine species, including tiger sharks, silvertips, grey reef sharks, whale sharks, and more.

At Huvadhu Atoll—home to one of the Maldives’ deepest lagoons—the combination of strong currents and multiple channels creates ideal conditions for shark encounters. Whale sharks, silky sharks, hammerheads, and grey reef sharks are frequently sighted in this region.

Guests will have the opportunity to dive several world-class kandus, including Vilingilli, Koodoo, Nilandhoo, and Mareehaa, all known for their rich biodiversity and pelagic action. In Fuvahmulah, the south plateaux are renowned for regular sightings of tiger sharks, silky sharks, silvertips, and the elusive thresher shark.

Addu Atoll offers a mix of history and marine beauty with dives at the World War II wreck of HMS British Loyalty and the majestic manta cleaning station at Maa Kandu. A relaxing drift dive at Demon Corner provides a perfect way to begin or end this thrilling itinerary.

Vessel Details

Length 32 meters
Beam 9 meters
Engines 500 HP Caterpillar
Water Makers 15,000 litres per day
Compressors 2 x Coltri Compressors + Nitrox
Electricity 220 V and 110 V 3-pin (UK)
Engines 500 Hp Caterpillar
Navigation and Communication GPS chart plotter, VHF/CB radio, satellite phone, mobile
Safety Firefighting system, smoke detectors, CO2 monitors, fire alarms, extinguishers, fire blankets, life jackets and night watch. EPIRB. AED onboard the main vessel and diving dhoni
No. of cabins 9
Year refurbished 2025
Diving Dhoni 16.6 meters dhoni
Compressors 2 x Coltri Compressors + Nitrox
Nitrox Available
Tanks 11.1ltr (C80) tanks & oxygen kits, 15 liter tanks are pre-ordered
Mask 19 USD/ 7 days, 32 USD/ 10 days
Fins 25 USD/ 7 days, 38 USD/ 10 days
Wetsuit (3mm Shorty) 57 USD/ 7 days, 88 USD/ 10 days
Regulator 69 USD/ 7 days, 106 USD/ 10 days
BCD 69 USD/ 7 days, 106 USD/ 10 days
Dive Computer 82 USD /7 days,119 USD/ 10 days
Torch 10 USD/ day
Full Equipment incl. SMB + Dive Computer 271 USD/ 7 days, 403 USD/ 10 days
SMB Free
Reef Hook Free
Stage S40 (5.7 ltr tank) 88 USD/ 7 days, 132 USD/ 10 days
Stage S80 (11.1 ltr tank) 32 USD/ 7 days, 50 USD/ 10 days
Stage C100 (13.2 ltr tank) 88 USD/ 7 days, 132 USD/ 10 days
Twin Set (2 x 11.1 ltr tank) 88 USD/ 7 days, 132 USD/ 10 days

Available Experiences

ITINERARIES AVAILABLE IN THIS DESTINATION

Marcelina

Friday, 06 December 2013

Fabulous Fiji by Marcelina Jesus on Sport Diver Magazine

Lured by the promise of world-class reefs and adrenaline-fueled shark encounters Marcelina Jesus ventures to the wild islands of Fiji.

Fabulous Fiji by Marcelina Jesus on Sport Diver Magazine

What Our Customers Have To Say

Reviews from our Clients, Journalists, Photo Pro's and our own Experts

Our reviews and blogs are an additional guide to evaluate of the holiday is exactley what you are looking for or not. Some love an Eco-Resort, some love air-con and a flat screen TV, we aim to ensure you get what you are looking for, at great value for money.

Maaya thila

Ari Atoll , Maldives

A Protected Marine Area, this offers one of the best-known dives in the Maldives. There is a remarkable variety of marine life on the thila, including grey reef sharks, white tip sharks, turtles, stonefish, frogfish, zebra morays, batfish and many, many more species. At the edge of the thila, where there is a large coral overhang full of bright orange Tubastrea corals.The top of the rock, at 15m (50ft), is covered in colourful soft corals. The vertical side of the rock drops down to the atoll plate at 40m (130ft). In this channel between the satellite rock and the thila, grey reef sharks often patrol and we have seen guitar shark here on a number of occasions.

  • Dive Type: Boat Dive
  • Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
  • Max Depth: 40m

Miyaru Kandu

Northern Region, Maldives

One of the channel dives that you don’t want to miss. With strong incoming current the list of possible encounters is impressive. Mainly grey reef sharks but also whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, napoleons and tunas are quite common and with the visibility reaching 120 feet during the northeast monsoon it can be the highlight of the trip.

  • Dive Type: Boat Dive
  • Diver Level: Open Water Diver
  • Max Depth: 18

British Royalty Wreck

Southern Region, Maldives

This 420 ft tanker is the biggest wreck in the Maldives, torpedoed twice during WW II and eventually sunk by the British in 1946. The vessel rests on its starboard side at around 100 ft depth.

  • Dive Type: Boat Dive
  • Diver Level: Open Water Diver
  • Max Depth: 18

North Ari

South Male Atoll, Maldives

Diving in North Ari Atoll is not famous for corals, and in fact, many dive spots may seem a little dull in terms of the coral splendor. However, the main attraction of this part of the atoll is the regular encounters with big marine life including reef and hammerhead sharks.

  • Dive Type: Boat Dive
  • Diver Level: Open Water Diver
  • Max Depth: 18

Huvadhoo Atoll

Southern Region, Maldives

The Huvadhoo Atoll is located in the far south of the Maldives just above the equator. It’s the region’s second largest atoll and is divided into two separate administrative regions – the northern Gaafu Alifu and the southern Gaafu Dhaalu.

Huvadhoo provides an escape from the developed north, and its diving is less chartered. You’ll need to use local knowledge to explore the atoll’s 1,864 square miles (3000 km²) of ocean. Due to its distance from the country’s capital, the locals speak a different form of the Dhivehi language called Huvadu Bas. After a day spent diving, you can admire the red-hued sunset from the beach.

  • Dive Type: Boat Dive
  • Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
  • Max Depth: 30m
Dates Duration Route Room Type Price
28 Nov 2026
5 Dec 2026
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Double Cabin £2459
28 Nov 2026
5 Dec 2026
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2688
28 Nov 2026
5 Dec 2026
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2459
28 Nov 2026
5 Dec 2026
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2715
12 Dec 2026
19 Dec 2026
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Double Cabin £2459
12 Dec 2026
19 Dec 2026
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2688
12 Dec 2026
19 Dec 2026
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2715
19 Dec 2026
26 Dec 2026
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Double Cabin £2551
19 Dec 2026
26 Dec 2026
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2779
19 Dec 2026
26 Dec 2026
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2551
19 Dec 2026
26 Dec 2026
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2807
26 Dec 2026
2 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Double Cabin £2551
26 Dec 2026
2 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2779
26 Dec 2026
2 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2551
26 Dec 2026
2 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2807
2 Jan 2027
9 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Double Cabin £2597
2 Jan 2027
9 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2825
2 Jan 2027
9 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2597
2 Jan 2027
9 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2853
9 Jan 2027
16 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Double Cabin £2597
9 Jan 2027
16 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2825
9 Jan 2027
16 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2597
9 Jan 2027
16 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2853
16 Jan 2027
23 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2825
16 Jan 2027
23 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2597
16 Jan 2027
23 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2853
23 Jan 2027
30 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Double Cabin £2597
23 Jan 2027
30 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2825
23 Jan 2027
30 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2597
23 Jan 2027
30 Jan 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2853
30 Jan 2027
6 Feb 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2825
30 Jan 2027
6 Feb 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2597
6 Mar 2027
13 Mar 2027
7 Nights Deep South - Gan - Koodoo Main Deck Twin Cabin £2953
6 Mar 2027
13 Mar 2027
7 Nights Deep South - Gan - Koodoo Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2725
27 Mar 2027
3 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2825
27 Mar 2027
3 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2597
27 Mar 2027
3 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2853
3 Apr 2027
10 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Double Cabin £2597
3 Apr 2027
10 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2825
3 Apr 2027
10 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2597
3 Apr 2027
10 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2853
10 Apr 2027
17 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Double Cabin £2597
10 Apr 2027
17 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2825
10 Apr 2027
17 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2597
10 Apr 2027
17 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2853
17 Apr 2027
24 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Double Cabin £2597
17 Apr 2027
24 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2825
17 Apr 2027
24 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2597
17 Apr 2027
24 Apr 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2853
24 Apr 2027
1 May 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2597
1 May 2027
8 May 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
8 May 2027
15 May 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Double Cabin £2322
8 May 2027
15 May 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2551
8 May 2027
15 May 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
8 May 2027
15 May 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2578
15 May 2027
22 May 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
29 May 2027
5 Jun 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
12 Jun 2027
19 Jun 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
26 Jun 2027
3 Jul 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
10 Jul 2027
17 Jul 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Double Cabin £2322
10 Jul 2027
17 Jul 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Main Deck Twin Cabin £2551
10 Jul 2027
17 Jul 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
10 Jul 2027
17 Jul 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Upper Deck Twin Cabin £2578
17 Jul 2027
24 Jul 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
18 Sep 2027
25 Sep 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
25 Sep 2027
2 Oct 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
2 Oct 2027
9 Oct 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
9 Oct 2027
16 Oct 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
16 Oct 2027
23 Oct 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
23 Oct 2027
30 Oct 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2322
30 Oct 2027
6 Nov 2027
7 Nights The Best of the Maldives Lower Deck Twin Cabin £2459