Evenings on board after the third dive of the day. Photo: Princess Maani / First Class Cruising.
Maldives liveaboard · Updated 8 November 2026 · By Abdulla Maseeh, HolidayVibe Maldives, Malé
Maldives Liveaboards: Boats, Routes, Dates and Prices
A Maldives liveaboard is a week or more on a dive boat moving between atolls, with 16 to 18 dives, meals and a dhoni included, from about US$2,500 per person on a standard boat before fees. We are a licensed agency in Malé and book the boats below directly, with cabin-level availability from the operators. Filter by route, month and budget, read the vessel guides, and get one full-cost quote.
Filter the boats we book by what matters to you. Departures come from operator cabin sheets checked on 8 November 2026.
160+safari vessels on the Maldives register
22boats on our desk, growing weekly
7dive routes from Malé and Gan
332open departures with cabin data
16 to 18dives in a 7-night week
US$2,5007-night retail from, per person
The liveaboards we book
Every boat here is on the Ministry of Tourism register, is operating in 2026/27 and has sent us its photos, deck plans and rate sheet. Boats with a full guide have a cabin-by-cabin availability table; the rest are bookable on request while their guides are written. More hulls join as operators send their kits.
Divers who want a new boat with suite-sized cabins, two jacuzzis and a big dive dhoni; non-diving partners; small groups who want a full charter of up to 28.
Cabins 14 for 28 guests
Routes Best of Central Atolls, Best of Central Atolls XL, Manta Madness and more
Divers on a budget who still want free nitrox and Italian-run service; sailing until the end of May 2027 only, so book the open Dec 2026 to Apr 2027 dates while they last.
Cabins 10 for 22 guests
Routes Best of Central Atolls, Best of Central Atolls XL, Wild Deep South and more
Small groups: 18 guests at most, Best of Maldives weeks, a family cabin and one Deep South trip; sails as Emperor Virgo until October 2027, then as Evolution Eclipse.
Experienced divers with nitrox who want long 11-night central trips, Hanifaru in season or the Deep South; owner-managed, briefings in English, German, Italian and Spanish.
Cabins 11 for 22 guests
Routes Best of Central Atolls, Manta Madness, Wild Deep South
Divers and mixed couples who want an Italian-run yacht with a massage room, free nitrox, guided snorkelling, Deep South legs from January to April and a manta expedition with a biologist in October.
Cabins 11 for 22 guests
Routes Best of Central Atolls, Manta Madness, Wild Deep South
Divers who want the Best of Maldives with fewer boats around: Wednesday departures, 18 guests, at most six divers per guide; the former Emperor Virgo, sailing from November 2027.
Divers and mixed couples who want the most space afloat: the largest dive liveaboard in the Maldives at 56 m, with a jacuzzi pool, spa, gym and sky bar, free nitrox and Starlink, Deep South trips in February and March and Hanifaru weeks from August to October.
Cabins 13 for 26 guests
Routes Best of Central Atolls, Manta Madness, Wild Deep South
Divers who want a predictable Sunday-to-Sunday week with an international brand: 22 guests, a hot tub, local beer and wine included, an 18 m dhoni and 10-night trips to Meemu or north to Lhaviyani and Baa.
Cabins 11 for 22 guests
Routes Best of Central Atolls, Best of Central Atolls XL, Northern Highlights
Groups of up to 20 who want the whole boat: dive clubs (17 dives a week), surf crews from eight surfers in Malé Atoll, and families or friends on a cruise with snorkelling, fishing and a beach barbecue.
Divers and couples who want a suite: four sea-view suites, two jacuzzis, an outdoor restaurant and Saturday departures from Malé, with Hanifaru weeks from July to October and the Southern Hemisphere from late January to March.
Cabins 12 for 24 guests
Routes Best of Central Atolls, Manta Madness, Wild Deep South
Value-minded divers and groups of friends: guaranteed Saturday departures from Malé, cabins for up to four, the same diving as Blue Force One for less, and long 10 and 11-night Best of the Maldives and Extended North trips.
Cabins 12 for 26 guests
Routes Best of Central Atolls, Manta Madness, Northern Highlights and more
Routes are set by season and distance, not by boat. The central week runs most of the year; mantas pull boats north and west from August; sharks pull them south from February.
The seven itineraries run by the boats on this page. Most boats run three or four of them.
Route
Atolls
Length
When it runs
Best of Central Atolls
North Malé, South Malé, Vaavu and Ari
7 nights
Year round
Best of Central Atolls XL
Malé atolls, Vaavu, South and North Ari, Rasdhoo
10 nights
Dec to Feb, Aug to Sep
Manta Madness
North Malé, Baa (Hanifaru, snorkel only) and North Ari
7 nights
Aug to Oct
Northern Highlights
North Malé, Baa, Raa and North Ari
10 nights
Oct, Aug
Wild Deep South
Addu, Fuvahmulah and Huvadhoo
9 nights
Feb to Apr
South Atolls
Addu to Huvadhoo one way
8 nights
Mar
Goidhoo and Baa snorkel safari
North Malé, Goidhoo, Baa (Hanifaru snorkel in season)
7 nights
All year
10 Atolls, 2 Hemispheres
Malé to Addu or Addu to Malé, across the equator
11 nights
Feb to Apr
Anchored beside a sandbank in the central atolls. Photo: Princess Maani / First Class Cruising.Air-conditioned saloon on the main deck. Photo: Princess Maani / First Class Cruising.Deluxe I cabin, main deck, with three forward-facing windows. Photo: Princess Maani / First Class Cruising.
Best of Central Atolls is the default first liveaboard: Malé, Vaavu’s channels, South Ari’s whale shark reef and North Ari’s thilas, all within an overnight motor of each other. Manta Madness adds Baa Atoll in manta season, with Hanifaru Bay as a snorkel stop (scuba is prohibited there) and cleaning-station dives elsewhere. Wild Deep South and South Atolls are the Fuvahmulah tiger shark and Huvadhoo channel trips, flown into Gan; read our Fuvahmulah liveaboard guide and shark diving guide. 10 Atolls, 2 Hemispheres runs the length of the country across the equator, 11 nights one way, and is the trip experienced divers come back for.
How booking a liveaboard with us works
Three things to know before you compare prices anywhere. First, the published rate is never the final cost: every Maldives boat adds a service fee, Green Tax and park fees on board. Second, availability is sold by cabin and by bed, so a “sold out” boat can still have a shared berth. Third, operators give local agents their best rates, which is why booking from Malé is usually cheaper than booking from a platform abroad.
1
Tell us when and what
Dates or a month, how many divers and non-divers, and whether you want mantas, sharks, the classic central week or a crossing.
2
We shortlist two or three boats
From the boats below, matched to your dates, experience level and budget, with cabin-level availability checked that day.
3
You get one full-cost quote per boat
Cruise rate, service fee, Green Tax, park fees, nitrox, gear, flights to Gan if needed. Nothing left for the check-out desk.
4
Deposit, then we hold the cabin
The operator confirms the cabin number in writing. Balance is due before departure under the operator’s terms, which we send you first.
On vessel pages we show three availability states taken from operator sheets: Cabins availableShared places onlyOn option, ask us. We never show a manual timetable as live inventory.
When to go
When to go on a Maldives liveaboard.
Months
Sea and marine life
Routes that run
November to April
Dry season, calmest seas, best visibility on the east side
Best of Central Atolls, Wild Deep South (Feb to Apr), 10 Atolls
May to July
South-west monsoon starts, some swell, fewer boats, lower prices
Central routes with discounts, early mantas in Baa
August to October
Plankton-rich west side, manta and whale shark peak, showers
Manta Madness, Northern Highlights
The Maldives dives all year; the question is which side of the atolls has the visibility and which has the plankton. December to April favours the eastern channels and the long southern crossings. July to October is manta season, with Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll at its peak. See the best time for a Maldives liveaboard for routes and prices month by month.
Liveaboard or dive resort?
Choose a liveaboard for
Three or four atolls and 16 to 18 dives in one week.
Channels, thilas and shark sites far from any resort house reef.
A group that wants to be on one boat with its own guides.
A lower cost per dive than any resort dive centre.
Choose a resort for
A beach, a bigger room and a partner who does not dive at all.
Two relaxed dives a day on a house reef and nearby sites.
Children under 10, who are not accepted on most dive boats.
A honeymoon where the diving is a side dish.
The combination works well: a week on the boat, then three nights at a dive resort to decompress before the flight. We book both on one quote.
Maldives liveaboard questions
How much does a Maldives liveaboard cost?
Published retail rates for a 7-night dive safari start around US$2,500 per person on a standard boat and US$2,700 to US$3,500 on newer boats with suites, before the on-board extras: a service fee of about US$150 a week, Green Tax of US$12 a night, park fees of US$20 in Baa Atoll and rental gear. Longer southern routes run US$3,800 to US$5,500. We quote the full figure for your dates, and our rates are often below the published ones. Our liveaboard prices guide lists every extra and has a cost calculator.
How many dives do you get on a week-long liveaboard?
Sixteen to eighteen on a 7-night trip is the honest number: three a day, one of them a night dive, with no diving on arrival day or in the 24 hours before you fly. Anyone promising 30 dives in a week is counting something else.
Which is the best Maldives liveaboard?
It depends on the route and the group. For a modern boat on the central routes we send most guests to Princess Maani; for value on the same routes, Sachika or Princess Haseena; for a small group on all-inclusive pricing, Dune Theia; for large dive clubs, Dune Black Manta or the Emperor fleet. The boat directory compares them side by side, and we will tell you plainly which one fits.
Liveaboard or dive resort?
A liveaboard gives you 16 to 18 dives across three or four atolls in a week at sites no resort reaches; a resort gives you a beach, a bigger room and two dives a day on nearby reefs. Many of our guests do a week on the boat and three nights at a resort afterwards. See our dive resorts guide.
Can beginners join a Maldives liveaboard?
On the central-atoll routes, yes: Open Water with a handful of logged dives is enough for most weeks, and the guides pick sites to match. The Deep South, South Atolls and 10 Atolls trips cross channels with strong current and need Advanced Open Water with recent drift experience. We confirm each boat’s minimum for your departure. Our liveaboard diving guide sets out the level for each route.
Can non-divers come?
Yes on every boat listed here. Snorkel drops run near most dive sites, island and sandbank stops are part of the central routes, and the newer boats carry kayaks, paddleboards and, on Princess Maani, two jacuzzis.
Where do liveaboards depart from?
Malé (Hulhulé airport) for central and northern routes, with transfers included on cruise dates. Deep South and 10 Atolls trips start or end at Gan in Addu Atoll, a 90-minute domestic flight that we add to the booking. Our Deep South guide covers the southern routes, and the routes page compares them all.
Is Hanifaru Bay diving?
No. Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll is a protected area where scuba is prohibited; the manta aggregations there are snorkel only, with a ranger and a US$20 park fee. Manta Madness itineraries snorkel Hanifaru and dive the cleaning stations elsewhere in Baa and North Ari.
Is the availability on this site live?
The departure tables come from operator cabin sheets, checked weekly and dated on every page. We reconfirm with the operator before taking a deposit. Boats without a date table yet are booked on request.
Why book through a Maldives-based agency?
Operators give local licensed agents their best rates and real-time cabin status, and we are in the same time zone as the boat. If a cabin is released from option or a departure changes, you hear it from us the same day.
Why book your Maldives liveaboard with HolidayVibe
Trusted brandHolidayVibe is a trusted brand in the Maldives travel industry, licensed by the Ministry of Tourism (MOT.O1.RS.TA.25.RD9933) and based in Malé.
We know the boatsWe work directly with the operators, hold their cabin-by-cabin availability and have walked the decks. No call centre in another time zone.
Full-cost quotesEvery quote lists the cruise, service fee, Green Tax, park fees, nitrox, gear and transfers, so the price you see is the price you pay.
Often better value than booking sitesOperators give local agents their best rates. We pass that on and still answer on WhatsApp within the hour.
Fishing, surf and dive on one deskNeed a fishing charter before the dive week, or a resort night after? One team books all of it.
Written by Abdulla Maseeh, HolidayVibe Maldives, Malé. Fleet facts from the Ministry of Tourism vessel register and operator kits; departures and retail rates from operator agent sheets, checked 8 November 2026.
