2024 - 2025 Scuba Diving Holidays, Liveaboards and Learn to Dive Courses to the Maldives, Red Sea, Canary Islands, Far East, Caribbean and the Pacific.

Sportif Dive - diving holidays worldwide

Indian Ocean - Liveaboards


The Maldives is diving holiday heaven. An Indian Ocean scuba diving holiday, where exciting marine life abounds, is best summed up by the sheer quantity and size that can be seen.  Head to the Maldives for a great mix of endless white sand beaches, azure blue waters and fabulous underwater topography. We have selected the widest range of hotels, liveaboards in the Maldives, exotic Mauritius and hideaway Rodrigues island. As experts in this area we can find something just right for you!

The Maldives is the perfect place to learn to dive from one of the idyllic island resorts. As Maldives diving holiday specialists, Sportif Dive offer over 100 islands with some of the very best prices out there. Or why not immerse yourself in diving from a dedicated liveaboards taking you to some of the less busy, pristine sites.

Mauritius and the lesser know nearby Island of Rodrigues offer widely contrasting holidays. The former with luxury hotels resorts and many options for relaxing and other activities. The latter to discover an island untouched by tourism and off the beaten track.

All provide first class facilities for diving and snorkelling, shallow water lagoons and more challenging dive sites for the advanced divers. Whale Sharks, Manta Rays, Wreck and Drift Diving characterise most of the Indian Ocean dive sites with more sheltered dives closer to shore.


Maldives Emperor Orion Liveaboard - Maldives, Indian Ocean

The Maldives Emperor Orion is a 5* luxury liveaboard that is a spacious 39 meters in length with twin and double cabins as well as suites available. All levels of divers are welcome and non divers can enjoy snorkelling and on board massage service. Varied itineraries are available through the year covering Rasdhoo, North and South Ari, South Male, Vaavlu and North Male Atolls. Here you will have the chance of amazing encounters from whale shark to mantas, pelagics, beautiful coral and macro life.


Location
The Maldives Orion liveaboard departs from Male.
 

Accommodation
The Orion has 12 guest rooms and can accommodate up to 24 guests, the upper deck has 1 executive suite and 3 twin/ double mini suites, the lower deck has 1 junior suite, 3 double and 4 twin/ double rooms. Each room has a twin or double bed, a mini bar, room to room intercom, an en suite toilet and shower facilities, individually controlled air-conditioning, a TV, DVD player, safe and hair dryer. Two of the cabins have a bath tub. The Executive Suite is spacious with a king size bed, a private jacuzzi and an outside patio area. 
 

Facilities
The main deck has a lounge with sofas and a dining room with a bar. The upper deck has a jacuzzi, massage room (payable locally) and the main bar. The spacious fly deck has sunbeds to relax on. Wifi is available at an additional cost. Non-divers are welcome and can get free snorkelling kit rental.
 

Diving
All the diving takes place from the 19.8m dhoni, allowing divers to get to the perfect dive spot every time. Orion is rebreather friendly and offers free Nitrox, all diving and safety equipment as well as a photography charging station and four dive guides. For those requiring hire equipment, we recommend booking in advance to ensure availability. Water temperatures in the Maldives ranges from 26-30°C year round, with good visibility (20 meters/ 70 feet). In the open ocean, near the reefs there are manta rays, eagle rays, tuna and a variety of sharks (including whale sharks). Maldives also has parrotfish, groupers, snappers, turtles and moray eels.


Itinerary

MV Orion offers a variety of itineraries including The Best of the Maldives, Deep South & Southern Sharks, Manta Madness, Pelagic Magic, Sharktastic and South Central Atolls.
 


  The Best of the Maldives - 7 Days

You don't need a minimum number of dives but you should be comfortable with drift dives. Currents can be strong. All your diving is made from dhonis or zodiacs to give precise entry and exits points. Experienced divers can dive in a buddy pair unguided.

Rasdhoo Atoll: Hammerhead Dive, Beautiful Reef with Pelagics
North Ari Atoll: Grey Reef Sharks, Maaya Thila Night Dive, Multiple Manta Cleaning Stations
South Ari Atoll: Whale Sharks, Beautiful Pinnacles
South Male Atoll: Grey Reef Sharks, Eagle Rays, Other Pelagics, Beautiful Macro Wreck.
Vaavu Atoll: Beautiful channels with magical soft corals and pelagic delights. Action packed night dive with Nurse Sharks and others.
North Male Atoll: Beautiful Pinnacles.

This is the Best of the Maldives - and it delivers exactly that. This is where you dive the best and most famous dive sites of the Maldives in a week of wonderful liveaboard diving across Male and Ari atolls.

Enjoy a dive holiday that gives you all you could wish for from the iconic sites of North Male, South Male and Ari Atoll. Awaiting you are channels, drifts and pinnacles where you have every chance of meeting mantas, whale sharks and mesmerising marine life of so many varieties. We don't follow an exact itinerary; flexibility is the word so that no matter what time of the year you visit, this underwater world is yours for the exploring.

This itinerary gives you a marine mix of big fish such as shark and manta dives as well as reef dives, reef fish, morays and the abundant macro life. Get up close at the cleaning stations without disturbing the locals! One of the best known dive sites is Maaya Thila; this pinnacle is approximately 30m in diameter and falls away to reveal sharks and fish a plenty.

A night dive from sheltered moorings here is a must! And the boat will also aim to find whale sharks so you can get in the water and snorkel with them...as long as they stay around long enough!
 


Guide for Diving Experience:
To dive with a dive buddy you must be a PADI Open Water diver or equivalent and be able to complete each dive with your buddy or following the guide. Inexperienced divers may be asked to skip dives that are not suitable for their diving experience. Experienced divers can dive in a buddy pair unguided. The guides may decide, upon seeing each diver's ability, not to enter the water for every dive and remain onboard providing surface support only. 
You are expected to be able to dive to a standard that reflects the certification and experience requirements outlined for each itinerary. The maximum depth for diving in the Maldives is 30 metres with an equally qualified buddy. Your maximum diving depth will be dependent on your level of training and experience. To help gain experience and confidence, it is possible to complete the Advanced Open Water Course, Specialty Courses and Adventure Dives (Nitrox, Deep, Drift and Night) whilst on the trip.

Fact File

Diving Conditions

House Reef Shore Diving Boat Diving Liveaboard Wreck Diving Tech Diving

Suitability:

Beginners 

Intermediates 

Advanced 

Technical 

View Video

Best Time: Dec-April (Summer/NE
monsoon) & June-Oct (SW current)

Average Air temps: 28-30°C
Average Water temps: 28-30°C

Visibility: 20-30m + (varies
depending on season & sites).

Top Dive Sites: Too many to
mention. Each island offers
short distance to dive sites,
excellent house reefs. Sites
for all levels. More >

Liveaboard Itineraries More >
 

Great Reasons to Dive in Maldives

  • Clear visibility.
  • Vast number of dive sites.
  • Chance to see Manta Whales
    & Whale Sharks  in Summer months, on the SW side.
  • Large schooling pelagics.
  • 3*,4* & 5* island resorts
  • Liveaboards with free places for whole boat bookings.

 

 

Dive Holidays Sportif

Sportif Dive is a specialist tour operator offering a wide range of diving holidays all over the world. Our choice of destinations is extensive from established locations in the Red Sea, Maldives, Caribbean and the Far East to the exotic and unusual such as Rodrigues Island in the Indian Ocean, Wakatobi, Truk, Palau, South America & the Pacific. Whether you are looking to for a Learn to Dive course, group expedition or trip of a lifetime we can help. With over 30 years experience and a personal approach, we can advise on the ideal location to suit your needs, at a price to suit your budget.

Our extensive knowledge of the destinations means we can recommend the right location for you. Our diving centres are selected for their excellent standards of service and safety. Whatever your priority, whether starting out or wishing to dive a technically challenging site we can recommend a range of options offering the best diving for when you wish to travel. We can organise all your travel arrangements for you, pre-book equipment and diving packages in advance to maximise your time when you get there.

As an independent tour operator, we select only the hotels, liveaboards and diving centres that offer the best standards and quality of service but at the right price. Without the overheads of a large mass market operator, we can offer the best value diving holidays often with great discounts and special offers.

Our consultants have many years experience in travel and are divers. They are able to closely match your needs and take time to recommend from a carefully selected range of accommodation and diving packages. With first hand knowledge, they are passionate about diving and travel and providing the perfect holiday for you.

Sportif also have a specialist multisport division offering instruction and rental packages for windsurfing, kitesurfing and surfing. Our specialist centres are located in some of our diving resorts, often minutes from the Dive Centre for easy coordination of activities. Packages offered included taster and learn to right through to intensive coaching weeks up to expert level. Children can start from 8 years.

Sportif Dive are an ATOL bonded operator which means that every element of your holiday is secure. With the worry of disruption to your holiday plans from weather disruption or airline failure you can be sure that we will be there to help every step of the way.
 

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