Excellent Maldives Diving

[KLatz]

HI! If you are looking for a GREAT VALUE on a Luxury Dive Yacht & Spa, look no further...The Ark Royal is the nicest liveaboard I have ever been on. It holds 18 pax, 9 rooms including 1 deluxe suite, all ensuite rooms with flat sceen tv's, own a/c, small refridgerators, large rooms and lots of public areas that are open to everyone. Along with the bar, dining area, large lounge with 4 couches, they also have an onboard spa with massuse. Don't forget the long list of wines, alcohol and soft drinks.
Last minute special for May 9-17, they are offering VERY SPECIAL RATE of $1432 per diver for 8 nights accommodations, all meals and snacks, 3-4 dives per day, r/t airport transfers and taxes!! Also available for specials are Aug 1-11, 10 nights for $2990! Plenty of other dates...call us at 877-357-0022 - LiveWell Ventures Travel & custom tours (the American Representatives). LiveWellVentures.com or arkroyalmaldives.com We have a list of dates available plus special free spots for 1/2 & full boat charters. For great diving and made to feel like royalty, this is the liveaboard you have been looking for! I have been on this boat and nothing else compares. Hurry as space is limited for this year!

 

[ballast]

I've booked the March 30 departure for myself and my partner. I've had a look at the Ark Royal website and I also noticed that it hasn't been updated in quite some time. I'm just wondering what the state of this operation is.

 

[danefoucher]

Hello Ballast...... looks like we are on the same cruise. I will be traveling with my dive buddy/wife and look forward to meeting you and your travel companion. We usually book our trips thru Ultimate Dive Travel and they suggested the Ark Royal. Lets hope we have a good cruise and good diving.

 

[ballast]

Hi Danefoucher... sorry didn't get a message that you had posted to the thread. My partner and I leave Friday for Singapore, spend two days getting over the long flight, then just a short hop over to Male. Staying overnight at Hulhule Island hotel before joining the boat on 30Mar. Looking forward to this trip. Do you know what type of electrical outlets are on board the boat (in the cabins)? Want to make sure I have enough of the correct electrical adaptors.

 

[Rob Gilbert]

I'm looking at diving with them this August/September. I'd appreciate any feedback after your trip.

 

[ballast]

Just got back from 9 days aboard the Ark Royal. In the interest of full disclosure, this was my very first live aboard experience, so I don't have any frame of reference for comparison. I was told by others, that I started pretty close to the top in terms of comfort.

That said, this was a VERY comfy boat. The cabins are about 10x12 with either twin beds (cabins 2,3,6,7) or queen beds (cabins 1,4,5,8) and a suite (cabin 9). The beds were extremely comfortable, but to tell the truth, after 4 dives and generous meals, I could have slept comfy in a broom closet. The bathrooms had huge walk in showers.

The ship caters to primarily Spanish and Russian dive groups which charter out the entire boat for most departures. There are only a couple of departures open to individual bookings. Our departure consisted of a small group of 6 friends from Spain, 8 couples and one single diver from the USA, and a single diver from the UK.

Most days are 3 dives, the first before breakfast, the second before lunch, and the third in mid afternoon. There is the occasional fourth sunset dive, and the staff are happy to accommodate a fourth dive if asked.

All dives are done from a tender, where all gear is stored along with the compressors. The tender staff ensure all divers are well looked after, helping with donning/doffing equipment, rinsing masks, helping you up the ladder.

All the ship's staff are extremely friendly and helpful. They hail from the Maldives, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. They will bend over backwards for even the smallest request. But, they are shy. You need to engage them a bit, and they will open up.

Vijaij, our Sri Lankan chef creates delicious meals with tasty curries, tender beef and chicken dishes, and delicious fish (tuna & red snapper).

The first/last day schedule is flexible, based on the arrival times of the guests. You're picked up at the airport by a representative who walks you from the arrivals hall across the street to the pier, where the dive tender will be docked. From there you are transferred to the ship, anchored in the harbor.

The public spaces aboard the ship are generous, with a large lounge and dining area, lots of deck space both fore and aft, and a rooftop sundeck that also has a shaded area. There is also an on board masseuse from Bali.

In addition to the dives, we paid a visit to a local island (mostly souvenir shopping), and an island barbeque, where the staff transferred food and beverage to an uninhabited isle for an evening under the stars. They also do an evening of traditional Maldivian drumming and chants. The crews' enthusiasm is infectious and everyone joins in the dancing.

The dives themselves were a mix of reefs, channels, and pinnacles (called thilas). Dives would often be in light to medium current, so quick descents were common. A safety sausage attached to a reel is very strongly recommended. Outgoing currents mean safety stops are done in blue water.

There is fish and coral life in abundance. Some really spectacular soft and hard corals, tons of schooling fish, big tuna, gray reef and white tip sharks, turtles, oriental sweetlips, napoleon wrasse and morays galore!

I'm still a lot jetlagged, so I've probably missed quite a bit, but if you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them.