The top 10 reasons to join a Liveaboard in the Maldives Ocean Sapphire is a Maldivian made motor yacht (35m x 10m) in the luxury class and with its 11 cabins comfortably accommodates 22 guests.
The Ocean Sapphire stands 3 decks tall; a beautiful and sleek yacht made for the sapphire ocean with spacious cabins made for maximum comfort, this beauty combines modern luxury and polished interiors of natural teak and pine.

She accomodates 22 persons on the average trip, on the lower deck in 7 spacious cabins; the main deck houses a restaurant and Sala, and the Upper deck houses 4 Suites each with double beds amd bath tubs and on the top deck lies a Jacuzzi large enough to accommodate 6 people, sun beds and showers.

The restaurant welcomes you with a buffet of both international and of local flavors and the bar will fix you the cocktail of your choice.

The yacht was built in 2012 and was renovated during summer 2020, with the highest standards in safety and service, offering a cozy and pleasant atmosphere with its spacious cabins, lounge areas and open spaces offering the best in comfort and luxury.

Some of the most frequently asked questions about the Maldives.
When is the best time to dive the Maldives - How to get to the Maldives - The top 10 reasons to join a Liveaboard in the Maldives - Maldives Diving and the Dive sites - What are the advantage of a Liveaboard over Shore diving - Information about the Maldives - Are these trips suitable for non-divers / snorkellers - The Latest Maldives Travel Information - Other general FAQs

Ocean Sapphire - schedule

Ocean Sapphire - prices and what's included

Prices are per person per trip and based on 2 persons sharing a cabin.
Exact pricing is available on the schedule here as prices vary dependant on the time of year, destination and the length of the trip and sometimes special offers are available.

The trip price includes:

3 scuba dives per day (except the check-in day and the last 24 hours before the flight from Maldives), included 1 scuba dive by night once a week (so the day of the night dive the dives will be 2 during day time + the night dive)
Full Board: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (in buffet style)
Mineral water, Nescafe & tea
Transport from and to the airport
Maldivian “Green Tax”
Fishing
Trips to the local islands and to the desert islands (some islands could require a small entrance fee)
Trip to Male
Accompanied daily snorkeling
1 barbeque dinner on the beach (if weather conditions are good – it could be requested a small entrance fee for the rent of the barbeque place on the island)
Diving dhoni (with tanks, weights and belts)
Tender “Dinghi”

The trip price does not include:

Flight ticket
Dive equipment rental charges
Dive insurance is mandatory as is your own personal dive computer (You can rent one for the trip if you do not have your own).
As well as the Mandatory Dive Insurance we highly recommend Trip and Travel Insurance on the off chance of missed or cancelled flights / lost baggage, documents, money or passport / Covid issues or any other unforeseen problems that could occur.
Dive Assure Insurance offers cover for all these eventualities as well as complete Dive Insurance all in one package.
Alcoholic drinks
NITROX
Diving equipment’s rent - Diving courses - Extra dives
Wi-Fi internet access
Dinner with lobster (to be booked at least 1 week prior the beginning of the cruise)
Tips to liveaboard staff (at guests discretion)
Transport from and to the airport in date out of the calendar beginning/end of the cruise
Everything else not described in “The price includes”

For a single cabin, non sharing, please add 60%, if you are a single diver and happy to share with another diver of the same sex the price is as stated originally.

Booking and Cancellation Terms and Conditions.
Booking deposit: 30% of your invoice total is required within 7 days of booking to confirm your booking.
Final payment of 70% is due to 90 days prior to the departure date to complete your invoice payment.
Individual bookings made less than 90 days before the departure date will be payable in full upon booking to confirm your booking.
Cancellation at any stage involves forfeit of monies already payed.
Payment can be made via bank transfer, Wise, Credit or Debit card (Visa, AMEX, Mastercard) or Apple pay at no extra charge.

Group charter:

Booking deposit:
10% - within 7 days of booking - non-refundable
Second deposit:
20% 180 days prior to departure - non-refundable
Balance due
90 days before departure - non-refundable

Dive equipment rental charges (USD) - Per Day / Per Week

Full set (Bcd,Reg,fins,mask, snorkel,wetsuit) - $35 / $170
Computer - (mandatory to have) - $50 / $450
Torch / Lamp - $50 / $400
Jackets (BCD) - $50 / $400
Regulator - $50 / $130
Fins / Mask / Snorkel - $25 / $100
Shortie wetsuit (3mm) - $40 /$180

PADI Dive course price list

PADI on-board diving course prices USD $
— —
Discover scuba diving 75
Scuba diver 300*
Open water diver 450*
Advanced open water 270*
Rescue diver 500*
Speciality 100**
Bubble maker 150

plus certification expenses and course materials - Us$ 120

** plus certification expenses and course materials - US$ 50

Where is the pick up for the boat?

In the Maldives the default meeting point for all hotels and liveaboards is the airport so whether you are arriving from an international flight or transfering from another resort you will arrive and depart from the airport which is 100 metres from the port where the dhoni will transfer you to your liveaboard.

Will I be met when I arrive?

You will be met off your flight or resort transfer as per your details you provide to us at the time of booking your trip and returned to the airport at the end of your liveaboard.

Can I buy a local phone card?

phone cards are available for sale at the airport. They are gprs enabled so you can pick your email on your phone nearly anywhere on the trip at very reasonable rates. Please make sure you tell you guest rep that you want one before you leave the airport.

What time will we arrive at the boat?

The boat stays in Male for the first day so dependant on what time you land and we transfer you to the boat

Ocean Sapphire - cabins

Ocean Sapphire houses total 11 Cabins for a total of 22 persons

Standard cabins

The standard cabins can be a twin or double cabin and are located on the lower deck with either twin side-by-side beds or a doulbe bed and en-suite bathroom.
All cabins are furnished with independent air conditioner, safe box, bathroom with spacious shower boxes (soap and shower gel available – hairdryers on request), fire alarm system.
The standard cabins are equipped with portholes. The lower Deck has 5 standard double/twin cabins with a king-size double bed + a single bed (maximum for 3 pax, but recommended for 2 pax) and 2 standard twin cabins with two single beds

Suites

The Four Suites are located on the Upper deck each with a double bed and en-suite bathroom with bath tub and a sea view window.
All cabins are furnished with independent air conditioner, safe box, bathroom with spacious shower boxes (soap and shower gel available – hairdryers on request), fire alarm system.

  • Ocean Sapphire

    Suite cabin

  • Ocean Sapphire

    Suite bathroom

  • Ocean Sapphire

    Standard cabin

  • Ocean Sapphire

    Standard cabin

Ocean Sapphire - itineraries

Ocean Sapphire - specs

Maldivian made three decks (+ accommodation lower deck) wooden motor yacht

Built in 2012

Length 35 m

Width 10 m

Cruise speed 11 knots

Engine Daewoo 480 HP

2 desalination plants with 12000 lt/day capacity

2 x 50 KW sound proof generators

Diving Dhoni

Tender “dinghy”

Ocean Sapphire + diving dhoni crew 14 pax (including 1 Italian Cruise Director/Diving Instructor/Marine Biologist + 2 Italian Diving Instructors + 1 Maldivian Dive Masters)

Languages spoken onboard: English, Italian, Dhivehi

11 rooms:

2 standard twin cabins (on accommodation deck) with two single beds (maximum for 2 pax)

5 standard double/twin cabins (on accommodation deck), very spacious, with a king-size double bed + a single bed (maximum for 3 pax, but recommended for 2 pax)

4 suite (on upper deck) with king-size bed, monitor LCD with CD/DVD player (maximum for 2 pax)

All cabins are furnished with independent air conditioner, safe box, bathroom with spacious shower boxes (soap and shower gel available – hairdryers on request), fire alarm system.

Standard cabins and the junior suite are equipped with portholes, while the 4 suite rooms have large panoramic ocean view windows and a bath tub

Services and facilities (some of them are not included in the cruise price and need an extra payment onboard):

An indoor air-conditioned restaurant on main deck with food buffet

Full Board buffet style, with bottled mineral water, American coffee & tea included free of charge

Indoor coffee corner in the restaurant area

Amazing panoramic lounge bar on captain’s deck

A fine selection of Italian and International beverages, wines and liquors

Lounge area at prow on main deck

Spacious sundeck with sunbeds, a 8 seat Jacuzzi and a shower

Wi-Fi internet access (on request) in the main lounge

40-inch LCD monitor and CD/DVD player in the restaurant

3 independent hi-fi systems on each deck

Maldivian fishing equipment on board

Board games

Beach towels

Plugs adaptors

Dinner on the beach (weather permitting)

Diving:

3 air compressors

NITROX (on extra charge)

25 aluminium diving tanks int/din mono valve (11 lt and 13 lt)

3 steel diving tanks int/din mono valve 15 lt. each (on extra charge)

Weights, weights’ belts and safety sausages

2 medical oxygen tanks, 46 lt.

Dive gear rental on board

It’s possible to achieve PADI diving courses’ certificates on board

Ocean Sapphire - diving

A Maldives liveaboard diving safari is without doubt the best way to explore these magificent Atolls.

Maldives safaris trips are available for individual bookings and /or for full charter cruises. Spaces and dates are limited so advance booking is recommended.The diverse itinerary of the liveaboard gives you the opportunity to visit many of the varied atolls and experience many types of underwater landscapes in just one trip!

If your partner is a non-diver Ocean Sapphire has an comprehensive itinerary for non-divers involving island visits, trips to local villages, treks and fishing tours to keep your partner busy whilst you explore the big blue.

Diving Seasons in the Maldives - The best Time for Diving in the Maldives

*January to April are considered the best months for diving.

*May and June can have unstable weather, and odd cloudy days are possible until September.

*October and November tend to have clearer weather, but visibility can be slightly reduced because of abundant plankton in the water that attracts the big fishes, good time for whale sharks.

*December can have windy weather and rain.

Maldives diving Courses

If you have never been diving before, or want to continue your diving education then why not take a diving course, our PADI certified instructors can offer you scuba instruction from PADI’s Discover diving course, through to the Divemaster program.

Maldives dive sites

Kudarah Thila

Type of dive: Reef dive

Description: One of the best dive sites for soft coral and fish life.

The marine life here is so abundant, that the divers have named it ‘fish soup’. The thila is in a circular shape and can be covered in a single dive at different depths, if the current is not very strong.

Maaysa Thila

Type of dive: Reef dive / Night dive

Description: The thila is about 80mters in diameter.

The whole thila can be done at different depths in a single dive. There are manycaves and overhangs around the thila. The large rocks on the north eastern side have large black coral trees growing on them. The site is famous for the sharks and a great barracuda which reside here. The site can be dived at any time of the day, each with different activity going on the reef. The best chance to get close to these creatures is at night time, when they are hunting. You will see sharks, barracudas, rays and eels trying to grab a morsel.

Bathala Maaga Kanthila

Type of dive: Drift dive

Description: The northern tip of Magaa reef extends into Bathalaa Kandu and is home to a number of grey reef sharks and white-tip reef sharks. They can be seen patrolling along the reef looking for food.

Maalhos Thila (Blue Curves)

Type of dive: Drift dive / Reef dive

Description: The thila is known for the abundance of soft coral growth on the thila, particularly the blue/violet colored variety that grows on the ceiling of the caves and overhangs, thus the name ‘blue caves’. In addition a large variety of fish life can be observed here.

Rasdhoo Madivaru

Type of dive: Drift dive / Channel dive

Description: The reef on the southern side of Rasdhoo drops vertically to the ocean depths. The site is home to a school of Scalloped Hammerhead sharks (sphyrna lewini). In the early hours of the morning they rise from the deep waters off the atoll into the shallower depths, accessible to divers.

Guraidhoo Kandu South

Type of dive: Drift dive / channel dive

Description: Since the eastern side of the channel is Open Ocean, large predatory fish can regularly be spotted here. This site is famous for sightings of sharks, schools of eagle rays and the occasional Sail fish and Hammerheads. The best condition to do the dive is when the current is flowing into the Atoll. The dive begins on the outer reef following the current into the atoll. Most of the pelagic species can be observed on the eastern side, where the reef drops off into the deep ocean.
At the end of the dive in the channel, along the reef you can find overhangs with plenty of soft coral growth and small fish.

Kandooma Thila

Type of dive: Drift dive / reef dive

Description: Located in a channel, the reef is subject to strong currents at times. The ocean currents carry lot of nutrients to the reef, supporting an abundance of sea life.
The site is well renowned for the soft coral growth, turtles, diverse fish life and invertebrates found on the reef. At the reef slope you may find sharks and eagle rays.

Embudu Kandu (Express)

Type of dive: Drift dive / channel dive.

Description: Similar to Guraidhoo Kandu, but more sharks are likely to be spotted here.
The currents can be very strong at times. The stronger the current however the better chance of seeing sharks. Under the guidance of an experienced dive guide, the dive can be managed done easily.