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Emperor Leo Liveaboard, Maldives

4.6Excellent12 verified reviews
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236
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Air-conditioned cabins with private bathrooms, hairdryers, and dive towels
Spacious dive deck with Nitrox and organized storage for dive gear
Sun deck and fly deck Jacuzzi for relaxation between dives

Emperor Leo is a five-star motor yacht offering lively diving in the Maldives, both Central and South. The attention to detail for which this Maldives liveaboard is noted follows through in its multiple dive possibilities: guided dives, rebreather diving, and wrecks exploration. This yacht is amongst the most popular options for divers in the southern Maldives liveaboard cruises, as it could provide a high level of comfort with good service included in Emperor Fleet.

This yacht is designed for comfort, where the air-conditioned cabins have private bathrooms with hairdryers and dive towels. A maximum of 24 guests can be welcomed aboard, and interior spaces made of wood make it warm for a cozy setting. Itineraries are carefully planned; trips toward the Southern Maldives take place in February and March to ensure the best possible diving conditions.

Onboard, during gaps between dives, guests can lie on the sun deck or sit around in the fully stocked bar or relax in the Jacuzzi on the fly deck. The meals are buffet style and range between several Western and vegetarian courses to ensure divers' dietary requirements. Beverages such as wine, beer, and spirits are available at extra cost, as well as special dietary requests with advance notice.

The dive deck is wide and well-organized, with ample storage space for diving gear between dives. Nitrox is available to enhance safety and improve dive performance. The crew makes diving operations very efficient, allowing divers to see the most of the underwater world of the Maldives, housing the most colorful coral reefs and the variety of marine species. The routes are planned according to seasonal conditions for the best diving experiences.

It means that this luxurious vessel, as a Maldives liveaboard, provides a perfect balance between comfort and adventure, especially for those divers who look forward to the stunning underwater ecosystems of the Maldives

Cabins

Standard Twin/Double Cabin
Lower Deck

Standard Twin/Double Cabin

2 Guests
Standard Double Cabin
Lower Deck

Standard Double Cabin

2 Guests
Standard Twin Cabin
Upper Deck

Standard Twin Cabin

2 Guests
Suite Double
Upper Deck

Suite Double

2 Guests
Boat plan
Boat deck plan

Boat Specification

Year built / Renovation
2008 / 2012
Number of cabins
12
Dive guides to divers ratio
8:1
Groups or charters
Yes
Gear rental
Surcharge
Wi-Fi
Surcharge
Nitrox
Free
Fleet/Managing company
Emperor Fleet
Length and width
35 m / 9.5 m
Capacity
24
Tenders
65ft dhoni
Material
Wood
Languages crew speak
Dutch, English, French, German
Power plugs onboard
3 pin UK 220 volts AC 50Hz
Engines
500 HP Mitsubishi
Generator
2 x 40KVA
Tech diving friendly
No
Handicapped Friendly
No
Compressors
2 x Coltri
Nitrox Membrane
Yes
Freshwater maker
9500 l/day

Dive Facilities

  • Warm Water Showers
  • Rebreather Support
  • Compressors
  • Rinse Hosts
  • Tenders for Diving
  • Tech Diving
  • DIN Adaptors

Boat navigation & safety

Full safety

Food & Drinks

  • Western Food
  • Local Food
  • Dietary Restrictions
  • Buffet Style
  • Alcoholic Beverages and Spirits
  • Hot & Cold Soft Drinks
  • Snacks All Day

Onboard Facilities

  • Audio & Video Entertainment
  • Air Conditioned Saloon
  • Sun Deck
  • Sun Loungers
  • Indoor Saloon
  • Bar
  • Non-Diver (Snorkeler) Friendly
  • Hot Tub / Jacuzzi

Photographer Facilities

  • Camera & Photography Station
  • Separate Rinsing Tanks for U/W Camera
  • Camera Table
  • Charging Stations

Frequently Asked Questions About Emperor Leo

Liveaboard Diving in the Deep South Atolls of Maldives

The atolls of Addu, Fuvahmulah, and Huvadhu in the far south are best visited between December and March for an extraordinary shark diving and pelagic sightings experience. The furthermost corners of these atolls are, in fact, a world apart in marine life and diving experiences. The Huvadhu Atoll offers some of the deepest lagoons in the Maldives with plenty of nutrient-rich channels like Vilingilli, Koodoo, and Mareehaa. The sites attract grey reef sharks, silkies, hammerheads, and whale sharks, which often patrol the sites at night. Fuvahmulah is a remote oceanic island with exceptional visibility that has gained some reputation for encounters with tiger sharks, threshers, silkie sharks, and grey-tipped reef sharks on the southern plateaux. Addu Atoll offers historic and natural attractions: the wreck of the HMS British Loyalty, a WWII relic, and the Manta Cleaning Station at Maa Kandu. Demon Corner, a softer dive, offers a gentle drift dive in either direction to either end or start your journey. Unique underwater landscapes with diverse marine life make the Deep South an exceptional destination for experienced divers in search of thrilling encounters

Temperature of the water in Maldives

The water temperature is also quite constant throughout the year in the Maldives, at a range from 27°C to 30°C (81°F to 86°F). Central Atolls have the best average temperature between 28°C to 30°C (82°F to 86°F), while Deep South Atolls average from 27°C to 29°C (81°F to 84°F), especially during the peak diving season from December to March. The warmth of the waters ensures that divers can get by with much lighter exposure suits; a 3mm wetsuit or shorty should normally be enough

Is It Possible to See Mantas When Diving in the Maldives?

Manta rays are obviously the trump card for diving in the Maldives, and you can find them all through the year on different cleaning stations and feeding areas of the country. But the number of sightings is much larger in some places and at specific times of the year. In the Central Atolls, manta rays gather on cleaning stations around Ari Atoll from November to April during the NE monsoon. Not on all itineraries, Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll is world-famous for its aggregations of mantas from May to November. In the Deep South Atolls, oceanic mantas are commonly seen around Fuvahmulah and Addu Atolls between December and March. Plankton blooms, currents, and the selection of dive sites all impact the sighting of mantas. The dive guides and cruise directors do their best to optimize these chances during every trip

What Shark Species Can Be Seen in the Maldives?

The Maldives is considered one of the best places in the world to see sharks, and it has a diversity of shark species throughout its waters. Reef sharks are common in the nutrient-rich channels of all atolls and include grey, white-tip, and black-tip reef sharks. Whale sharks appear often on daytime dives as well as nighttime ones, passing often in the South Ari Marine Protected Area and sometimes down at the Deep South Atolls. Tiger sharks are the highlight of Fuvahmulah dives and a regular appearance in the southern areas. Hammerheads, though much rarer, occasionally appear at early morning dives, in deeper waters of Huvadhu Atoll. Silky sharks are often present around channels in the Deep South, Huvadhu. Thresher sharks, though rare, but thrilling, are sometimes encountered near the deep-water plateaus of Fuvahmulah. Silvertip sharks are an elegant species that can frequently be found in the nutrient-rich channels of the southern atolls. Stronger currents and heightened marine activity during the northeast monsoon offer very favorable conditions for shark diving. The opportunities to see a great variety of shark species cannot be paralleled anywhere else than from the southern atolls right up to the central reefs

What happens on the arrival day and on the last day of a liveaboard trip?

Upon arrival, guests will have a safety briefing, be introduced to the crew, and fill out paperwork for their check dive. Cabins will be allocated and a general orientation of the boat gets everyone comfortable with the layout and facilities. Upon arrival day, the boat stays in port, and it will leave early the next morning. The first dive is done as a check dive near the port to get everyone comfortable and ready for the rest of the journey. A final morning dive is planned on the last day of diving, allowing for an 18-hour no-fly rule prior to reaching altitude. The boat will return to port at approximately 1 p.m. and will stay moored overnight. If desired, the guests can go onto land in the afternoon, which will allow them to get a good stretch and have a quick look around if they so desire. Evening: Divers pack their equipment and settle outstanding bills in preparation for an early morning drive to the airport

Emperor Leo Reviews

4.6
Excellent
12 verified reviews
Cabins & Facilities
Food & drinks
Guiding & Safety
Service & Infrastructure
4.8
My favourite boat in the Maldives
I have been multiple times on Emperor Leo and it is one of my favourite boat in the Maldives thanks to the awesome cruise director and dive guide Jules, and his team of dive guides, amazing captain Harish, the friendly crew. The food is the best I had in the Maldives, the curries have so much flavor, Dickson the chef is the best! Amin the barman will always greet you with a smile and happily fill your glasses at happy hour where you can get 2 drinks for one almost every evening. It is a well run operation wherever the itinerary takes you. Maldives has a lot of differernt types of dive sites with guaranteed shark sightings. Many rays can be seen: mantas, eagle rays, sting rays etc. and there is a good possibility to see whaleshark in South Ari atoll, or in Baa atoll in season at night. The manta night dive at Fesdhu lagoon is always my favourite dive and is very well organised.
Service & Infrastructure
Guiding & Safety
Food & drinks
Cabins & Facilities
2025-09-24by M. Anne
5.0
Good experience.
Didn't know what to expect as this was my first liveaboard ever, but most things turned out great. We weren't the luckiest with the weather, but it was out of our control, so I have nothing to complain about the trip. The dive guides were professional, the crew were nice and helpful, the cabins and facilities were clean and comfortable, the food was surprisingly good. Would recommend!
Service & Infrastructure
Guiding & Safety
Food & drinks
Cabins & Facilities
2024-12-26by W. Ying Hui
5.0
Best of Maldives
Amazing experience onboard. Boat and cabins are in great conditions and very spacious given the compressor, tanks and dive gear sit in the dhoni, so really comfortable and quiet onboard. The boat crew are super friendly and so are the dive guides, that are incredibly professional and personable going above and beyond to give very detailed dive briefings and making exceptional dive plans depending on conditions and diver’s preferences. 100% recommended
Service & Infrastructure
Guiding & Safety
Food & drinks
Cabins & Facilities
2024-04-30by H. Juan

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Emperor Leo liveaboard Maldives - DiveBooker.com