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Princess Dhonkamana Liveaboard, Maldives

4.9Excellent7 verified reviews
from
USD
235
per day

Comfortable outdoor lounging areas provide perfect spots for relaxation. Spacious cabins are designed for family accommodation, ensuring a pleasant stay for all. Nitrox is available onboard for enriched air diving, enhancing the diving experience. Dive into the beauty of the central atolls, a diver's paradise, with this well-equipped liveaboard.

Boat Interior
With 9 cabins accommodating 20 guests, this liveaboard offers 5 cabins with large double beds and 2 staterooms ideal for families, featuring both a double and a single bed. All cabins are ensuite with air conditioning. The salon is well-equipped with a bar and entertainment system, complemented by an outdoor lounge and sun deck for ultimate relaxation and scenic views.

Dive Deck
The diving dhoni carries all necessary equipment, including 12 l tanks with INT/DIN valves and 3 compressors. Nitrox is available for certified divers, with certification courses offered onboard for an additional fee. This ensures that divers can enjoy longer bottom times and shorter surface intervals, maximizing their underwater adventure.

Itineraries
Focusing on the central atolls, these itineraries showcase the Maldives' iconic underwater worlds. Expect to see abundant fish, giant mantas, and reef sharks, with the chance to encounter whale sharks. Drift diving in channels offers excitement for the experienced, while there are also beginner-friendly sites and snorkeling options. The liveaboard's routes are designed to cater to all levels of divers, making it a versatile choice for scuba travel and diving holiday deals.

When to Go
The optimal diving period in the Maldives runs from November to May, although diving is great year-round, with consistent water temperatures of 26-29°C (78-84°F) and the possibility of encountering mantas and sharks throughout. This makes the Maldives a premier destination for scuba diving holidays and liveaboard diving trips.

This liveaboard offers an exceptional scuba travel experience, with luxury liveaboard diving facilities and a well-trained crew to ensure a memorable diving holiday. Whether you are looking for a family-friendly liveaboard or an adventure-filled scuba diving expedition, this vessel provides everything needed for a perfect underwater vacation

Cabins

Twin / Double Cabin
Lower Deck

Twin / Double Cabin

2 Guests
Triple Cabin
Lower Deck

Triple Cabin

3 Guests
Ocean View Cabin
Upper Deck

Ocean View Cabin

2 Guests
Boat plan
Boat deck plan

Boat Specification

Year built / Renovation
2008
Number of cabins
9
Dive guides to divers ratio
5-6 : 1
Groups or charters
Yes
Gear rental
Surcharge
Wi-Fi
Surcharge
Nitrox
Surcharge
Fleet/Managing company
Macana Maldives
Length and width
31 m / 10 m
Capacity
20
Tenders
Dhony with outboard engine
Material
Wood
Languages crew speak
English, French, Italian, Spanish
Generator
22 + 22KW at 220 Volts
Tech diving friendly
No
Handicapped Friendly
No
Compressors
2 of 16 mc/h
Freshwater maker
Desalinization system of 400 lt/h

Dive Facilities

  • Warm Water Showers
  • Compressors
  • Tenders for Diving
  • DIN Adaptors

Boat navigation & safety

Full safety

Food & Drinks

  • Western Food
  • Local Food
  • Buffet Style
  • Hot & Cold Soft Drinks

Onboard Facilities

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

Princess Dhonkamana Reviews

4.9
Excellent
7 verified reviews
Cabins & Facilities
Food & drinks
Guiding & Safety
Service & Infrastructure
5.0
Best liveaboard of my life in the Maldives!
My experience with Princess Dhonkamana was amazing!! It was my first liveaboard in the Maldives and I couldn't ask for better experience!! The leader of the boat Ornella went above and beyond during all the liveaboard. She provided personalised experiences to all guests (honeymooners, birthday, 100 mark dives). The food was Italian based with plenty of variety, fresh fish catched on the day, fresh homemade pastries after each dive. During the morning we always started with coffee and tea and some biscuits before the first dive. Then full delicious breakfast followed by our second dive. After the second dive we always had a great lunch and some time to rest before our final dive of the day followed by an amazing dinner. We also had the opportunity to visit some local islands, a paradise island and to do a barbecue at night in one of the islands. The diving spots were the best dives I experienced in my whole life!! Full of big pelagics, we saw manta rays, spinner sharks, guitar sharks, lemon sharks, white and black tip sharks, nurse sharks and plenty of different types of fishes! The crew always tried to find the best dive spots completely free of another divers to have the best experience for ourselves!! All the crew was super attentive to all our necessities and each instructor had around 4 divers per time. I recommend a lot this Liveaboard to everyone!
Service & Infrastructure
Guiding & Safety
Food & drinks
Cabins & Facilities
2025-10-02by P. Andreia 
4.8
Fantastic, well organised and fun diving
Such a great week on the boat. Everything is really well planned, the dives are very safe and well guided and you have space to explore and aren’t “policed” underwater. The boat skipper for the dhoni is one of the best I have ever had. The food is plentiful and very tasty. You can tell that everyone cares very much about the service they are providing. I would definitely dive with them again.
Service & Infrastructure
Guiding & Safety
Food & drinks
Cabins & Facilities
2025-08-06by C. Emma 
4.3
Exciting diving, energetic dive guides, good food
Just spent a week on this boat and it's a wonderful trip. At first it's a little bit boring and not much to see except sharks until we spotted groups of eagle rays and tiger sharks. The boat is a bit old but well maintained, the room is spacious enough, and it's clean and tidy. Their tanks are steel so you don't need lots of weights. The manager is an energetic Italian lady who worked in Maldives for over 20 years so she knows every spot. The food is delicious especially the pasta. There are two downsides too. 1. The air conditioner in my room is noisy. 2. The checkout time is 7am and you need to hang out in Male for a long time unless your flight is early.
Service & Infrastructure
Guiding & Safety
Food & drinks
Cabins & Facilities
2024-12-19by C. MENGHUI 

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Princess Dhonkamana Liveaboard Itineraries

Classic Maldives (7 nights) (Male-Male)

7 nights nights, ±17 dives,
Male
Male International Airport (MLE)
11:00
Male
Male International Airport (MLE)
07:00
Requirements: Minimum 30 dives, AOWD or equivalent

Included

  • 7 nights accommodation
  • 6 days of diving (2-3 dives per day, incl. 1 night dive per week; 2 dives on the last day)
  • Full board
  • Tea, coffee, drinking water
  • 12l tanks and weights
  • Dive guide
  • Snorkeling, fishing
  • Excursions on a desert and fishermen islands
  • Introductory dive for snorkelers
  • GST Tax 17%
  • Green tax
  • Scheduled group transfer airport - boat - airport
  • Free short-term DAN diving insurance (upon request)

Obligatory surcharges

  • Service charge - EUR 90 per person per week (to be paid on board)
  • Fuel surcharge (if applicable)

Extra cost

  • International and domestic flights
  • Visa
  • Private transfers
  • 15l tanks
  • Equipment rental
  • Nitrox
  • Diving courses
  • Service charge 10% + TGST 17% on all goods and services purchased on board
  • Island entry fees
  • Alcoholic beverages, soft drinks
  • Crew gratuities
  • Travel insurance

Program

Whale sharks, manta rays, grey sharks, eagle rays, stingrays, nurse sharks
Coral banks - thilas
Oceanic channels
Deserted islands

Day 1:
Meet & greet at the airport. Group transfer to the port. Onboarding, meeting the crew & briefing.

Days 2-6:
Departing & check dive. Safari according to the planned route.

Day 7:
2 dives on the last day. Return to the port.

Day 8:
Check-out from the yacht, group transfer to the airport.

 

Routes can be affected by adverse weather conditions and unforeseen events, force majeure or other similar reasons

 
 
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