A new week of diving adventures begins in the Maldives on the Black Pearl live aboard…

***Make your reservation for a holiday on the Black Pearl live aboard now!***

The Black Pearl live aboard, a boat measuring 95 feet long and 26 feet wide, featuring a magnificent main deck made entirely out of Balau wood, begins a new week of fabulous diving in the Maldives. Learn more about the Black Pearl’s accomodation, diving & prices here!

Black Pearl Live Aboard Welcomes Guests from the UK

Yesterday, the Black Pearl live aboard began a new week of diving adventures, playing host to a total of 10 guests from the UK, of which 7 are divers. All arrivals were checked in and  the Black Pearl live aboard left Hulhumale’ after the orientation dive.

Orientation Dive on the Black Pearl Live Aboard

The check dive (normally the first dive you do on holiday or in new diving conditions) was performed at Beyru Faru (Farukholhu Fushi Outer Reef). Surface conditions and underwater conditions were more than perfect to perform yesterday’s check dive. The current remained mild and visibility at around 10 to 15 meters.

Starfish Seen on the Reef in the Maldives

Diving Adventures on the Black Pearl Live Aboard

The Black Pearl live aboard anchored in Himmafushi, in the North Male’ Atoll, for the night. This week, the Black Pearl live aboard will explore the dive sites of the North and South Male’ Atolls and the Ari Atoll.

The group from the UK requested to perform 2 dives per day and daily snorkeling for the group’s non divers. They are also looking forward to visiting local islands and unihabited islands.

Current Weather Conditions in the Maldives

Weather: Generally fine

Winds: southwest / westerly 3 – 11 knots

Visibility: 12 km

State of the sea: Slight

Wave Height: (open sea) 2 – 4 feet

Get more information and Maldives weather updates here!

The Black Pearl liveaboard explores the Kandooma Thila, Vaagali Thila & Medhu Faru dive sites in the Maldives…

The Black Pearl Liveaboard, one of the Maldives’ finest scuba diving vessels, concludes yet another successful week of adventurous scuba diving and fun in the sun!

Kandooma Thila Dive Site

Kandooma Thila is one of the most renowned dive sites in the South Male / Guraidhoo region.  Kandooma Thila features healthy coral growth and an abundance of fish life with the right currents.

With around 10 to 12 meters visibility, the dive at  Kandooma Thila turned out to be a fantastic dive. The divers had the chance to swim with grey reef sharks, white tip reef sharks and, of course, schooling jacks at Jack’s Corner.

Vaagali Thila Dive Site

The Black Pearl Liveaboard‘s second dive was to Vaagali Thila. Vaagali Thila is located southeast of Vaagali, an uninhabited island, and is the perfect dive site for spotting sharks, manta rays, eagle rays, fusiliers and jackfish. Furthermore, schooling snappers are often seen at Vaagali Thila as well.

Medhu Faru Dive Site

The Black Pearl Liveaboard‘s third and last dive of the day was to Medhu Faru, located south of Guraidhoo Island. Medhu Faru offered an easy, relaxing dive where white tip sharks and napoleon wrasse were the highlights.

Second Dive at Kandooma Thila

The Black Pearl Liveaboard ends the week in South Male’ Atoll, with another dive to Kandooma Thila, which ended up being a superb choice.  The current conditions were really good with a medium-strong current. Highlights at Kandooma Thila included white tip sharks, grey reef sharks and, to our delight, a mobula, also called a devil fish

Mobula, or Devil Fish

Mobula, also called devil fish, is a genus of ray in the family Myliobatidae (eagle rays). The appearance of a mobula is similar to that of manta rays, which are in the same family. The devil fish can attain a disc width of up to 5.2 meters (17 feet) and tip the scales at over a ton. The mobula is second only to the manta in size. Despite their size, the mobula remains one of the lesser-known ray species.

Mobula rays in the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) have been reported to breach as high as 2 metres above the sea.

A mobula breaches, or jumps out of the water

Black Pearl Liveaboard Concludes Another Week of Diving

The Black Pearl Liveaboard will leave their guests at the airport  and resume diving on Monday morning.

The Black Pearl liveaboard explores the underwater marine life around the Maldivian North and South Male Atolls…

Fortunately, the weather in the Maldives brightened up, allowing the Black Pearl to perform three spectacular dives. Check out special offers for the Black Pearl liveaboard here!

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives Miyaru Faru

The Black Pearl‘s first dive was to Miyaru Faru, meaning Shark’s Reef. North of Black Pearl is a channel dive, where divers can take advantage of the island’s best currents, which generally bring lots of fish feeding on plankton. The current was not as fast as usual, though there remained an abundance of Maldivian fish life. Divers saw white tip sharks and napoleon wrasse during their dive at Miyaru Faru.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives Kuda Giri Wreck

Kuda Giri, in the South Male Atoll, possesses two dive sites: the giri, or pinnacle, and the small, 10-year-old wreck, which sits upright on the sea floor. The wreck can be explored from its bow at 18 meters all the way down to its stern at 30 meters.

Kuda Giri Night Dive

The Black Pearl dove the giri, or pinnacle, at night, discovering a large variety of noctural fish life, such as the nocturnal squirrel fish.

Kuda Giri Wreck Dive

The Kuda Giri wreck is a small fishing trawler, which was scuttled (or sunk deliberatively) at the south western side. The 25 meter long fishing trawler is home to many species, including beautiful sponges, seasonal school of glass fish, shrimps, nudibranches and many more.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives Kandooma Thila

Shaped like a teardrop, Kandooma Thila is one of the most spectacular dives in the South Male Atoll, for scenery as well as for prolific fish life.

During The Black Pearl‘s dive at Kandooma Thila, there was little current, though divers spotted a couple of white tip reef sharks.

Spend your Christmas holidays on a diving liveaboard in the warm, tropical paradise of the Maldives!

This Christmas season, spend your holidays discovering the magnificent underwater world of the Maldives on a diving liveaboard!

Instead of suffering through another dreary Christmas season, shivering as the freezing cold rain soaks through your jacket and cuts like a knife into the fragile skin beneath, treat yourself and experience a once-in-a-lifetime scuba adventure in the Maldives!

Christmas Holidays in the Maldives

The Maldives, a tropical country whose warm, paradaisical waters are clear and crystalline, providing shelter to a host of unique underwater creatures. Divers can expect to see grey reef sharks, manta rays, whale sharks and many, many more!

Maldives Dive Travel offers a large variety of Christmas holiday specials on wide selection of pre-screened Maldives liveaboards. Learn more about Maldives Liveaboards here!

Christmas Holiday Deals on a Maldives Liveaboard

Check out the Christmas holiday deals on the following Maldives liveaboards:

Spend your Christmas Holiday on the MV Orion Liveaboard

MV Orion Scuba Diving Cruise – December 21-28:
Spend Christmas 2009 in the Maldives! Get away from the cold weather with your friends or family and experience Christmas in the sun.
MV Orion Christmas safari just USD $1,680 per person!

Spend your Christmas Holiday on the Stingray Liveaboard

Stingray Scuba Diving Holiday – December 22-28:
Escape to the Maldives and spend Christmas in the sun! The Stingray Liveaboard is offering a 6-night scuba diving holiday from December 22-28. Spend your days scuba diving, snorkeling, suntanning and relaxing in this tropical island paradise and return home rejuvenated and ready for the New Year to begin.
Stingray Christmas safari just USD $1,044 per person!

Spend your Christmas Holiday on the Black Pearl Liveaboard

Black Pearl Scuba Diving Cruise – December 21 – 28:
Another seven-night trip diving safari on the Black Pearl begins on December 21st, allowing you to experience Christmas in the tropics. This is the perfect time for a scuba diving holiday in the Maldives.  Depature date is confirmed.
Black Pearl Christmas safari just USD $1,386 per person!

Spend your Christmas Holiday on the Galileo Liveaboard

Galileo Liveaboard Scuba Diving Safari – Dec 21st-Jan 2nd:

For the ultimate scuba diving holiday in the Maldives, book a space on this 12-night scuba diving expedition on Galileo and visit the largest variety of dive sites in hte Maldives.  With 12 nights available for cruising, there is no doubt you will have the opportunity to visit atolls that shorter dive safaris simply cannot include in their itineraries.Escape to the Maldives and spend Christmas in the sun!

Galileo Christmas safari just USD €1,296 per person!

–Price Subject to Change without Notice–

Guests aboard the Black Pearl Liveaboard dive at Nassimo Thila and Kuda Giri in the Maldives…

The Black Pearl liveaboard began the day’s first dive from Nassimo Thila, which is considered to be one of the Maldives’ best dive sites.

Nassimo Thila Dive Site

During your next diving holiday in the Maldives, Nassimo Thila is a must! Nassimo Thila is an oval-shaped Thila displaying a good variety of colourful, soft corals. The most interesting aspect of Nassimo Thila is the randomly scattered pinnacles.

Nassimo Thila features scattered coral blocks rising from the ocean floor up to 23 meters, as well as caves and overhangs where divers can swim around and observe the beauty of this oval-shaped thila.

Tubastrea

Gulhi Island, South Male’ Atoll

The weather conditions improved, allowing the Black Pearl liveaboard to cross over to the island of Gulhi in the South Male’ Atoll.

Kuda Giri Dive Site

The second dive was performed at Kuda Giri as night dive. Kuda Giri is one of the ideal locations around the Male’ Atoll for to perform an easy night dive site. This small Giri offers everything from beautiful coral growth to interesting reef dwellers during the night.

Caves and overhangs are filled with a species of sponge called tubastrea, also known as sun coral. Marine life includes leaf fish, scorpion fish, moray eels and nudibraches.

The dive safari route of the Black Pearl liveaboard changed slightly due to the Maldives’ North East Monsoon…

The Black Pearl liveaboard left Male’ this week planning to embark upon the classic Maldivian dive safari route that includes the South and North Male’ Atolls and the Ari Atoll. However, plans were changed due to the weather in the Maldives.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Route Changes Due to Weather

The Black Pearl liveaboard is currently anchored at the North Male’ Atoll at Himmafushi Lagoon. Although the initial dive safari route was changed, two exciting dives were performed at Lankan Manta Point! Learn more about Maldives dive sites here!

Scuba Diving at Lankan Manta Point, North Male’ Atoll

Although the surface conditions were a bit rough, both dives at Lankan Manta Point turned out to be excellent. On the first dive, scuba divers spotted four manta rays and a leopard shark. On the second dive, scuba divers spotted three big, beautiful manta rays.

Current weather conditions in the Maldives: isolated showers every now and then, gusty winds and rough seas at time.

The Black Pearl liveaboard plans to move to South Male’ Atoll, more specifically the Guraidhoo Kandu Dive Site tomorrow.

The Black Pearl, a Maldivian liveaboard, sets sail once again, and is currently at the Himmafushi island of the Male’ Atoll…

This week, the Black Pearl liveaboard set off with 11 divers from Switzerland. Following the check-in orientation dive, the diving team headed to the outer reef of the Farukholufushi unihabitated Maldivian island. Learn more about the liveaboards offered by Maldives Dive Travel here!

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives at Banana Reef

This morning, the first dive took place at Banana Reef, where visibility was fantastic, allowing us to see a large collection of Maldives marine life, such as Clownfish, Whale Shark, Reef Shark and Manta Rays.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives at Lankan Manta Point

The Black Pearl liveaboard‘s second dive was to the Lankan Manta Point, truly a top of the line dive. The diving group saw 7 manta rays, 4 of which were happily parked at the cleaning station of Lankan Manta Point. Throughout the dive, the other 3 manta rays periodically glided through the Lankan Manta Point’s cleaning station.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives at HP Reef

Manta Ray at Lanka Manta Point, North Male Atoll

The Black Pearl liveaboard‘s third dive was to HP reef, where divers spotted a sting ray and a couple of eagle rays.

North East Monsoon Transition Period

The North East Monsoon transition period has begun, which has caused less-than-optimal weather conditions during the past week, such as isolated showers and gusty winds, where the average wind speed is 15 – 25 mph, gusting up to 45 mph. However, this Maldives weather is limited mostly to the central and southern Maldivian atolls.

Current Diving Conditions

Weather: Widespread rain with isolated heavy showers and thunderstorms will be experienced over the country. Get up-to-date Maldives weather here!

Winds: South-west / westerly 9 – 17 knots in northern atolls and 13 – 22 knots elsewhere. Winds may increase 35 – 43 knots during showers.

Visibility: 10 km, becoming 3 – 1 km during showers.

State of the sea: Generally rough.

Wave Height (open sea): 5 – 7 feet.

The Black Pearl liveaboard docks at Hulhumalé island in the Maldives after a great week of diving…

Book your liveaboard holiday on the Black Pearl now!

The Black Pearl liveaboard, whose mission is to comfortably transport divers to the Maldives’ best dive sites, has returned to Hulhumale’ island of the North Male Atoll after a great week of diving.

The Black Pearl liveaboard‘s final dives were performed at the Northern Ari Atoll (also called the Alif Alif Atoll), which boasts some of the Maldives’ most magnificent dive sites. The Southern Ari Atoll also features an area of beautiful diving destinations, including Broken Rock and protected marine area Kuda Rah Thila.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives to Lhamiyaru Gaa Thila & Maaya Thila

The Black Pearl liveaboard‘s initial dives took place at Lhamiyaru Gaa Thila and Maaya Thila.  The dive at Maaya Thila was an especially wonderful dive, where the current were very weak and the divers had the opportunity to closely observe the Malidves’ fish without much effort, such as Clownfish and Oriental Sweetlips.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Maldives

The Black Pearl liveaboard‘s third dive was planned as a night dive to Maaya Thila. However, the dive was cancelled for safety reasons due to poor weather conditions.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives to Makaru Thila

The Black Pearl liveaboard‘s last dive took place at Makaru Thila, where grey reef sharks and juvenile white tips were seen up close.

The return trip to Hulhumale’ island began right after the last dive at Makaru Thila.

All the divers checked-out this morning.

The new groups of divers arrived this morning and right now the Black Pearl liveaboard is getting ready for the check dive.

Book your liveaboard holiday on the Black Pearl now!

A whale shark was spotted around the Southern Ari Atoll by divers aboard the Black Pearl liveaboard…

Divers aboard the Black Pearl liveaboard (book a holiday on the Black Pearl now!) spotted a whale shark around the Southern Ari Atoll.

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest of all fish species alive today.  A filter-feeder, the whale shark feeds mainly on plankton and can grow to lengths of 40 feet, and can weigh up to 47,000 pounds.

Black Pearl Diving Safari – Day Four

Black Pearl Diving Safari – First Dive

The day began with a fantastic dive at 5 Rocks, located 25 minutes away from the final anchorage Dhangethi (also know as the Alif Dhaal Atoll).

The incredibly unique formation of the 5 Rocks, in addition to the canyon, made gliding through the caves and observing the soft, colorful coral a true delight!

Black Pearl Divers Search for Whale Shark

The whale shark search began after the aforementioned dive, and shortly after our efforts began, we came across a 9 meter whale shark. All divers aboard the Black Pearl liveaboard had the opportunity to snorkel with the giant creative for over half an hour!

Black Pearl Diving Safari – Second Dive

The day’s second dive was to the outer reef of Holiday Island, where the current was gentle and visibility was around 10 meters visibility, making for an easy-going, relaxed dive.

Divers Snorkeling with Whale Shark

Black Pearl Diving Safari – Third Dive

The third dive was to Thinfushi Ehthere Thila, one of my all time favorite dive sites. The timing couldn’t have been better in terms of current. The strong current brought an abundance of fish life. A massive cloud of fusiliers swam above the divers’ heads feeding on plankton, while a couple of white tip reef sharks patrolled back and forth. We also spotted napoleon wrasse and tons of other fish.

Black Pearl Diving Safari – Day Five

Kuda Rah Thila

Protected marine area Kuda Rah Thila, everybody’s favorite dive site around the South Ari Atoll, was the day’s first dive. The current was very mild, allowing divers to closely observe the intricate reef formations, caves and overhangs.

Angaga Thila

The Black Pearl liveaboard sailed towards the  atoll’s western side and performed the second dive at Angaga Thila. This tiny pinnacle is famous for its residential pack of giant dogtooth tuna that chase the fusiliers while gray reef and white tip sharks swim back and forth in the blue water. Today, we saw stingrays and white tip reef sharks.

Raidhigaa Thila

The third and dive of the day was to Raidhigaa Thila.  In order to see big fish, like grey reef sharks, at Raidhigaa Thila, divers should swim a little ways away from the reef and spend some time in the blue water.  The reef was full of fish life, starting at the 25 meter sand slop where divers could observe the giant sea fan corals to the caves and finally to the top reef, where the healthy acropra table coral flourishes.

Day One: Arrival and check dive.

Black Pearl set sail with their first trip of November on 01st Novembers with 10 divers. Check dive was made at Farukholufushi Outer reef.

Day Two:

First dive was made at Lankan Manta Point with almost no current and 10 meter visibility. 6 mantas at the cleaning station all divers got to enjoy a perfect manta dive.

Black Pearl crossed Vaadhoo Channel and did the second dive to Kuda Giri Wreck. The conditions were ideal with almost no current and average visibility the dive was an enjoyable wreck dive.

Third and the last dive of the day was to Medhu Faru near Guraidhoo Region, south Male’ atoll. Here divers got the chance to see many white tip reef sharks, few gray reef sharks, napoleon wrasse and jack fish.

Maldives Scuba Diving Liveaboards

Day Three:

First dive on the morning of 3rd November was to Kandooma Thila, the current was strong and the visibility remained at 9 to 10 meters similar to the first day. Despite the strong current and poor visibility the fish life was amazing. White tip sharks, gray reef and schooling jacks were among the highlights.

Channel crossing began after the first dive and arrived to south Ari atoll for the second dive at Omadhoo Thila. The visibility and current condition remained same as south Male atoll. This dive was nothing fancy but an enjoyable calm and relaxed dive where all the divers go to explore different areas of the reef.

Last dive of the day was to Kahanbu Thila: Kahanbu in local language mean Turtle. This was again nice and easy dive.

Black Pearl anchored at Dhangethi lagoon for the night and few went off to the local island for short visit.