Frequently Asked Questions - Maldives
General Questions about
Emperor Divers Maldives
For your financial security, when you pay by credit card, all monies are held in a client account until your holiday takes place. Total peace of mind.
No, we do not charge any credit card fees when you make an advanced booking.
When you pre-book with us we save you 2.5% (or more) whenever you pay by credit card as we choose not to charge any fees when you pay for your holiday. The price you see is the price you pay.
Emperor Maldives does accept payment by Visa and MasterCard on board our liveaboards and at our dive resorts. However, please note that all prices will be in US Dollars and a 4% surcharge will be added.
Please check with your bank for any international charges and exchange rates.
All guests are required to sign a self-declaration medical on check in and before any activity such as, but not limited to, diving, snorkelling, swimming, etc. A sample can be found here.
If you are taking part in a PADI course, you are required to a sign a diver medical prior to starting the course.
In both cases, if you have, or think you have, any of the medical conditions listed you will need signed clearance from a doctor valid within 12 months of your planned liveaboard or diving holiday. Where doctor’s clearance is needed, we ask you to arrange this before arrival where possible and to bring it with you to avoid any delays, additional costs or even missing the trip.
For students under the age of 18, all paperwork needs to be signed by a parent or guardian.
Emperor Divers will not be responsible for any financial loss incurred by issues beyond our control such as, but not limited to, weather, ‘Act of God’ or changes made by the local authorities. It is a condition of your booking with Emperor Divers that you purchase comprehensive dive and travel insurance cover specific to your booking and to bring proof of this with you to show the guides when you check in.
You are responsible to check that these include:
- Dive Injury Insurance: covering all risks, costs and expenses likely to be incurred as a result of a diving injury, including but not limited to re-compression chamber treats, air evacuation, and loss or damage to possessions. This insurance should cover all scuba diving or water sports activities that you are likely to undertake during your trip, and
- Medical Evacuation Insurance: covering all risks, costs and expenses likely to arise from a diving or non-diving injury requiring your evacuation to a place of specialist care, including but not limited to low altitude air evacuation; specialist treatment and direct; and indirect losses; and
- Comprehensive Travel Insurance: valid at the time of booking to cover any pre-departure cancellations should you have to cancel your trip for an insured reason such as illness or serious accident, any changes or cancellation to your travel plans, loss or damage to your luggage and contents.
You must be satisfied that your insurance fully covers all your personal requirements including pre-existing medical conditions, cancellation charges, medical expenses and repatriation in the event of accident or illness, diving injuries and medical evacuation.
Should diving insurance not be obtained prior to your departure, it can be arranged on arrival with Indepths Insurance (Divemaster UK). Pricing information can be found on the relevant product price list, or contact us at [email protected].
If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, Emperor will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.
The Maldives lie in the monsoon belt of the Indian Ocean and has quite a varied weather pattern. The days are hot and humid throughout the year with temperatures ranging from 25-30°C degrees and humidity at 60-80%.
There are two seasons: November to April; a dry northeast monsoon (Iruvai) and May to November; a wet southwest monsoon (Hulhagu). Whilst there is all year round sunshine across both seasons, there is a big difference in rainfall between the two.
Between May and November, the prevailing winds are south-westerly. The average rainfall is 215mm with 208 hours of sunshine a month.
Around mid-December the winds turn to the northeast and bring a much drier climate. Rainfall averages 75mm a month with average monthly sunshine at 256 hours.
Information regarding diving conditions, itineraries and advice regarding diver experience can be found here: Maldives Diving Guidelines.
The rich marine life teems around the coral reefs where you will find schools of fish, sharks, mantas and rays with regular appearances by playful dolphins.
Thanks to its 26 atolls, the diving is diverse with channel dives attracting marine life from the deep to fast drift diving. Whale sharks and grey reef sharks are common sights or see the manta rays coming in to be cleaned.
Water temperatures usually stay between 27 – 30°C although thermoclines can sometimes be found at depths below 20 metres.
A Lycra 3mm wetsuit is fine in tropical waters but some divers prefer a 5mm suit if doing more than one dive a day. It’s really how you prefer to dive but we’re happy to advise.
All tanks are fitted with 5/8’s DIN valves. We strongly advise divers with M26 regulators to note that when travelling outside Europe, tanks with M26 valves or adapters to fit M26 regulators to 5/8’s DIN tanks may not be available. These adapters cannot be purchased in countries in Africa, Asia, etc and we have limited stocks available for rent. Please remember to either bring your own adapter with you or check with us regarding availability at the time of booking.
Sorry, this service is currently not available in the Maldives.
Most diver training agencies recommend 24 hours before flying, therefore for your safety Emperor Divers require you to have 24 hours clear before flying.
As qualified divers you are expected to be able to dive to a standard as per the certification and experience requirements outlined. You are responsible for your own and your buddy’s safety during the dive and to plan your dive and dive your plan by using a personal dive computer. You must begin, execute and end the dive with your dive buddy.
Should you be a single diver, a buddy will be allocated in resort or onboard.
If you are a PADI or SSI diver, don’t worry, we can check their computer database online.
Yes, providing you prove you’re a diver. We may require you to do a check dive or scuba review before your arrival or on your first day depending on your level, how many dives you think you have and when your last dive was.
Depends what level you are, how many dives you’ve got and when you last dived.
For safety reasons, Emperor advises divers to follow their agency recommendation, many agencies recommend a Scuba Review if it has been longer than six months since your last dive.
If you are looking to join a liveaboard you will need to arrange this beforehand or at home before joining your liveaboard in the Maldives.
All our guests, regardless of their qualification or experience will participate in a check dive on their first dive at a local/sheltered dive site and our experienced guides will give advice and feedback to ensure you get the very best experience from your trip.
The maximum depth for diving in the Maldives is 30 metres with an equally qualified buddy; please email [email protected] for more details. Your maximum diving depth will be dependent on your level of training and experience. It is your responsibility to check what depths your insurance policy covers you for before your arrival.
Generally, 60 minutes; this is so we can account for all divers.
Emperor is extremely environmentally aware and asks that you refrain from taking knives or gloves when you dive. Do not touch, ride, feed, catch or harass anything you find underwater.
Do not come back on the boat with less than 30 bar in your tank, ascend or descend very close to the reef or ascend or descend down the mooring line.
No solo diving, no decompression diving, use good buoyancy control when using cameras. And that means we all have a great dive.
Questions about
Emperor Maldives Liveaboards
Check in is from 13:00.
Please contact us to discuss options if your flight is either very early or later than the advised Emperor transfer times.
Check out is at 07:00 and guests will be in the airport by 07:30.
For guests continuing their holiday in the Maldives at a resort, hotel or another liveaboard, your on-going transfers need to be arranged by you from the airport. We will not be able to arrange direct transfers from the liveaboard to resorts. Day use rooms are available with hotel/guest houses on Hulhumale, the boat manager can help you arrange this on request. Payment is made locally.
All our transfers to/from our liveaboards on the check-in day (usually Saturday or Sunday) by a representative wearing an Emperor Maldives T-shirt and holding an Emperor Maldives sign. The meeting point at Male (Velana) International Airport is beside the Help Desk or outside of the arrivals hall at Addu City (Gan) International Airport.
A contact number for Emperor’s Airport Representative can be found on your ‘Read Before You Leave‘ document.
Emperor-arranged transfers depart from the airport to the boat at 12:00 and 16:00 and are free of charge.
Guests who use the 12:00 transfer accept that the boat will not be fully cleaned or ready. A light sandwich-style snack will be provided for lunch.
If you do not wish to wait for one of the above transfers or you arrive after the last transfer, taxis are available at the airport for around $15, our Airport Representative will be happy to help you, however, please note that boarding may not be possible before 13:00.
If you are already in the Maldives before joining your liveaboard, you should make your way to Male (Velana) International Airport for the 16:00 Emperor transfer. Your hotel will be able to help you with arranging the transfer from the hotel back to the airport.
It is highly recommended that travellers arrive 120 minutes before departure for domestic flights.
It is also recommended to book either the earliest possible flight to the departure city of the boat or to arrive a day before boarding in case of delays or schedule flight changes.
You should check any baggage limitations and weight allowances with the domestic airline at the time of booking to avoid excess charges or your bag being uplifted to a later flight.
Emperor Divers Maldives cannot be held responsible or hold the boat’s departure as a result of delays or cancellations of any domestic flights.
Domestic flights
can be booked directly with Maldivian Aero (www.maldivian.aero
or +960 3335544) or by using local agents Transerve Maldives ([email protected]).
Alternatively, if you would like us to book your internal flights please
contact us on [email protected] and we will do everything we
can to help. We strongly
advise leaving an extra day at each end of your liveaboard trip to provide
plenty of time for connecting flights.
We offer 2-3 dives per day on all Emperor boats except Emperor Explorer. Emperor Explorer offers 3-4 dives per day. There is no diving on the first and last day.
1 night dive is available per trip, however, no night dives are available on any southern itinerary.
You must ensure that you leave a minimum of 24 hours between your last dive and your flight departure (or going to altitude).
Please see our Maldives Diving Guidelines.
All diving is made from dhonis to give precise entry and exit points and unpredictable and strong currents are to be expected anytime, but especially in periods of new and full moons. Therefore, you should be comfortable with drift diving.
Emperor Maldives advises that all guests must be Open Water Diver or equivalent. On some dives the recommended depth is below 18m, therefore advanced or Deep Diver training is advised. Please check each itinerary regarding any minimum number of dives required and see here for further information.
All itineraries and dive sites are subject to various unpredictable changes including weather conditions and changes in Maldivian Government approval. Whilst Emperor Maldives makes every effort, we cannot guarantee diving at specific sites. In adverse weather conditions the guides and captain of the boat will have the final decision about which dive sites to visit to ensure that the safety of guests, staff and boats is not compromised in any way. If in the unfortunate event that dives are missed, or dive sites are not reached due to weather conditions or other unforeseeable changes, Emperor Maldives will not offer a refund or compensation.
We offer a range of PADI courses including; Discover Scuba Diving onboard Explorer and Serenity, Advanced Open Water on all boats plus a range of specialty courses to build on your diving experience, please ask for more details.
Courses are subject to availability and itinerary and do not include course materials (where required) and certification fee. If arranged on board a 16% sales tax will be added. Prices can be found here.
For students under the age of 18, course paperwork needs to be signed by a parent or guardian.
They vary from boat to boat, please see the relevant information for each boat and that will tell you the maximum number.
They vary from boat to boat, please see the relevant information for each boat and that will tell you the average number.
Mostly English, German and Spanish, however other languages are subject to availability and on request.
Please chat to us using the live chat on our website or email us at [email protected] with any dates you have in mind and we can check availability for you
The dhoni has ample storage space for your equipment and there is a spares box on board. Diving towels are also available aboard the diving dhoni. We suggest that you bring the following:
Mask, snorkel, fins, boots, wetsuit, regulator, BCD, SMB (with a minimum of 5 metres of line to deploy during the safety stop) and a dive computer with spare batteries and a torch for any night dives.
The average water temperature is 29°C and we recommend a 3mm shortie or wetsuit.
Equipment is available for rent from Emperor Maldives and we ask that you pre-book your equipment before you arrive in resort to avoid disappointment. We need to know normal sizes, height, weight and shoe sizes to prepare the correctly sized equipment for you.
All divers are required to use a dive computer and SMB and carry reef hooks for every dive and a torch each for night dives throughout their safari experience for safety reasons. Please bring your own or ask us what is available on board.
Inexperienced and beginner divers may find some dives challenging and may be asked by the Cruise Director to skip dives that are not suitable for their diving experience.
Information regarding diving conditions, itineraries and advice regarding diver experience can be found here: Maldives Diving Guidelines.
Please chat to us using the live chat on our website or email us at [email protected] with any questions or concerns you may have and we will be happy to help and advise you.
Snorkelling can be taken from the dhoni when an Instructor/Guide is on board to observe or unless the snorkeller is accompanied in the water by a certified diver. We ask all snorkellers to wear a floatation aid at all times.
Whilst every effort will be made for non-diving guests wishing to snorkel or guests wanting to try scuba diving, some itineraries or dive locations may not be suitable for safety reasons. Both snorkellers and non-divers will be required to complete a liability form at the time of check in.
Children aged 15 years or younger must be supervised by a parent or designated responsible adult at all times whilst on board an Emperor Maldives’ liveaboard. Emperor Maldives cannot provide a legal chaperone service.
Children pricing policy:
- 0-2 years old – free of charge, share cabin, no separate bed provided
- 3-9 years old – 50% discount, share cabin, no separate bed provided (share cabin, separate bed provided for 8 – 9 years old only for full charters)
- 10+ years old – full rate
The meals on board are usually buffet style with a variety of local and International dishes to suit everyone.
Local food is traditionally a bit spicy, fish is available on board, mostly frozen with a few fresh catches along the way.
For any special dietary requests, such as vegetarian or any allergies, please inform us prior to arrival.
We source items locally, therefore items such as, but not limited to, wholemeal pastas or flour, gluten free products or soya substitutes are not typically available.
All our liveaboards are equipped with Wi-Fi and internet is available when a mobile signal is present, usually only nearby or in port. This service is for limited internet browsing and to connect with communication applications. Upload/download is very limited; therefore, we ask guests to refrain from transferring large files. Signal strength can vary, which can result in intermittent and/or slow connections, depending on the local mobile provider. If you are a high-level internet user, we advise that you purchase a local data SIM at Male airport upon arrival; your Emperor Maldives representative can help you.
Importing of alcoholic beverages is prohibited under Maldivian law and will be confiscated at Customs on arrival and returned to you at departure; this can be quite a time-consuming process. Alcohol is available to purchase on board; a beer is around 5 USD, spirits between 6-10 USD and a bottle of wine between 30-50 USD.
General Maldives Questions
You must have a passport valid for at least six more months after arrival.
30-day tourist visas are issued on arrival at the immigration desk at Maldives International airport for all nationalities and are free of charge.
All visitors must be in possession of a return/onward flight ticket. We recommend that you have your Emperor Voucher or Tour Company voucher to hand just in case you are asked to present it to airport security upon arrival as proof of where you are staying.
If you have to wait for a transfer on arrival, or for a connecting domestic flight, the airport is reasonably comfortable and has a shop for local SIM cards, a post office, money changer and a few coffee shops / restaurants including Thai Express, Burger King and New Noodle.
Gan International Airport is an important transportation hub for the southern atolls of the Maldives with very limited facilities.
The Maldives offers different types of diving areas, all characterised by medium to strong currents making them rich in marine life. Here’s a quick overview of the definitions:
Thila
An underwater island that can be both so small that you can dive all around it or so large that you’ll manage to see only one side during a dive. A Thila within a Kandu is usually the diving area where the strongest current is but also the ones that have the most interesting sea life.
Kandu
A channel or pass around the border of the atoll where, when the tides change, the water flows in and out of the atoll. Perfect places for drift dives and where you can see big pelagics like sharks, tuna and mantas.
Lagoon
Each island in the Maldives has its own lagoon, usually not very deep. It can reach around 20 metres and is mostly sandy. These places are protected from the current so the ideal spot for scuba diving courses and snorkelling but not as interesting from a marine life point of view.
Requirements vary from country to country so do check with your doctor regarding relevant requirements. Do tell your doctor that you will be diving as some medication is not recommended for scuba divers.
All environmental, bed taxes and port fees are included in the price of your liveaboard package. Any equipment rental, special tank requests and on board purchases paid locally will be subject to 16% sales tax.
5 hours ahead of GMT. Daylight savings time is not observed in the Maldives.
The Maldivian currency is the Rufiyaa (Rf) and is closely linked to the US Dollar. 1 US Dollar = approximately 15 Rufiyaa.
Most of the resort islands and local tourist shops accept US Dollars; it’s not necessary to exchange any money into Rufiyaa.
All the resorts, hotels, liveaboards and most of the souvenir shops accept major credit cards, which include American Express, Visa card, MasterCard and JCB card. Almost all items are priced in US Dollars. There is a local bank branch at the International airport’s arrival terminal. They can exchange your currency to US Dollars.
Note: Travellers’ Cheques are NOT accepted at any bank or at any resort island in the Maldives.
We accept payment in cash; Euros and USD, Visa and MasterCard only. Credit cards are charged in USD plus a 4% surcharge. Do make sure you inform your credit card provider that you are coming to the Maldives as we have had credit card companies block transactions and then phone calls need to be made to unblock the cards.
UK 3 pin electrical sockets using 220 volts AC 50Hz.
MALDIVES Liveaboards
Six of the best boats in the Maldives allowing you to dive the superb sites in comfort.