Amba Liveaboard, Maldives

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Highlights

  • Renovated yearly
  • German Management
  • Western, Thai, and Maldivian cuisine
  • Individual service for divers of all experience levels

The Amba liveaboard offers plenty of indoor and outdoor space. For the 18 guests on board, there are 9 cabins with individually controlled air conditioning, a fan, and a private bathroom with a sink, shower, and toilet. The upper deck has 2 premium cabins with their large terrace, and there are 7 more spacious standard cabins on the lower deck. The standard cabins are equipped with double and/or single beds. A lower deck cabin is in the bow and has a king-size double bed. Communal areas onboard the Amba yacht include the main saloon and dining room, where 3 freshly prepared meals are served daily along with afternoon snacks/cakes, drinking water, tea, and coffee. For breakfast lovers, the Chefs bake daily fresh Sourdough Bread in the morning. On the upper deck is the outdoor lounge, perfect for relaxing between dives, and the spacious partially covered sun deck is furnished with sun loungers.

During the week-long Maldives liveaboard trip, 2-3 dives per day are included, including one -or two- night dives (excluding arrival and departure days). Cruising North and South Male Atolls, Vaavu, North and South Ari Atolls, divers can look forward to spectacular reefs, manta rays, reef sharks, stingrays, guitar rays, leopard sharks, hammerhead sharks, bull sharks, tiger sharks, and more variety of creatures looking forward to unforgettable dives. The dive dhoni accompanies the Amba and offers enough space to put on and store gear and fresh towels after diving. A Nitrox license and certification of up to 30 meters are mandatory. Before each dive, there is a detailed briefing in English, which can also be translated into German.

Call us or book online today to reserve your spot on the Amba liveaboard Maldives.

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Included: VAT, Airport Transfer, Drinking Water, Tea & Coffee, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Diving Package, Fishing, Beach Towels, Cabin Towels, Deck Towels.

Required Extras: Environment Tax (6 USD per day).

Optional Extras: Travel Insurance, Gratuities (120-150 EUR per week), Hotel Transfer, Alcoholic Beverages, Soft drinks, Nitrox (10 EUR per day), Nitrox Course (99 EUR per activity), Private Dive Guide (90 EUR per day), Rental Gear, Scuba Diving Courses (275 EUR per activity).

Book now, pay later: You can easily place your booking online. We will then hold the spaces for you and you can confirm with a payment later.

* Extra fees are shown per person.

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Boat features

  • Daily housekeeping
  • Audio & video entertainment
  • Air Conditioned saloon
  • Aircon Cabins
  • Sun Deck
  • Indoor Saloon
  • Warm Water Showers
  • Custom built for diving
  • Charging stations
  • En-Suite bathrooms
  • Non-Smoking Rooms
  • Seaview Cabins
  • Rooms with Balcony
  • Separate Rinse for u/w Camera
  • Dedicated Local & International Crew
  • Leisure Deck
  • Bar

Food & Drinks

  • Western Food
  • Local Food
  • Vegetarian Options
  • Buffet style
  • Beer available
  • Snacks All Day
  • Fine Wines Selection

If you have any specific dietary requirements whilst on-board your cruise, you can add this to your special requests on step 2 of the booking form. We advise limiting these requests to religious beliefs or food allergies.


Diving

  • DIN Adaptors
  • Nitrox available
  • Rinse Hoses
  • Dive deck
  • Shaded Diving Area

The crew speaks English and German.


Gear Rental

There is diving gear available on this boat. Please provide your rental needs on the booking form. See below for further details on inclusions and pricing. Show prices.


Drawings & Vessel Layouts

#deckplan floorplan

Boat Specifications

  • Year built 2004
  • Year renovated 2021
  • Length 34 meters
  • Beam 10 meters
  • Cruising speed 12 knots
  • Engines Volvo Penta / Yanmar 430 HP
  • Max guests 18
  • Number of cabins 9
  • Number of bathrooms 9
  • Tenders 1 Dhoni
  • Water capacity 5000 liters
  • Fuel capacity 3000 liters
  • Freshwater maker 6000 liters per day

Boat Navigation and Safety

  • Radar
  • Depth Sounder
  • GPS
  • Radio VHF/DSC/SSB
  • Emergency Rafts
  • Life Vests
  • Fire Alarm & Fire Extinguishers
  • Oxygen
  • First Aid Kits
  • Fishfinder
  • Satellite & mobile phones
  • Bilge pump alarm
  • Search light
  • Crew trained in first aid

Amba Liveaboard Reviews

  • 8.7 Fabulous
  • 47 Verified Reviews
  1. Vessel
    8.3
  2. Crew
    8.5
  3. Food
    9.5
  4. Diving
    8.6
  5. Value
    8.6
  • 8.0 Very good
  • Adam W
  • United States United States
Nice boat, good food, meh diving

Dives at 7am are a little too early as the sun's not high enough to pierce much of the water. Some dive spots should be abandoned altogether as they were uninteresting or nearly completely bleached. Wasted a lot of time over barren areas. Overall 18 dives: 3 great; 5 good; 5 ok; 5 quite dull.

Recommended for
Good food, boat is in good shape (but rooms smell), nice sun and shade areas
  • 8.0 Very good
  • Jessica B
  • United States United States
Great value and no crowds

The cabins are very spacious, and even the en suite was much larger than most liveaboards. The crew is fantastic and goes out of their way to keep guests happy. The main salon is large and comfortable and there are several outdoor areas to lounge. Our only complaint was that the smoking section was the one and only covered deck, just behind the salon. Made it difficult to find a place to hang out away from the smoke when it rained. Diving in the far north was amazing. We didn't have great visibility, but the life was so prolific. And we never had to share a dive site with another boat. Would highly recommend this trip!

Recommended for
Uncrowded dive sites, fantastic marine life, good crew
  • 8.0 Very good
  • Greg F
  • United States United States
Some good Some bad

The Manta dive was an awesome dive. The reefs were in very good shape for the most part and the amount of reef fish was mind boggeling!!

Recommended for
The crew on the dohni were very very good. 4 of the dives were good.
  • 6.0 Review score
  • ROBERT C
  • United States United States
adequate but not great

manta rays

Recommended for
convenience experienced dive masters predictable
  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Angela T
  • United States United States
Good Value for your money, very nice crew

The shared rooms and bathrooms are spacious compared to other liveaboards I've been on. The crew is very nice, polite, helpful and attentive. The smaller boat, from which we do the diving from, is also spacious and comfortable with bathroom, covered roof, and sundeck. Very good value for your money!

Recommended for
Crew, Food, Well Organized
  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • peter D
  • Netherlands Netherlands
very good service, relaxing and beautiful part of the maladives

we had a very nice stay on the boat. i tell all my friends to go over there and stay with you thanks ps Tamara did a fine job; could you ask her to send me the pictures she promised me

Recommended for
relax, space and the food
  • 8.4 Very good
  • Silke W
  • Germany Germany
Still nice boat with good staff and lonesome dive spots

Relaxing week with nice other divers.

Recommended for
Sharks, Mantas, Dolphins
  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Philip H
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom
Boat better than the diving

The weather was against us but the Amba is well run by the crew, but the diving management was not what I have been accustomed to before in other Maldives trips.There doesn't seem to be a concept of duty of care for looking out for the less experienced divers which I believe verged on the unprofessional and this view was shared by the most of those diving on the boat. Diving is not the same as leading a group around a woodland walk, one of the dive leaders was far more professional than the other in their overall demeanor and attitude to caring for his diving group. The other didn't seem to care about the group he was leading and felt because he paired or put you in a threesome his job was done. It was up to you diving with the less experienced third diver not him nurturing and ensuring the person achieved a good dive by staying with them and helping in the difficult parts like the negative entries that are a part of diving in the Northern Atolls. I was not impressed and the fact that Liveaboard.com which he booked through weren't a bit more explicit about the difficulties of the diving conditions in this area. He had only carried out 40 dives in easy blue water conditions I think you need at least a 100 and in difficult conditions to be comfortable in the Northern Atolls. To sum up the boat and crew are good the diving management is half good the other half is not.

Recommended for
The Food, Facilities and Dohi
  • 8.4 Very good
  • Marina C
  • Italy Italy
Good experience to taste diving in Maldives

Amazing experience

Recommended for
The upper deck, the amazing places, the peace in the ocean
  • 10 Exceptional
  • Peter W
  • Australia Australia
A great dive trip in the beautiful northern Makdives

Great! The Amba is currently the only dive boat operating in the Northern Maldives so the dive sites were not crowded with boats and divers. Sleeping out of the roof deck was wonderful! Great cabins too! Excellent food!

Recommended for
The diving, the diving, the diving.... Everything was great but the diving is the most important
  • 8.0 Very good
  • christian H
  • Switzerland Switzerland
Enjoy diving far away from crowded spots

christmas Rock diving spot

Recommended for
Food onboard, diving spots, service
  • 9.2 Superb
  • Johan B
  • South Africa South Africa
The week on the Amba was the best diving I have done yet!!!

The crew was really good, especially the kitchen staff. They kept us well fed and didn't just serve the "normal" dive boat fare. We did 18 dives and each one was different from the next, ensuring that we experienced all that the North Maldives has to offer in one short week. Some advice - as the currents can be quite strong, remember to bring a reef hook along, although the boat and also provide.

Recommended for
Crew and guides / underwater life diversity / Food
  • 8.0 Very good
  • Pascal F
  • France France
a simple live aboard

quite trip well organized nice dive guide

Recommended for
Lot of room, friendly, quite
  • 8.4 Very good
  • John F
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom
Great diving in great company

The blue and yellow soft coral and the guitar sharks

Recommended for
The company, the diving and the crew
  • 9.2 Superb
  • jorge H
  • Spain Spain
Very good valeu for money

Excellent diving with guides like Alex, Dane and Zeezal nothing can go wrong. Very profesional. Nice. With lots of patience and empathy. The dives we did were always excellent and very well planed even when it was not their normal route. Great time with great people.

Recommended for
The crew, the diving and the group we got.
  • 8.0 Very good
  • YUEN FAI DICK W
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom
very often the only boat in the neighborhood

guitar shark, leopard shark, manta, octopus walking around

Recommended for
unique north itinerary, spacious room, sunrise/sunset
  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • STEFANO C
  • Italy Italy
Fantastic

Tutto molto bello, grazie

Recommended for
Posti bellissimi - Mante - Non troppa gente
  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Arndt P
  • Germany Germany
super diving adventure in the north of the maledives

baby manta, baby silvertip, baby eagle ray, giant nurse shark

Recommended for
fishlife food and people
  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Arndt P
  • Germany Germany
beautiful trip with perfect dives

many many sharks, rays and other stuff

Recommended for
fishlife food and weather
  • 8.0 Very good
  • Anne M
  • France France
Friendly crew and uncrowded dives

We had a good itinerary starting from Male and going to the northern atolls of the Maldives. The trip focused on manta cleaning stations and we were lucky to see them. We dove one channel (kandu) with an incoming current which had a great fish life. The maldivian guide Shaheel is very experienced and very friendly, he knows all the dive sites inside out. The couple managing the boat is super friendly and makes a great addition to a very nice boat. The Northen atolls may not have recovered yet from the bleaching episodes of the last few years but it is getting better in some parts. No doubt this uncrowded part of the Maldives will flourish again soon with vibrant colours. The fish life is overall good. Kuredu has an amazing dive site with dozens of huge turtles. Some channels attract lots of sharks. Always good to dive in the Maldives ! The boat crew and dhoni crew are all great and the whole operation runs very smoothly.

Recommended for
Manta cleaning stations; dive guides and crew; food
  • 10 Exceptional
  • Ivo J
  • Czech Republic Czech Republic
A great experience

The crew know what they're doing and how to give their guests the best possible trip. Heaps of manta, sting and eagle rays, nurse sharks and heaps of reef shark , was pity no guitar shark and whale shark.It was fun to dive in strong currents. Lucky we had reefhooks with us. Can’t say anything negative about this trip. It was amazing!!!!!

Recommended for
guides, chefs, dive boat crew
  • 6.8 Review score
  • Cara W
  • New Zealand New Zealand
Bad luck with weather, boat breaking and everyone speaking German apart from me

- good dives

Recommended for
- good dive guides, good staff and food
  • 10 Exceptional
  • Connor W
  • Canada Canada
The crew, the guides, the boat, the food, everything was amazing! 10/10

Diving and all the laughs and good times onboard.

Recommended for
The entire trip was perfect!
  • 8.4 Very good
  • Miklos H
  • Hungary Hungary
Good value for money

The dives on North Ari atoll

Recommended for
Awesome diving, professional but laidback atmosphere, customer centric attitude
  • 7.2 Good
  • Jörg S
  • Germany Germany
Boat is ok, crew very friendly.

Swimming with nurse sharks; manta ray very close an other sharks also.

Recommended for
Manta ray, a lot of sharks.
  • 8.4 Very good
  • Thomas B
  • Germany Germany
Great atmosphere on the boat despite what happened

Khudarah Thila, Mayaa Thila, huge schools of fish

Recommended for
Good diving, nice people,
  • 10 Exceptional
  • Markus B
  • Germany Germany
Great Trip

Mantas!

Recommended for
The crew, the diving and the ship
  • 9.2 Superb
  • Arkadiusz D
  • Poland Poland
Good diving for decent price.

We had mantas at night diving and at some cleaning stations (10 at the same time at the peak moment) unfortunately no whale shark. Last dive of this trip, which happened only because the previous day diving was postponed due to bad weather, was the best dive of this safari with very strong current and plenty of sharks.

Recommended for
Cabin, food, crew
  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Roald V
  • Netherlands Netherlands
Nice to be able to go on vacation.

From what I hoped to see whilst diving it didn't completly life up to what I had hoped. But thats nature. The crew and the boat was good and nice and friendly, and some really stood out whilst others could be more friendly. I was happy that there were a few not German speakers on a German boat, otherwise it would have been a pain. I would recommend this boat.

Recommended for
Some of the crew, some dives and the room I had
  • 9.2 Superb
  • Yannick B
  • France France
Amba is more than value for money

We dove into some of the tops dive sites in the world. Crew, dive guides and management were friendly and reactive during these 10 days. Just wished the vegetarian option meant more than sides, veggies and eggs but I’m used to it now on liveaboards.

Recommended for
Marine life, crew and dive guides friendliness, organization
  • 10 Exceptional
  • ANURAG B
  • India India
Best Liveaboard Ever

Really ine of the best Liveaboard there is...delivered everything they have promised...amazing crew...and they dont travel during the night so there is no engine sound at night...so if someone is at the lower deck you wont be affected by the engine sound...the crew kno what they are doing...and the dive masters has the best eye for the smallest of the fish and also for the largest of the fish..thank you Amba for a really azing trip..

Recommended for
Everything was really good...the crew were amazing..they were always there to help us with a smile
  • 9.2 Superb
  • Zinaida B
  • Sweden Sweden
Wish to dive with "Amba" again

Sharks, mantas, turtles Drift diving Visiting of the local island

Recommended for
Safety, staff and comfort
  • 10 Exceptional
  • Graeme L
  • New Zealand New Zealand
A well designed, safe ship and excellent crew and company.

The whole trip was a "highlight!" We felt that the tour was responding to our wishes and seemed to always be on the lookout for a better alternative making subtle changes to achieve this.

Recommended for
Attention to quality food, helpful staff and great diving
Origin: US