Amba Liveaboard, Maldives

Relaxing week with nice other divers.

Sharks, Mantas, Dolphins

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.

The Food, Facilities and Dohi

Amazing experience

The upper deck, the amazing places, the peace in the ocean

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!

The diving, the diving, the diving.... Everything was great but the diving is the most important

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.

Good food, boat is in good shape (but rooms smell), nice sun and shade areas

christmas Rock diving spot

Food onboard, diving spots, service

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.

Crew and guides / underwater life diversity / Food

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!

Uncrowded dive sites, fantastic marine life, good crew

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!!

The crew on the dohni were very very good. 4 of the dives were good.

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

relax, space and the food