“Everything went beautifully well on board the Carpe Novo, the food is good, the logistics excellent and the whole crew is extremel…”
Highlights
The Carpe Novo is the largest yacht of the Carpe Diem fleet offering year-round diving in the Maldives. 12 comfortable cabins spread over 3 decks cater to 22 guests onboard. The Junior Suites, located on the upper deck, have double or twin beds and ocean views. The 6 standard cabins located on the lower deck have either one queen-size bed and a single bed or two single beds. There are also two single suites located on the main deck, ideal for solo travelers. Also on the main deck is the large air-conditioned salon with panoramic views, flat screen TV, entertainment system and library. The upper deck serves freshly prepared dishes at the al-fresco dining table so guests can enjoy the stunning views and sea air. The sun deck has plenty of padded loungers and a partially shaded seating area for tanning in between dives or enjoying a sunset cocktail.
Itineraries on Carpe Novo cover some of the Maldives' best dive sites. The classical routes are 7-10 nights long and explore the Male, Ari, Vaavu and Rasdhoo atolls to name a few. The Deep South trips are for more experienced divers who will be rewarded with hammerhead encounters and thrilling channel diving. Diving takes place from the dedicated dive dhoni (boat) which is fully equipped to give divers all the space they need for kitting up, gear storage, and rinsing. There is also a dedicated camera room with charging ports and a dry area for changing batteries and memory cards, so you don't miss out on the action.
Book your Carpe Novo Maldives liveaboard easily online today.
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Included: VAT, Fuel Surcharge, Gratuities, Airport Transfer, Drinking Water, Tea & Coffee, Beach BBQ, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Diving Package, Nitrox, Snorkeling Guide, Cabin Towels, Deck Towels.
Required Extras: Environment Tax (12 USD per day).
Optional Extras: Local Flights, Alcoholic Beverages, Soft drinks, Nitrox Course (200 USD), Rental Gear, Scuba Diving Courses (130-700 USD), Stand Up Paddleboard (25 USD per day), WiFi internet (40 USD).
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.
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Drawings & Vessel Layouts
Cabin Types
Carpe Novo Reviews
- 9.1 Superb
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Vessel
9.3
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Crew
8.9
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Food
9.5
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Diving
9.0
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Value
8.7
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- 7.6 Good
- Megan R
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United States
Southern Shark Itinerary
I had a good time on Carpe Novo, but I left feeling a little disappointed. I think my expectations were really high based on the itinerary on this website and sadly it did not live up to my expectations. The first thing that was a bummer was that the itinerary said that there would be a chance to see whale sharks at night because they would put lights in the water to attract plankton. We got on the boat and that did not happen. Apparently the laws protecting whale sharks had recently changed. Why I’m upset is that we got an email after booking saying that the environmental tax went up so we would be charged $12 per person per night instead of $6. Why didn’t they also email me and tell me the whale shark laws had changed? If they had done that, it would have managed my expectations instead of leaving me feeling tricked. Also, I could have then planned a week in South Ari since my liveaboard would not be showing me any whale sharks. The next thing that upset me was the lack of vegetarian protein. There were lots of vegetables but the only protein option was eggs at breakfast. Many times the snacks were cheese and chicken balls, with no veggie option. Also, the jello dessert every night was gross. We had brownies once, I’d recommend more brownies! My companion and I felt like this supposed “southern shark safari” should have been named the gray reef shark safari. Every dive we hooked in at 30 meters and watched the wall of gray reef sharks. I loved it, but whale sharks are sharks too! We only did 1 dive with tiger sharks, 1 dive with threshers. We skipped a dive that could have shown us guitar sharks. I wish we had spent more than 1 day at Fuvahmulah. More tiger sharks or more searching for hammerheads would have been nice. My companion and I are both staff instructors. We chose this itinerary because it was for advanced or higher certification and we are obsessed with sharks. However, we may have been happier doing a week in Fuvahmulah to see LOTS of BIG sharks and then a best of Maldives liveaboard so we could hopefully see whale sharks. This itinerary is very repetitive. Just gray reef sharks every dive. It’s cool, but I feel like there are lots of sharks we didn’t see. We also didn’t try to see them. The itinerary did not focus on anything besides gray reefy boys. We were really sad that our last dive when we made it back to Male was not “shark tank” where we could have seen tigers and guitar sharks but instead we did a very crowded dive with eagle rays. The staff is exhausted and you can tell. They drop off guests at 8am at the end of the charter and the next charter starts at 2pm the same day. With zero days off, our instructors were missing divides for ear infections, and when we had to do a 10 hour crossing during the day because a storm was coming and missed a dive, we never did a 4 dive day to make up for it. I did like the coral, I loved the boys on the dive boat that filled our Nitrox. The main boat is so nice! So much room to hang clothes, the tanning deck is amazing. I had a great time, but I chose this itinerary because I thought as an instructor this would be a really epic, unique, shark heavy trip and I felt like I should have just done a week in Fuvahmula. If somebody else isn’t sure what to book, so help this review helps.
- Recommended for
- Seeing sharks. Lots of room to hang wet clothes. The dive boat.
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- 8.8 Fabulous
- Karl B
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United States
Carpe Novo offers an outstanding well organized dive program and wonderful dive boat.
We had an excellent trip on the Carpe Novo. Both the main boat and the dive dhoni are large and spacious. The diving program was well organized and ran smoothly. The dive boat (dhoni) is well laid out with ample spacing between tanks, a large camera tank and platform to set cameras out of harms way, racks for towels and water bottles, wet suit racks, gear bins, a large step off entry platform, and hot fresh water showers. Our cabin was very spacious with independent AC. Meals are served buffet style which is very efficient but a little less relaxing. We were the first to book 2 spots and the boat was later filled by a dive group from another country, which made the trip less social.
- Recommended for
- Organization of the diving program. Competence and friendliness of crew. Good dive sites.
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- 9.2 Superb
- John D
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United States
FABULOUS Experience! My first of this caliber - definitely not my last.
Highlights: Mantas over cleaning station, Mantas and Nurse sharks night dive. Sharks and Rays in Male Harbor. We were BLESSED with no real rain event during Dives. MAXIMUM sea state was maybe 2 while running between Atoll's. While I personally missed on the Whale Shark - several people were fortunate. My first surprise was being greeted at the Airport by the Boat team and escorted with the group to the Dhony. First afternoon aboard the Carpe Novo was relaxed, evidently no 'check dive' required. The Beach BBQ was very nice, the food very tasty. Nice Island sunset. While the Dive schedule was 'aggressive', it was well planned and I didn't feel rushed. Return day and dives relaxing, plenty of time for a 24hr pre-flight down-day. The Carpe Novo seemed to have it all. Plenty of Fresh Water dispensers, and they give you a Bottle on arrival. Coffee/Tea available 24hrs. Alcohol/Beer (on Tap) available for evening meals. TOP SUN DECK underutilized....a nice quiet place to nap/read. PLENTY of space to hang out wet clothes (foredeck) and 2x hand showers on stern of Dhony post-dive.
- Recommended for
- The Crew, from the Captain to the Cabin attendant. Even the Chief Engineer came out to greet me on occasion. Kudos to whomever plans the Logistics....everyone has a job and clearly back-fil for one another as needed. Probably the BEST "Team" effort I have experienced in a long while.. The Meals, always something tasty to choose from. Creative and flavorful. Pleasant presentation. Stopping to thank the Kitchen staff and Chef was always a pleasure, everyone makes you feel 'included' in their day.. The Dive experience overall. While I consider myself an 'experienced' Diver - I learned so much during this trip. EVERYONE was helpful with tidbits of new information. From the Divemaster, through his team of Dive-guides (some clearly very highly experienced on their own). Communication is always Key..
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- 8.0 Very good
- Devante P
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United States
Great trip despite navigated during poor weather.
I had a fantastic time on the Carpe Novo liveaboard. The onboard amenities were top-notch, the food was delicious, and the lounges were exceptionally comfortable. While the weather was poor early on and a bit washed out in the final days, it didn’t detract from the overall experience. The crew's hospitality and the boat's excellent facilities made the trip enjoyable despite the challenges.
- Recommended for
- Aside from diving - Best boat bathroom I've been in.. Comfortable lounges. Impeccable lunches..
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- 10 Exceptional
- Renato J
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United States
Absolute excellent!
School of mantas, bull sharks near Male, whale shark
- Recommended for
- Great space onboard, clean, additional large boat for diving
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- 8.8 Fabulous
- David P
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United States
Great Boat that needs Leadership
(1) This was my ninth LiveAboard dive trip... and this boat was different because it had no cruise director. The Carpe Novo is led by the 4 Maldivian Dive Guides. Maldivians are (by nature) a very quiet people that, in this case, lack energy and leadership skills. I didn't even know who was in charge after my first 5 hours on the boat. I don't think a head count was taken at the beginning... because I was in my room and missed the initial Boat Safety/ Familiarization/ Welcome Brief. When everybody was leaving at the end... the Guides were nowhere to be found. After a guest asked about them to say goodbye, a crew member found them in their room and brought them out. (2). The first couple of dives were chaotic because the dive guides insisted on keeping 22 divers in the water at the same location! We scared away potential sharks and swam on top of each other! TOTAL frustration! After A LOT of complaining... the guides finally did a better job a separating the groups. (3). This was a great trip overall... We saw Tiger Sharks, Whale sharks, Manta Rays, Sting Rays, Dolphins, Eagle Rays, Nurse Sharks, and White-tip Sharks. (4). The food was awesome! (5). Will I come to Maldives again? Definitely! Will I cruise Carpe Novo? Probably not.
- Recommended for
- Comfortable Boat, Great Food, Good Dive Sites - A Cruise Director is Needed!
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- 9.6 Exceptional
- Danya C
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United States
Fantastic vessel and diving!
The carpe novo is an exceptional liveaboard vessel. It is well kept, comfortable, and the rooms are spacious. The crew was extremely helpful and friendly. they did a great job with explaining each dive site and briefing, and they were very thorough with terrain and dive planning. The food was not as diverse as I would've liked, but I also assume its difficult to get things there and we went during covid, so that wouldn't really stop me from recommending this ship! I would return to the maldives and the carpe novo in a heartbeat. Wonderful experience all around, even during challenging times.
- Recommended for
- dive spots, accommodations, helpfulness of crew
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- 8.8 Fabulous
- Seth G
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United States
Great trip despite rough conditions and no Whale Sharks
We had a great time on our trip - the wildlife on the reefs were fantastic. Conditions were a bit rough, which made for some interesting diving conditions, but overall the crew tried to make the best of what was available. Only issue was with communication underwater with our guides, as we had a minor incident where another guest blew their Deco limit. Overall a great trip.
- Recommended for
- Boat was beautiful. Lots of Sharks, Good company
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- 9.6 Exceptional
- Sue S
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United States
Awesome boat! The largest Live aboard cabins ever!
Whale sharks. Manta Rays. Shark festival.
- Recommended for
- Big bathrooms/shower. Dhoni kept the dive operation organized. Great pelagic life.
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- 10 Exceptional
- Chris P
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United States
Great dive boat
Manta rays and nurse sharks feeding behind the boat for hours
- Recommended for
- Roomy stateroom, huge bathroom, great food
