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Maldives Gay Cruise & Diving 2024
8 days from/to Male, Maldives
January 21 – 28, 2024
Blue Horizon MV Horizon III
Set sail on a distinguished gay travel journey to the Maldives aboard the luxurious Horizon III liveaboard. Dive into the heart of the Central Maldives in January, exploring the best the region has to offer. With Happy Gay Travel, your gay diving escapade immerses you in turquoise lagoons, vibrant coral gardens, and the mesmerizing marine life of the Maldives. As we chart the "Best of Central Maldives" route, be part of an exclusive, inclusive gay diving cruise experience that celebrates both the beauty of the ocean and the spirit of the LGBTQ+ community.
With clear blue water, white sand beaches, and great visibility, scuba diving in the Maldives is an unforgettable experience in an idyllic paradise. During a diving trip to the Maldives, you may see manta rays, whale sharks, reef sharks, soft & hard corals and much more.
Lying 400 miles southwest of India, the Maldives is an island nation of 26 natural coral atolls (over 1,000 islands) spread over nearly 35,000 square miles.
Even though it is 26 natural coral atolls, for the purpose of administration the Maldives is divided into 19 atolls (areas) and they are marked as being 19 atolls. So someone looking through a map would find 19 zones.
Topside, the Maldives offer some of the most beautiful scenery you will ever see in your life. More than 95 % of Maldives consists of the sea. It is also one of the lowest nations in the world, and is in danger of being submerged one day due to rising sea levels
Highlights
• Horizon III has recently undergone a major renovation with great attention to safety on board with also interventions on the amenities and services offered.
• Glide around the atolls in one of the most respected dive safari boats in the Maldives, alongside a highly trained and dedicated crew.
• Indulge in a massage with the on-board Ayurvedic therapist, then soak in the Jacuzzi on the leisure deck.
• Expect to see whale sharks, hammerhead, reef, thresher and tiger sharks, and experience up close manta encounters at cleaning stations.
• Go snorkelling between dives or relax on the sun deck with panoramic ocean views
• Great professionalism and experience will fill of amazing experience your stay
Scuba diving in the Maldives offers some great reefs and marine life and is known for currents, wide-angle photography and plentiful pelagics such as mantas, reef sharks and whale sharks. Visibility early in the year can be outstanding, well over 100ft.
Hanifaru Bay, in the Baa Atoll, has manta rays and whale sharks during the middle and the end of the South West Monsoon which runs from April to November. During this period, there are a few times that mass feeding events occur in the Bay Area when enough plankton has accumulated. Although many people think it is present all the time, it is not.
While the reefs and channels provide a great diversity of marine life, Hanifaru Bay, which allows snorkeling only, is the go-to place for mantas and whale sharks. We're talking dozens and dozens of huge manta rays feeding - up to 200 mantas at a time. You’re also likely to encounter whale sharks, opening their huge mouths to feed on plankton.
Many dive sites in the Maldives have napoleon wrasse, barracuda, reef sharks (including gray reef, whitetip and blacktip), spotted eagle rays, large marbled rays, trevally, and tuna. The current will help bring out more of these larger animals.
Blue Horizon Horizon III Diving Liveaboard
Horizon III is a 36m long fiberglass twin-engine liveaboard yacht that is among the most respected and safest in the Maldives. You will venture away from the crowds to find some of the most incredible species of the Maldives. Head north to Baa Atoll for the annual manta feeding frenzy, journey south to Thaa for night time encounters with whale sharks and Felidhoo for grey reef and nurse sharks, venture to the Deep South for hammerheads, threshers and tiger sharks.
The award-winning Horizon crew have been employed for many years and create a great ambiance onboard. This is evidenced by a returning guest rate of 70%. So confident are they that their cruises will remain popular that every cruise is a confirmed departure. An experienced Ayurvedic therapist offers rejuvenating post-dive spa treatments and massages. There is an upper deck Jacuzzi where guests can relax. The 5 comfortable leisure areas, and the light and clean interior design, provide a ‘home from home’ atmosphere.
There are 12 comfortable en-suite guest cabins onboard, including deluxe cabins with sea views. The restaurant serves up delicious buffet spreads of Western and Asian cuisine, and the bar provides draught beer and a comprehensive drinks menu.
Diving activities are conducted from the accompanying and spacious 20 metre dhoni dive tender. It houses 3 compressors and the nitrox system, the weights, and diver equipment baskets, which removes a lot of clutter from the mothership. You will find a battery charging station onboard, warm water showers, and fish ID and dive reference books. Tanks can fit both DIN and international yoke valves, and are standard 12 litre and 15 litre sizes, air and nitrox. There are 4 experienced divemasters onboard the Horizon, providing one of the most attentive dive services in the Maldives.
Non-divers are welcome on the Horizon too. They can ask the crew or captain to take them to a local beach or sand bar for island hopping, participate in a free guided snorkel tour, read books, play cards or chess, or watch TV in the lounge, try fishing, relax in the Jacuzzi or enjoy a therapeutic massage. So why not come and experience a scuba diving holiday in the Maldives like no other with the Horizon III.
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Maldives Gay Cruise & Diving Itinerary
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Date |
Port |
Arrive |
Depart |
21 Jan |
Male, Maldives |
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PM |
22 Jan |
Maagiri / Alimatha |
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23 Jan |
Miyaru Kandu / Vilamendhoo |
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24 Jan |
Kuda Rah Thila / Maamigili Beyru |
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25 Jan |
Rangali Manta / Panathone |
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26 Jan |
Moofushi / Mayaa Thila |
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27 Jan |
Lankan Manta / Male |
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28 Jan |
Male, Maldives |
AM |
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Day 1 - Male, Maldives
A representative of the Horizon III will meet you at Male International Airport (MLE) and take you to the dhoni that will take you on board this super 36m motor yacht. The boat will leave port, usually by 12 noon, and guests will prepare their scuba gear and do their check dive. Lunch and dinner will be served during the day. You will be able to get to know the crew and the boat better during the introductory briefing that the tour leader will give once all the guests are on board. You are about to have a great week of diving, fun, pampering and relaxation!
Days 2 - 7 Maldives Central Atols
The ‘Classic Atolls’ route includes a beautiful mix of Maldives highlights - sharks, rays, Napoleon wrasse, mantas, corals, whale sharks … you will love it.
South Male features large schools of fish, big pelagics, plenty of soft corals and caves, as well as one very good wreck. Miyaru Faru is aptly named since ‘miyaru’ means shark in Dhivehi and not surprisingly this is where you can encounter the ‘big boys’. An overhang protects you from the current and provides an excellent viewing spot for the impressive parade of pelagics and patrolling grey reef sharks, or even the occasional hammerhead.
The channel at Felidhoo Atoll is also a great place to find reef sharks and has a spectacular wall showcasing caverns, swim-throughs and overhangs festooned with colourful soft corals and bushes of black corals. There is also a spectacular night dive with dozens of huge nurse sharks, sting rays and giant trevallies. Ari Atoll is famous for its mighty whale sharks which can be regularly seen in its marine protected areas. Hammerhead sharks, manta rays and other pelagic fish are also commonly encountered here. Highlights here include tuna, jacks, reef sharks, mantas and eagle rays.
A day on board the yacht runs like this – you start the day with a coffee. Then the first dive is done early in the morning. Then breakfast arrives. After relaxing for a while, the next briefing and dive is done. Lunch is served, followed by afternoon tea and snacks, then the 3rd dive. A refreshing coconut rounds of the diving activities. During the evening, dinner is served.
Meals are taken in the upper deck open air if weather permits, otherwise in the air-con dining room. The cook will surely make your trip a delicious one. Try the Maldivian breakfast of Masooni with Roshi. Lunch and dinner are a mixture of Western and Asian and consist of sausages, pasta, spaghetti, pizza, tuna, fried rice, vegetables, salad, fresh juice. A BBQ on a beach/sand bank will also be held (weather permitting). Tea, coffee, and snacks are available all day. All food is locally sourced. Pork is not allowed in the Maldives.
Day 8 - Male, Maldives
Wake up to the smell of the last cooked breakfast of the cruise in the early morning. Say your farewells and take your last group pictures before heading to Male airport (MLE).
Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events.
Included
• 7 nights / 8 Days accommodation on board
• Airport-boat transfers before and after the trip
• Service Charge
• 7 days of diving (approx. 17 dives)
• Air, 12l tank, weights
• Full board meals, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
• Drinking water, Tea / coffee, milk
• Excursions (island & beach hopping, snorkeling, Male' city & HulhuMale' Visit)
• SUP and Kayak
Not Included
• Crew gratitude $100 to be paid in cash
• Green Tax $6 per person per night
• Airfare
Optional Extras
• Equipment rental
• Nitrox 12L
• Travel and Dive Insurance
• Private transfer
• Alcoholic beverages, soft drinks
• Massage
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