The Scubaspa ships are as much a floating resort as they are dedicated scuba diving liveaboard ships. The unique concept combines exceptional spa experiences with unforgettable scuba diving. The Scubaspa has been designed for divers who travel with non-diving partners, and guests with a desire for an exceptional spa experience. Scubaspa’s purpose-built yachts explore the picture-perfect islands and divers explore the reefs in the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean.
The liveaboard diving yachts Scubaspa Ying and Scubaspa Yang have been designed to accommodate up to 40 guests. The ships feature 10 cabins and nine suites on each yacht, and are tastefully decorated, all with panoramic sea view or port lights. The cabins are configured with queen, king or twin bed combinations. One suite and one cabin sleep up to three people. All cabins have air conditioning, en suite bathrooms with shower, personal safe, and mini-fridge.
The ships are designed with four decks that offer a gym, Jacuzzi, and deck hosting sunset cocktails, star gazing outdoor dinners and an open-air cinema for evening entertainment. With a crew of 30 on each yacht, guests enjoy luxury service including four spa therapists, a yoga master, four highly skilled chefs and a guest services manager.
Scuba Dive and Spa Packages:
Scuba holiday - 15-17 dives
Spa holiday - 8 spa treatments
Scuba & Spa holiday - 6 dives and 4 spa treatments
Please note the exchanging of dives to spa treatments within a package is not available.
Diving takes place from a tender. Approximately 20 meters in length, the dive boat carries all the equipment, including air compressors and state-of-the-art nitrox; purpose built for comfort, each has adequate seating, multiple entry points, stern platform and on-board toilet facilities. Both yachts are the only vessels in the Maldives awarded PADI 5 Star Dive Resort status. Nitrox is available but Scubaspa does not support technical diving or rebreathers.
Maldivian dive regulations are followed, which limit dives to a maximum of 30 meters without exception. This limit applies to all divers even with advanced level certifications and training in deep diving. Open water diver is certified to dive down to only 18 meters. Night and deep dives are available only to divers with advanced diver certification. If guests wish to upgrade their level, advanced diver course is available onboard.
North and South Ari Atoll: There are many atolls where pelagics and big schools of fish can be seen, but Ari Atoll may be the place with the greatest reliability. Whale sharks, mantas, hammerheads and eagle rays are frequent visitors, as well as large residents like the Napoleon wrasse, grey reef and white tip sharks, plus large schools of blacktail barracuda and batfish. Broken Rock in North Ari Atoll is a unique formation with a canyon that breaks the reef in two. Divers explore large fan corals in the canyon and turtles, scorpionfish, moray eels and good coral growth on the reef.
In the South Ari Atoll lies the Kudhimaa Wreck, a medium sized steel wreck lying very close to the Machchafushi house reef. Purposely sunk in 1998 the wreck has easy access to the cargo holds on both sides. On and around the shipwreck live schools of batfish, puffer fish, box fish and the customary large lion fish. The wreck is bursting with macro subjects for photographers.
Vaavu Atoll in the South, features deep channels with nutrient-rich, fast-flowing currents. At any time of year encounters with schooling reef sharks as well as several different shark species including the occasional hammerhead can be expected. The area boasts Fotteyo Kandu - considered by many to be the best dive site in the Maldives with its swim-throughs, caves and overhangs. Expect to see tuna, trevallies, unicorn fish, snappers, triggerfish, eagle rays, mantas and groupers.
North Male Atoll was one of the first to be discovered for its excellent diving and includes some of the oldest and most popular sites including Gaathugiri, also known as Banana Reef. Breath-taking topography with magnificent rock faces, numerous caves, steep drop offs and precipitous overhangs await exploration. The marine life is just as awesome with sharks, manta rays, trevally, black snappers, grouper, schooling bannerfish, large morays, squirrelfish, soldierfish and Maldivian grubfish. South Male Atoll includes Kandooma Thila, a large teardrop-shaped pinnacle with dramatic scenery and prolific fish life. The walls are covered with soft corals and patrolled by schools of red bass and big-eye trevally. Grey sharks, white-tip sharks and eagle rays frequent the area, whilst on top of the reef green turtles and batfish swim around undisturbed
Text and photographs courtesy of Scubaspa.