If you think you might not be the right person to take a liveaboard holiday – think again.
Liveaboards are amazing. They offer the ultimate dive trip experience where you can quite literally ‘Eat – Sleep – Dive – Repeat’.
However, the concept can be a little daunting to the less-experienced guest who might question their ability to keep up. There’s no reason to doubt, though.
Yes, we do have some trips for which we recommend a certain level of experience and skill to cope with, for example, challenging currents or slightly deeper dives.
But that is no reason to rule out the concept entirely. In fact, quite the opposite.
Take, for example, Emperor guest Prince Nepal.
He joined us on our Best of Maldives trip with, as he admits, a little trepidation only to find out it was completely misplaced as he went on to have the most incredible time on board.
He said: “At first I was a bit worried thinking, you know, am I good enough to do a liveaboard? Will it be too much for me? Will it be too strong currents or something like that? And I was a bit unfamiliar because I’d never done a liveaboard before.
“At the start of the trip I wasn’t feeling confident at all.
“What they did in our first day dive was they went through quite a lot of the basics, you know, how to equalize, how to control your buoyancy and everything like that. They taught us how to use the reef hooks.
“We practiced how to use the DSMB which is important when you’re diving in the Maldives to make sure you’re a safe diver – which they always prioritise on top of everything else.
“There are a lot of new things that happened to me in this trip. These were all things that my amazing instructors, Nareo and Catalina, taught me. They gave me one-on-one time. Even after the dive, they sat down with me giving me feedback.
“Compare my first dive to now, I feel a lot more confident. I feel that I’m a much safer diver. I’m much more stable, and what I’ve learned here is don’t just rush everywhere. Take a breather, look around, enjoy it, connect to the nature.
“We were very lucky to see dolphins, sharks, manta rays, turtles, eels all come up.
“One of the dives was a night dive with manta rays where they put on the lights to attract the krill which attracts the manta rays. They just come glide really close to your face. It was absolutely phenomenal!”
For those who are less experienced, and maybe a little nervous, we also offer our Discover Best of Maldives trip in which the itinerary is adjusted to the level of those divers on board. It means everyone gets the fantastic liveaboard experience.
And if you don’t even want to dive – well, there is still plenty to enjoy on your week on board. You can find out how Emperor guest Ginnie loved her time with us by enjoying the amazing views, a few good books, excellent food and a fair bit of snorkelling.
No matter what your preconceptions, liveaboard holidays really can be for everyone – especially in the safe hands of Emperor!
To find out more, or ask any questions, please email our reservations team on [email protected] and they will be happy to give you any advice or guide you to the most suitable trips.