Cruising
Carpe Diem Maldives introduces week-long surf, paddleboard safaris for 2019
Carpe Diem Maldives has announced plans to host four surf safari weeks in 2019 aboard its award-winning liveaboard Carpe Vita.
The new (Kite) Surf and SUP Safaris in 2019 are allocated to four weeks in May and July on the award-winning Carpe Vita vessel. Voted in 2017 as one of the top 10 Liveaboards in the world, the Carpe Diem Cruises surf safari weeks will cater to 12 surfers, with 10 en suite cabins. The boat also has a fully licensed bar, communal lounge area with a TV, and a Jacuzzi on the top deck.
During the new surf weeks on Carpe Vita, itineraries will include morning and afternoon surfing, travelling to different surf breaks where the action is each day with an onboard Maldivian surf guide, and exploring the central atolls around North and South Male. Starting and ending from the capital’s international airport island, access to the breaks will be via a separate dhoni that accompanies the main yacht throughout the trip.
Priced at USD 2,555 per person, departure dates for 2019 are currently set at May 5, July 7, July 14, July 28 and each week includes:
- Seven nights on board Carpe Vita
- Roundtrip airport to yacht transfers
- meet and Greet at the airport
- Welcome drinks
- Captain, crew and support surf dhoni
- Three meals daily, plus between-surf snacks
- Two-three surfs daily
- Reusable water bottle (also to take home)
- Drinking water, tea and coffee
- Unlimited use of the Jacuzzi
- Snorkelling equipment
- Sandbank BBQ (weather permitting)
- Anniversary and birthday cakes and amenities
- DVD and book library
Travellers looking to extend their stay in the Maldives can do so at the Carpe Diem Beach Resort and Spa in Raa atoll with a combined cruise and stay package.
For the past decade, Carpe Diem has been offering week-long and 10-day dive safaris across the Maldives on three luxury liveaboard yachts. In recent years, an increased number of private charters from Australian tour operators have brought a kite surfing and Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) community into the mix, and the experience has begun to catch on.
“Previously we have received individual enquiries and occasional requests from kite surfers and surfers for a safari across the atolls, which are difficult to accommodate on an isolated case-by-case scenario when the specific cruise focus is diving and snorkelling. In the last year, we’ve seen a sharp rise in requests for specific kite surfing and paddleboard safaris, showing a clear rising demand and new niche market that we are ideally positioned to cater to, with three dedicated cruise yachts designed for that specific leisure market,” explains Agnes van Linden, Assistant Managing Director of Carpe Diem Maldives.
Renowned for its marine life and private island resorts with white sand beaches, the Maldives has slowly been raising its profile as a surfers’ paradise and a new destination for a growing SUP community travelling to the Maldives from around the world. Due to the nature of the surf breaks visited on Carpe Diem Cruises over a week, these are suitable for intermediate and advanced surfers, whereas it’s possible for complete novice paddle-boarders and kite-surfers to develop their skills on the surf safari trips.
“Based on the success of the private charters with our Australian tour operators, which we will continue to work with, The Maldives is definitely on the global surfers travel radar,” says Agnes.
The annual Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy each August has most definitely helped raise that profile, with world-class surfers and big names visiting and participating. For now, the Maldives is still a relatively new destination for the independent surfing and paddleboard traveller who have covered all the typical destinations and seeks something new.”
Established in 2008, Carpe Diem showcases a collection of three luxury liveaboard cruises, each accommodating 20 guests at a time. Carpe Diem is renowned for delivering a sense of discovery and adventure while enriching guests’ knowledge. The Carpe Diem name has built significant brand recognition within the top echelons of the travel industry for diving and leisure, and is gearing up for the opening of its first resort in the Maldives.
Cruising
Last call to cruise Maldives aboard Four Seasons Explorer
Last call! The stunning Four Seasons Explorer will be cruising through the sun-drenched turquoise atolls until May 1, 2023 – leaving intrepid explorers just a few months to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime Maldivian odyssey between the two Four Seasons resorts of Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru before the boat relocates to thrilling new waters.
This is an incredible final opportunity to escape on an all-inclusive 3-, 4-, or 7-night Winter of Wonders cruise on board the luxurious three-deck, 11-cabin catamaran, experiencing multiple bucket-list encounters each day.
Guests can dive and snorkel isolated reefs, encounter rare marine animals up close, dine under the stars in the middle of nowhere and indulge in spa treatments on remote, uninhabited islands. Retiring to 10 spacious cabins or the unrivalled Explorer Suite to reenergise and rejuvenate, each cruise fluidly adapts to the needs of onboard guests and the best of the surrounding waters on any given day.
Secure one of the last remaining places on Four Seasons Explorer – Four Seasons only “floating resort” – before she bids farewell to the Maldives for the last time.
To be one of the last guests to experience a Maldivian atoll cruise aboard Four Seasons Explorer, contact the Central Reservations Department team at tel: (960) 66 00 888 or email reservations.mal@fourseasons.com.
Action
Dive into luxury at sea with Four Seasons Explorer seasonal cruise routes
After many months cooped up at home, and many missed travel experiences, Four Seasons Explorer – the brand’s only floating resort – offers marine adventurers a ticket to fresh sea air, blissful seclusion, bucket-list experiences, and a different view every morning with two extraordinary seasonal cruise itineraries: Winter of Wonders, and Summer of Mantas.
Available to a maximum of 22 guests at a time, the gleaming 39-metre (128 foot), three-deck vessel takes divers, snorkellers and avid adventurers on all-inclusive three-, four- or seven-night odysseys into some of the Indian Ocean’s most abundant waters, complete with gourmet dining, spa therapies, water sports, island visits and Four Seasons inimitable service standards.
From now until May 29, 2022 (and again from October 31 to December 18, 2022), experience a different extraordinary every day with Winter of Wonders cruises: endless bucket-list encounters across five atolls, from coral-ceilinged caves to camera-happy sharks, swim-through tunnels to a fish-filled wreck. Winter of Wonders cruises sail between Four Seasons two sister Maldivian Resorts on a 3-, 4- and 7-night itinerary, departing from Kuda Huraa on Mondays and Landaa Giraavaru on Thursdays.
From June 27 to October 31, 2022, itineraries change to Summer of Mantas, in line with the huge seasonal aggregations of manta rays and whale sharks that come to the region to feed. Get up close and personal with the world’s largest known population of manta rays alongside The Manta Trust team dedicated to studying them during an epic gentle giants odyssey through the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and into Rasdhoo, North and South Ari Atolls. Summer of Mantas cruises depart from and arrive back to Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru on a 3-,4- and 7-night itinerary.
Each of the 10 air-conditioned staterooms offer blue-hued views through large windows, along with spacious ensuite bathrooms, refrigerated private bars, and flat-screen LCD TVs. For the ultimate luxury, the expansive Explorer Suite boasts an abundance of interior space, a wall of windows, and its own sunbathing deck.
A floating 5-Star PADI Dive Centre, Four Seasons Explorer features the latest Scubapro dive gear, Cressi snorkelling gear and Olympus cameras, while a team of multi-lingual instructors share the full spectrum of PADI courses at a bespoke pace with highly individualised attention.
Sandbank spa treatments, gourmet dining, and water sports take the Four Seasons experience to sea within sleek, chic interiors that include a new sun deck, a lounge, a library, a restaurant and two bars.
The boat is also available for private dive, surf or leisure charters for groups of up to 22.
With the health and safety of its guests and staff a top priority, Four Seasons Explorer provides the ultimate care, confidence, trust and comfort through its Lead With Care programme – heightened health and safety protocols led by global experts that include enhanced cleanliness, physical distancing measures in shared spaces, and empowering staff training grounded in emotional intelligence. In addition, Four Seasons App and Chat provide the reassurance of contactless real-time interactions in 100+ different languages.
For the oceanic adventure of a lifetime, contact Central Reservations at tel: (960) 66 00 888, email: reservations.mal@fourseasons.com or book online.
Cruising
Superyacht Nord in Maldives
Currently exploring the countless islands of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean is the 142-metre superyacht Nord, owned by Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov.
Since late December, Nord has been spotted in Baa Atoll, home to several world-leading luxury resorts, as well as the southern island-atoll of Fuvahmulah, which is world-renowned for diving with tiger sharks.
Delivered in 2021 as one of the largest superyachts in the fleet at 10,154 GT, she was built at the German shipyard Lürssen in Bremen with Moran Yacht & Ship overseeing her build. Formerly known as Project Opus, she was designed inside and out by the Italian studio Nuvolari Lenard.
Made from steel and aluminium to PYC standards, the warship style vessel encompasses six decks and can accommodate up-to 36 guests across 20 cabins.
On bridge deck level, a large helicopter landing deck aft with fold-down side platforms provide shelter for Nord’s helicopter that can be stowed away in a retractable hangar that slides neatly into the superstructure when not in use.
A large sports and diving centre on the lower deck, oversized swimming pool on the main deck and a fleet of custom tenders are just some of the other features on board this impressive vessel.
Photos: Ammadu/Ajaaibu
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