Dream Vacations: A Luxury Scuba Diving Yacht in the Maldives

Throw in the fact that moving underwater feels like being able to fly in any direction, and I feel like it actually makes sense why divers get so annoyingly obsessed with the hobby. On a deeper note, the hour or so I spent underwater each time is one of the few times in my life when I’m able to stay in the present, making scuba diving trips feel like meditation retreats in some ways.

Traveling based on diving is one of the best ways to structure a trip, in my opinion. It forces you not just to be present, but includes plenty of activity, and forces you to minimize screen time while learning about the creatures around you. And, of course, most scuba diving trips happen to be in fabulous coastal locations.

Photo: Suzie Dundas

That’s part of why the Maldives sits near the top of my diving bucket list. The reefs are legendary, the water is warm and clear, and the marine biodiversity, from manta rays to whale sharks, is about as good as it gets. But I’m also acutely aware that the Maldives has become shorthand for excess, with $5,000-a-night overwater (or underwater) bungalows, fly-in-fly-out luxury, and resorts that feel more like isolated bubbles than places with much of a connection to the environment. For someone who likes to be active on vacation, sitting on a flat, open beach day after day is kind of….boring. So if I’m going to spend serious money to go to the Madives, I want the experience to be centered on the ocean itself, rather than just a view of it.

That’s where ScubaSpa Maldives comes in, and why it’s such a compelling dream vacation. It combines two things I almost never see done well together: a serious, dive-focused liveaboard schedule and a full-scale wellness experience that doesn’t feel like an afterthought. Instead of splitting time between diving and sitting around waiting for your next dive (or eating, as liveaboard divers know), the entire trip is designed around the balance of diving and physical rejuvenation — and let’s be honest: maintaining ideal trim and hauling tanks around can be tough on your body. As a ScubaSpa guest, you’ll spend your days doing three or four dives on remote Maldivian reefs (places that day boats and most resorts never reach) then come back on board for proper meals, guided yoga sessions, and spa treatments that actually make sense after long hours in the water.

ScubaSpa runs a few different itineraries, but I’d probably do the once-a-year “Love Whale Sharks Week”, focusing on the South Ari Atoll, or one of the few “Love Mantas Week” sails that happen a few times a year. Or heck, as it’s a dream vacation, maybe I’d do two back to back. Thanks to the Maldives’ various weather patterns and seasons, ScubaSpa can operate year-round in different parts of the country. ScubaSpa also operates an equally appealing ship, ScubaSpa Zen, around Indonesia.

Photo: ScubaSpa Maldives

If time and money were no object, this is exactly how I’d want to do the Maldives: unhurried, focused on the ocean, and designed around the reality that diving is both physically demanding and mentally restorative. At $4,550 per person for the Manta Suite — of course, I’d want the Manta Suite — it’s not the priciest trip on this list. But with flights to the Maldives adding at least another $1,500 per person, I’d easily be looking at $6,000 per person for a one-week trip. And if I do two trips, that’s $12,000 per person. For now, it’s out of my price range, but one day, it’s something I’d love to make happen.

• Day 1: Arrive in Malé, Maldives
• Day 2: Luxury resort TBD (to try to get past jet lag)
• Day 3: Luxury resort TBD (to try to get past jet lag)
• Day 4: Embark ScubaSpa, welcome dinner on board
• Day 5: 3x dives, afternoon massage, sunset drinks on an island
• Day 6: Morning yoga, 3x dives, island visit
• Day 7: 3x dives, afternoon facial, moonlight dinner on an island
• Day 8: Morning dive, spend rest of day looking for whale sharks (dive or snorkel)
• Day 9: 2x daytime dives, afternoon at the beach, night dive
• Day 10: 2x dives, beach lunch, island visit
• Day 11: Check out and disembarkation
• Day 12: Reboard for second week on ScubaSpa (or transfer to a luxe resort)