A Week Aboard Emperor Serenity: Diving the Central Atolls of the Maldives

I spent a week in February 2026 aboard Emperor Serenity, diving the Central Atolls of the Maldives. The trip was the classic Best of Maldives itinerary: channels, pinnacles (thilas), house reefs, and a few sites that are famous for a reason.

Emperor Serenity

The boat was replaced in 2024 with an upgraded version of the same boat: 40 metres, 13 ensuite cabins, and a separate dive dhoni, so the main vessel stays spacious between dives. Stepping on board, it really did feel brand new. Comfortable, plenty of room, and a crew that made the week easy. It is the best liveaboard I have stayed on.

I had an under-deck cabin. Lower-deck rooms can make people nervous about fire and getting out. I still felt safe. The layout is straightforward, and I never felt trapped down there.

The climate was close to perfect for diving, with a few properly hot days on deck. If you are looking at Maldives liveaboards, this is the one I would point people toward: Emperor Serenity on LiveAboard.com.

The diving

Maldives diving in the central atolls is built around two kinds of sites. Kandu (channels) bring current, baitfish, and pelagics. Thilas are underwater pinnacles that attract reef fish, sharks, and rays. We had both.

Mantas showed up on most dives. There was a lot of shark action through the week: whitetip, blacktip, grey reef, silvertip, and nurse sharks. One of the best moments was a silvertip hanging in the water while cleaner fish worked over it.

I did not see thirty reef sharks in a single frame. The nurse sharks at Alimatha were there, and they still do not count.

Coral in North Ari was better than I expected. We also spent time searching the South Ari Marine Protected Area for whale sharks. No luck this trip.

Nitrox is free on Emperor Serenity. I used it on every dive, and on a week of channels and current that extra bottom time actually matters.

There was plenty else in the water: stingrays, Napoleon wrasse, moray eels, dolphins, sea turtles, and huge schools of trevally.

Chronological itinerary

Monday: North Malé Atoll

Kurumba House Reef and Bodu Hiti Thila. A gentle start: reefs, thila topography, and a first look at the kind of marine life that would follow us for the rest of the week.

Tuesday: Rasdhoo Atoll

Madi Gaa and Madivaru are the kind of sites people book this route for. Rasdhoo is known for current, sharks, and mantas. This week that reputation held up.

Wednesday: North Ari Atoll

Maavaru Madi Gaa, Maaya Thila, and the Fesdu Wreck & Lagoon. North Ari was a highlight for coral. Maaya Thila is one of the best-known night-dive sites in the Maldives, and Fesdu adds a wreck into a week that is otherwise all reef and channel.

Thursday: South Ari Atoll

Fish Head (Mushimasmingili), Moofushi Kandu, and Radhi Gaa Thila. Fish Head is a classic grey-reef-shark site, and Moofushi Kandu is a proper channel dive. South Ari is also whale shark territory, so this is where the searching started.

Friday: South Ari Atoll and Alimatha

Rangali Madivaru, Kuda Rah Thila, and Alimatha Jetty. Alimatha is famous for nurse sharks around the jetty.

Saturday: Vaavu Atoll to South Malé Atoll

We finished with Miyaru Kandu in Vaavu Atoll, then Kandooma Thila in South Malé on the way back toward Malé. Miyaru Kandu means "shark channel." A high-action way to close the week.

A complicated moment for sharks

It is a complicated time to be diving with sharks in the Maldives. The government recently lifted a 15-year ban on shark fishing, reopening a gulper shark fishery after decades of protection. I saw plenty of sharks on this trip. That does not make the policy shift any less worrying.

If you want the background, Le Monde covered the decision here. Places like this only stay special if the animals are still there.

Final thoughts

I would book Emperor Serenity again. The Central Atolls did what they are supposed to do. No whale shark this time, and no mythical wall of reef sharks in one shot. I still came home thinking this is one of the best liveaboard trips I have done.

Watch the full video above for the dives, the boat, and the animals as they actually looked in February 2026.

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Summary:
The week ran from North Malé through Rasdhoo, North Ari, South Ari, Alimatha, and Vaavu, then back via South Malé. Emperor Serenity, renovated in 2024, is the most comfortable liveaboard I have been on. Diving-wise it was a shark and manta week, with a silvertip on a cleaning station and better coral in North Ari than I expected.