Diving on Scubaspa Yin liveaboard
Scubaspa Yin sails across six distinct routes within three major areas. The Central Atolls (Best of Maldives) itinerary offers year-round exploration, showcasing the Maldives’ diverse marine life, with dive options like channel, drift, wall, wreck, and night dives available for 4 or 7-night trips.
From July to October, the Far North itinerary offers (snorkel only) manta ray encounters at Hanifaru Bay. For experienced divers seeking thrilling channel dives, the Deep South itinerary includes hammerheads, bull sharks, and dedicated weeks for tiger sharks, thresher sharks, and whale sharks. Private charters are available from late January to early May.
Diving from Scubaspa Yin occurs via a dedicated dive dhoni, fully equipped with air compressors, a nitrox filling station, and gear storage. Guests must adhere to depth restrictions, mandatory dive computer use, and certification requirements for night and deep dives.
Multilingual dive instructors offer PADI courses from beginner to advanced levels, with rental equipment available at an extra cost. For non-divers, snorkeling is available, while children as young as 10 can learn scuba diving under expert supervision.
Accommodating both divers and non-divers, Scubaspa Ying provides an array of activities, from yoga sessions against picturesque horizons to snorkeling excursions and rejuvenating spa treatments. Guests choose between three packages: a scuba holiday with up to 17 dives, a spa holiday with 8 treatments, or a combined scuba and spa holiday including 6 dives and 4 treatments.
Highlights:
- Dedicated shark weeks
- Child-friendly
- Up to 17 dives per trip
Onboard Scubaspa Yin
Luxury liveaboard diving yacht Scubaspa Yin has been designed to accommodate up to 40 guests in 19 luxurious cabins and suites. All 10 cabins and nine suites offer a sea view or portholes. Guests can choose from queen, king or twin bed combinations. One suite has been adapted for guests with mobility impairment and one suite plus one cabin sleeps up to three people.
Spanning over 3,000 square feet (300 square meters) the ship offers plenty of space to spread out. The opulent interior features six treatment rooms in the spa, including a double room for couples’ massages.
Aside from the spa, guests can partake in various activities such as fishing, paddleboarding, or kayaking. The vessel includes a bathing platform for easy access to the sea, two large sundecks, and an outdoor spa lounge and jacuzzi. There’s also a small gym and open-air cinema.
The dive facilities aboard Scubaspa Yin are designed for a seamless diving experience.The spacious and fully-equipped 66-foot (20 m) dhoni was purpose-built for comfort and convenience. There you’ll find onboard nitrox facilities, ample seating, multiple entry points, a stern platform, and onboard toilets.
Highlights:
- Secluded deck for Thai massages
- HD cinema
- Dedicated dive dhoni
Dining onboard Scubaspa Ying
Meals onboard Scubaspa Yin certainly live up to the boat’s promised luxury. Internationally trained chefs cater to diverse tastes and dietary requirements. Guests savor three buffet-style meals daily along with an enticing a la carte menu served in the alfresco restaurant. The dining experience, featuring live cooking stations, offers a fusion of local and international cuisines.
Two bars offer a wide range of branded beers, spirits, and liquors, ideally enjoyed at the daily happy hour. Trip highlights include a memorable barbecue experience and, as part of the farewell celebrations, a sunset cocktail party featuring complimentary alcoholic beverages courtesy of Scubaspa Yin.
Highlights:
- Barbecue on a private island
- Sunset cocktail party with complimentary alcoholic drinks
- Live cooking stations
We had our first stay aboard the ScubaSpa Yang in January, 2021. The entire experience was amazing! When you book your trip, you are assigned a customer service agent. Our agent, Iza, was truly a God-send. We booked our trip just before everything closed down due to COVID-19 and traveled as the pandemic continued. Iza answered every question we sent (there were A LOT) and did so inside of 24-hours. Her responses were always informative and reassuring. ScubaSpa even arranged for us to take a PCR test on the boat so that we could transition to a resort after our week on ScubaSpa.
Our transfer from the airport to the ship was easy and smooth. We were picked up early by the ScubaSpa staff member and transported to the ship via the dive boat we would use the rest of the trip. Our bags were delivered to our room while we enjoyed a tasty welcome drink. We were given a tour of the ship and appreciated the cleanliness as well as the number of places where we could relax and catch some sun on the boat. There are several sun decks as well as covered areas so you can get as much or as little sun as wanted between dives (or spa treatments).
The crew were fantastic. All were kind, friendly, and conscientious. Our dive guide, Shappe, was knowledgeable and observant. The food was absolutely delicious. Normally, all meals are served buffet-style, but there were only 5 divers on our boat, so lunch and dinner were 4-course (appetizer, soup, main, dessert) meals. Every plate was outstanding. In fact, after our week on ScubaSpa, we transferred to a 5-star resort, where we were underwhelmed by our meals because the ScubaSpa experience was so outstanding.
The diving was a lot of fun! White tip, Black tip, and Silver tip sharks gallor, turtles, manta rays, stingrays and whale sharks! For those who love finding the itty-bitty creatures, there is plenty for you to discover as well! The dive boat is really well organized with secure bins for your gear, hangers for your accessories, and a warm spray after each dive. Although the culinary team keeps you full, there are snacks and dry towels after each dive. The breeze on the main boat is strong enough that you can hang your swim suit between dives and it is dry before you have to put it on again.
This was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. By day two, we were already plotting how to come back to the Maldives and dive with ScubaSpa. If you’re considering a dive trip with ScubaSpa, do it! There’s a reason that they have such a high rating — they are the best in the business!!