EcoPro Seascape — a modern Maldives liveaboard built around big marine life

The EcoPro Seascape suits divers who want the Maldives at its broadest without giving up space between dives. Its routes can lead to manta cleaning stations, whale-shark water, shark channels and northern reefs around Hanifaru Bay, while the boat gives mixed groups somewhere comfortable to live between entries. The dedicated dhoni keeps the main vessel clear of wet gear and dive traffic. That matters over a week. There is room for a camera setup, a shaded place to sit, and a jacuzzi waiting above the water after a current-heavy dive. The Seascape is the choice for a diver who wants serious access to the atolls but prefers a large, modern boat over a small, intimate safari boat.

From the dock, the Seascape makes a clean, recent impression rather than resembling a converted old coaster. Built in 2023, it has the polished feel of a vessel designed from the beginning for liveaboard diving: a dedicated dhoni takes the working end of the operation, while the main boat keeps its saloon, dining areas and outdoor decks free for passengers. Moving around is straightforward, with indoor and outdoor spaces spread across the boat rather than one crowded communal room. The upper areas open onto views while the lower deck keeps cabins closer to the water and away from some of the movement. It feels like a modern base for a route that spends more time at sea than in port.

The Seascape is large enough to carry a proper social life without forcing everyone into it. Divers meet again in the saloon, around the bar or outside after the dhoni returns, while snorkelers and non-divers have enough deck space to follow their own day. The crew's role is most visible in the small transitions: getting people back aboard after a current dive, helping when mantas appear at the surface, keeping meals and drinks moving, and making the next briefing clear. English, Dutch and German are spoken on board. The people appear to be the stronger part of the experience than the vessel itself; that is useful here, because a well-run dive operation matters more than a perfect finish after several days at sea.

The recorded cruises include 8-day/7-night Central Atolls and North Including Hanifaru Bay trips, an 11-day/10-night Hanifaru Bay with Manta Trust route, and longer 12-day/11-night northern safaris. Hanifaru Bay is the surface highlight: hundreds of reef manta rays can feed there in cyclone formation, and whale sharks may join them; the protected bay is visited by snorkelers rather than divers. Around Malé, Barracuda Giri drops onto three submerged pinnacles to -30 m, where current brings barracudas and pelagic fish. Mushimasmigili Thila reaches -30 m and places grey reef sharks at its up-current pinnacle. Dhonkalo is a manta cleaning station in a sandy channel, to -25 m. South Ari brings whale sharks and mantas at Maamigili, -30 m, and Maamigili Beiyru, also -30 m. Kudarah Thila's clefts, overhangs and caves shelter batfish at -30 m. Myaru Kandu is the Shark Channel, to -30 m; Foththeyo Kandu cuts through caves covered in yellow soft coral to -40 m. Banana Reef, Guraidhoo, Dhigalhi Haa, Dhonfanu and Dhigu Thila add reefs, channels, swim-throughs and cleaning stations, with depths varying by site.

Hanifaru Bay →

Barracuda Giri →

Max. depth · 30 m

Dhonkalo →

Max. depth · 25 m

Maamigili →

Max. depth · 30 m

Maamigili Beiyru →

Max. depth · 30 m

Kudarah Thila →

Max. depth · 25 m

Foththeyo Kandu →

Max. depth · 40 m

Banana Reef →

Dhonfanu →

Max. depth · 30 m

Dhigu Thila →

Max. depth · 30 m

The recurring cast is large and unmistakably Maldivian: Napoleon wrasse, grey reef sharks, fusiliers, manta rays, tuna, turtles, eagle rays, barracudas, white-tip reef sharks, trevallies, jacks, morays and batfish. Currents explain much of the spectacle. Sharks gather around channel entrances and up-current pinnacles, while mantas use cleaning stations at Dhonkalo and other reefs; Hanifaru Bay concentrates feeding mantas in shallow protected water when conditions bring the plankton. Whale sharks are recorded at four sites, including Maamigili and Maamigili Beiyru in the South Ari Marine Protected Area. The rarer details give certain sites their own reason to exist: groupers and anthias at Barracuda Giri, anemones at Banana Reef, soft coral and gorgonians at Dhigalhi Haa Marine Reserve, porcupinefish and sweetlips at Maamigili, and hawksbill turtles at Dhigu Thila. None of these animals is promised, but the route keeps putting divers in the places where encounters can happen.

Manta Ray →

Mobula birostris

Whale Shark →

Rhincodon typus

Napoleon Wrasse →

Cheilinus undulatus

Hawksbill Turtle →

Eretmochelys imbricata

Dive guides brief every site before entry and organise divers in buddy teams; a solo traveller is assigned a buddy on board. The crew speaks English, Dutch and German, but the available information does not give a fixed guide-to-diver ratio or individual instructor qualifications. Courses from beginner level through specialties can run on board when availability and itinerary allow, and they must be arranged before departure. The easier Central Atolls routes suit divers of all levels, while the Deep South is aimed at Advanced Open Water divers with more than 50 logged dives. Decompression, solo and technical diving are not permitted. Oxygen, first-aid kits, fire equipment, life rafts, GPS, radio and satellite communication are carried for the operation's safety needs.

Diving runs from one dedicated dhoni, while the Seascape keeps a shaded dive area, tanks and weights ready for the next entry. Standard tanks are 12-litre DIN tanks, with INT adapters available; 15-litre tanks can be requested as a rental option. Nitrox is produced through a membrane system and is available subject to demand and technical availability, as an extra rather than a default inclusion. Rental equipment is available on a limited basis and should be arranged before the trip. The setup includes separate rinse facilities for cameras, charging space for equipment, general rinse tanks, a dive platform and outdoor showers. Sidemount divers are catered for. Divers carry their own computer, SMB and reef hook, and a torch is required for night dives.

Between dives, the Seascape gives passengers several different ways to disappear for an hour. The shaded dive area is useful for the practical part—rinsing, drying and checking cameras—while the upper decks are for sun, wind and a wider view of the atoll. The jacuzzi and sunbeds make the obvious post-dive stop, but the indoor saloon, library and bar offer better shelter when the light is harsh. Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are available when the boat lies in a calm anchorage. Land excursions, local island visits and beach barbecues break up the hours underway without turning the trip into a shore holiday.

A dive day begins with the first briefing, followed by the first entry from the dhoni and breakfast or a meal around the morning diving. Three dives per day are included on the standard programme, with lunch and snacks filling the spaces between them. The boat moves between reefs and anchorages while divers eat, rest, check cameras or sleep in the shade. A later dive completes the daytime sequence, and a night dive may follow when the site and conditions suit it. After dark, the pace changes: torches pick out hunting trevallies, sleeping reef fish and whatever moves across the sand. Dinner closes the working part of the day, though the upper deck and jacuzzi remain open for anyone not ready for bed.

Full-board meals cover breakfast, lunch and dinner, with snacks available throughout the day. The kitchen combines local and Western cooking with vegetarian and vegan options, while the dining areas work both indoors and outside. A barbecue on a beach is included when the itinerary and conditions allow it. That arrangement fits the diving better than a formal restaurant rhythm: food appears when the group comes back hungry, and the gap between dives is long enough for a proper meal rather than a rushed plate. Beer and wine are available, while alcoholic and soft drinks are separate from the included water, tea, coffee and snacks.

The cabins are divided between the lower, main and upper decks, with double, twin and single options. Every cabin has air conditioning, a private bathroom and a porthole, so even the lower deck has a direct connection with the sea rather than a sealed interior box. The lower deck is generally the calmest part of the boat and makes the practical choice for light sleepers or anyone who notices every roll at anchor. Main and upper deck cabins trade some of that stability for a higher position and easier access to the social spaces. After the last dive, the cabin gives a quiet, cooled place to dry off, charge a computer and let the boat's movement become background noise.

The recorded routes depart from and return to Malé. An EcoPro Divers representative meets arriving guests at Velana International Airport after baggage claim, and the included airport transfer takes the group to the boat. The earliest boat transfer is around noon, with later group transfers arranged around arriving flights. Arriving in Malé the night before is the sensible way to protect the safari from a delayed international connection.