Duke of York

Duke of York is a 36-metre wooden liveaboard, built in 2010, that runs Luxury Yacht Maldives' full atoll catalogue out of Male. Its calling card is reach. The same four-deck hull, with eleven cabins for up to 22 guests, is booked for a Lhaviyani-and-North week taking in Kuredu Express, the Felivaru Shipyard wrecks and the Fushifaru mantas; a Baa-and-Hanifaru manta season from July to November; a central Best-of catalogue through Rasdhoo, Ari and Vaavu; and a northeast-monsoon Extreme South run down to Laamu, Huvadhoo, Fuvahmulah and Addu, roughly January to April. An extended Best 11 links the central and far-south catalogues in a single eleven-night crossing. Two features stand out for a Maldives cruiser: onboard nitrox is free, and rebreather cruises are genuinely supported with assistance and material, with underwater scooters available to rent. Diving runs from a dedicated dhoni. Hanifaru Bay appears on the Baa week as a snorkel excursion only, since scuba is prohibited in the core zone. Who does it suit? The atoll range rewards divers who want to see more than one region in a season, while the far-south weeks are current-exposed and assume drift experience; those trips end with a domestic flight back to Male. Maldives green-tax and marine-park charges are government fees collected by the operator.

Duke of York's calling card is reach: the same 36-metre hull is booked for a Lhaviyani-and-North week with Kuredu Express, the Felivaru Shipyard wrecks and the Fushifaru mantas, a Baa-and-Hanifaru manta season, a central Best-of catalogue, and a northeast-monsoon Extreme South run down to Laamu, Huvadhoo, Fuvahmulah and Addu. Divers are likely to single out the free nitrox and genuine rebreather support, which are unusual on a Maldives cruiser, plus a low guide-to-guest ratio and an Italian-and-international hospitality style. Expect a comfortable wooden liveaboard rather than a five-star megayacht; the far-south weeks are seasonal and current-exposed, and pricing is charter or on-request.