MV STING RAY

(12 customer reviews)

31m / 102ft MAX 18 PADI WIFI

PRICE PER DAY FROM USD 0

LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEE

At a glance:

Cruises Maldives central atolls: North Male, South Male, Ari
All cabins have private en-suite bathrooms
Affordable option popular with budget-minded divers
Includes Male sightseeing and island visit

The M/V Sting Ray is one of the longest-established and most well known of the less expensive Maldives liveaboards. With a length of 31m and a beam of 9m this is quite a spacious liveaboard boat and can accommodate up to 18 guests on diving cruises around the best that the Maldives has to offer, particularly around North Male, South Male and Ari Atoll.

You can chill out in the saloon that comes complete with entertainment facilities and bar, as well as books, games and magazines. Sunbathers and shade-seekers will both enjoy the partially covered sundeck. And with 10 staff on board each cruise you can expect plenty of personal attention.

Cabins are all double or twin share and enjoy air conditioning and private en-suite bathrooms with hot water showers. All of the cabins are on the lower deck. All liveaboard diving is done from the dhoni where your dive equipment remains so the compressors can fill your tanks from a distance leaving the MV Sting Ray a spacious and noise-free zone.

MV Sting Ray has 9 cabins with private en-suite bathrooms, 4 double bed and 5 twin bed (1 lower double bed and 1 upper single bed); all on the lower deck.

All the cabins have:

Air-conditioning
Private bathrooms with hot water showers and hand basins
Portholes
Bedding & towels provided
Cabinet, shelves & mirror

Reading lights

Space for luggage

24-hour, 220v electricity supply

3-pin & 2-pin plug types - adaptors are available

Life jackets

No. of bathrooms / showers - 9 / 9 - hot water

[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].

The crew comprises:

Cruise Leader
Divemaster
Instructor
Captain

2 Cooks

Engineer

3 Deck Hands

Motorised dhoni dive tender - 50m² Diving deck with fresh water shower - Camera table & rinse tanks - 35m² saloon with well-stocked bar, TV, DVD and music centre - Dedicated air-conditioned dining area - Internet - Library with diving magazines, novels and fish ID books - Chess, games and cards - 20m² open-air shaded area - 15m² sundeck with sun mattresses & chairs

You can enjoy 3 meals a day on the MV Sting Ray dive cruises, consisting of a balance of international and local cusine with influences from the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India. After each dive you can expect tasty snacks such as fresh coconuts and biscuits.

The cook caters for international and local cuisine.
Main meals include breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in between.
Snacks are available all day and consist of biscuits, toast and fruit.
Tea, coffee and drinking water are complimentary.
Beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks and juice are available for purchase onboard.
Menus are not fixed and meals are served buffet style in the dining area.
Special diets, including Halaal diets, are catered for with prior notice.
Catering begins at guest check-in.

Built in year 2001
Size - 31m x 9m
Weight - 72 tonnes
Top speed - 12 knots
Cruising speed - 10 knots
278 HP Yanmar engine
2 x 30 KW Onan soundproof generators

2 x L&W dive tank compressors
12 litre aluminium scuba tanks with Int and DIN fittings
Electricity 220V - 24 hours per day
Water capacity - 4,000 litres
Fresh water maker - 9,000 litres/day
Fuel capacity - 5,000 litres

12 person capacity dinghy
1 x 115 HP Yanmar Dhoni dive tender
VHF radio
Navman GPS
No radar
No depth sounder
Bilge pump alarm

Searchlight & horn
Mobile telephone, fax & e-mail
MFA box and trained staff
Fire extinguishers & life jackets throughout
23,000 litres oxygen available

"Staff were very friendly, helpful and at our disposal should we need anything. The boat facilities were great as well - clean cabins, amazingly delicious food etc. " - Angelique Mostert, South Africa, 13 February 2018 ...

"Everything was amazing, the boat, the crew, our new friends aboard, and all the dives. I just carry my own equip because it was very expensive onboard." - Eliso Claudio, Brazil, 31 March 2016 ...

"The boat was well maintained and kitted out, air-conditioning was not great but I believe this was fixed at the end of the week. Staff and guides were very attentive and created a relaxed yet professional dive environment." - Derek Nicholls, UK, 15 November 2015 ...

"I had all my dive gears rented, my instructor Deko helped me with the right gears that fit me and also helped me in my Advanced Open Water Dives. All the staffs were kind and friendly." - Rachel Heng, Malaysia, 29 August 2015 ...

"Great value for money. Staff is awesome, do everything to serve and please you apart from having fun with us. I went alone and I made a lot of new friends and felt really good." - Andressa Loss, Brazil, 15 May 2015 ...

"All staff was friendly, helpful and always there if someone had any questions. They knew their reefs in and out. Always felt safe." - Tine Arentz Floysvik, Norway, 8 April 2014 ...

"The equipment was up to date, the boat was clean although it could use a little bit of revamping, particularly in the rooms. The staff was amazing and pleasant. The guides were very reliable, even when Corine had a little panic they were ready to act quickly and efficently! Amazing!!" - Carl Cloutier, Canada, 27 January 2013 ...

"I have had a good experience on my onboard liveaboard safari in the Maldives with MV Sting Ray. All the crew have been friendly and helpful on dives and during the day on board. The facilities and the boat in general are good and the same with the rental equipment." - Miguel Alberto Elorza Pardo, Spain, 30 November 2012 ...

"The staff on Sting Ray is absolutely fantastic, very helpful and responsible. The whole crew worked so well the trip is beyond my expectations. The cook is absolutely amazing - food served is of restaurant quality." - Bonnie Yiu, Australia, 10 August 2012 ...

"The entire crew/ staff was very professional, friendly, helpful, and accomodating from beginning to the end of the trip, the boat and accommodations were very nice, clean, and well kept." - Lawrence Davis, USA, 13 May 2011 ...

"The staff of the boat was very friendly and helpful. The boat had all the usual amenities. However, the boat is starting to show some wear-and-tear and the cabins are a bit small. The food was good but tended to focus on carbohydrates too much with rice, pasta and potatoes dominating. The dive sites were good although some damage to the corals was clearly visible. We were fortunate to see all the large fish including whale shark, manta and grey reef sharks. However, the sites were sometimes a bit crowded." - Mathias Eick, Germany, 6 May 2011 ...

"It was not the most luxurious boat, I'm sure, in the Maldives but the crew was good, food was decent and of course diving was very good which made for a good trip ... and they saved me from a night spent at the airport (did an early pick up) which was truly great. Had a great time in Maldives - diving was unbeatable - so good that it made the Red Sea (Dahab) last week seem boring in comparison!" - Jules Hsin-I Lin, USA, 3 November 2010 ...

DEPARTURE SCHEDULE & PRICES

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Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, hot drinks, Male sightseeing tour and island visit, return transfers to the boat from Male Airport, dives (as detailed in the trips above), experienced English-speaking divemaster(s) (6 divers per guide), tanks, weights and weight belts.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment (approx. USD 290 per week, includes regulator, BCD, fins, mask, wetsuit and dive computer), dive insurance, all items and services purchased on board are subjected to a service charge of 10% and GST, fuel surcharge (in case the crude oil price reaches USD 105 per barrel, USD 6 per person per night), Green Tax (USD 6 per person per night) to be paid in advance, Down South Cruise fuel surcharge (USD 8 per person per night) to be paid in advance. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash or credit card).

Optional extras: Soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, torches, additional 2nd night dive, all items purchased on board are subjected to a service charge of 10%. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival.

How to get there: The Sting Ray liveaboard departs from Male. The first and last nights of the cruise are spent in the harbour. Guests coming from local hotels must be at Male airport by 10 am on trip departure day. For more information see our How to Get to the Maldives section. The last dive of the trip will be at around 15:00 hrs on the second last day of the trip. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving.

Non-diver rate: Approximately USD 70 off the published price for 7 nights trip.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travellers may choose to share a cabin or pay a supplement of approx. 40% of the published price.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 9 guests and 1 extra person can join free of charge (total 10 guests). See whole boat charter price below, equivalent to pay for 18 guests and 2 additional persons can join the cruise free of charge (total 20 guests).

Whole boat charter rate (per night): 2017/18: Mid Season (Oct 2017- Jan 2018) - USD 3 154, Christmas / New Year (includes trips with 24-25 Dec 2017 & New Year dates 01-03 2018) - USD 3 459, Peak Season (Feb - April 2018) - USD 3 459, Low Season (July - Sep 2017, May 2018) - USD 2 868. For alternative trip prices, please check with us.

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From USD 277 per day

Customer rating: Excellent!

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MV STING RAY

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