Surf’s Up with Carpe Diem Cruises new week-long surf and paddleboard safaris across the Maldives

Answering the rise in demand from independent surfers to explore Maldivian waves, the award-winning liveaboard Carpe Vita adds four surf safari weeks in 2019.

For the past decade, Carpe Diem Cruises in The Maldives has been offering week-long and 10-day dive safaris across the atolls on three luxury liveaboard yachts. In recent years, an increased number of private charters from Australian tour operators have brought a kite surfing and Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) community into the mix, and the experience has begun to catch on.

“Previously we have received individual enquiries and occasional requests from kite surfers and surfers for a safari across the atolls, which are difficult to accommodate on an isolated case-by-case scenario when the specific cruise focus is diving and snorkelling. In the last year, we’ve seen a sharp rise in requests for specific kite surfing and paddleboard safaris, showing a clear rising demand and new niche market that we are ideally positioned to cater to, with three dedicated cruise yachts designed for that specific leisure market,” explains Agnes van Linden, Assistant Managing Director of Carpe Diem Maldives.

Renowned for it’s marine life and private island resorts with white sand beaches, The Maldives has slowly been raising it’s profile as a surfers paradise and a new destination for a growing SUP community travelling to The Maldives from around the world. Due to the nature of the surf breaks visited on Carpe Diem Cruises over a week, these are suitable for intermediate and advanced surfers, whereas it’s possible for complete novice paddleboarders and kitesurfers to develop their skills on the surf safari trips.

“Based on the success of the private charters with our Australian tour operators, which we will continue to work with, The Maldives is definitely on the global surfers travel radar,” adds Agnes. “The annual Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy each August has most definitely helped raised that profile, with top world-class surfers and big names visiting and participating. For now, The Maldives is still a relatively new destination for the independent surfing and paddleboard traveller who has covered all the typical destinations and seeks something new.”

Carpe Diem Cruises attracts like-minded travellers with their adventure cruises, inviting guests to embrace opportunity with a seize-the-day approach to travel. The new (Kite) Surf and SUP Safaris in 2019 are allocated to four weeks in May and July on the award-winning Carpe Vita vessel. Voted in 2017 as one of the Top 10 Liveaboards in the World, the Carpe Diem Cruises surf safari weeks will cater to 12 surfers, with 10 en suite cabins. The boat also has a fully licensed bar, communal lounge area with a TV, and a Jacuzzi on the top deck.

During the new surf weeks on Carpe Vita itineraries will include morning and afternoon surfing, travelling to different surf breaks where the action is each day with our onboard Maldivian surf guide, exploring the central atolls around North and South Male. Starting and ending from the capital’s international airport island, access to the breaks will be via a separate dhoni that accompanies the main yacht throughout the trip. Priced at USD 2,555 per person, departure dates for 2019 are currently set at May 5, July 7, July 14, July 28 and each week includes:

• 7 nights on board Carpe Vita
• Roundtrip Airport to Yacht transfers
• Meet and Greet at the airport
• Welcome drinks
• Captain, crew and support surf dhoni
• 3 meals daily, plus between-surf snacks
• 2-3 surfs daily
• Reusable water bottle (also to take home)
• Drinking water, tea and coffee
• Unlimited use of the Jacuzzi
• Snorkelling equipment
• Sandbank BBQ (weather permitting)
• Anniversary and birthday cakes & amenities
• DVD and Book Library.

Travellers looking to extend their stay in the Maldives can do so at the Carpe Diem Beach Resort & Spa in Raa Atoll with a combined cruise and stay package.

For more information, please enquire with your local travel agent or direct with Carpe Diem Maldives at info@carpediemmaldives.com.