The only way to fully experience the diving sensations of more than one Maldivian region is to travel on a liveaboard. Diving safaris offer more individual freedom and the opportunity to encounter the real number one diving spots on the Maldives.
| The Ship |
OVER 4 YEARS CONSTRUCTION TIME - 100% WOODEN QUALITY WORK
In 1996 Barutheela was completed in South Male Atoll after a construction time of over four years. Alltogether more than 100 people were involved in her construction and planning.
Barutheela operates exclusively on the Maldives - one of the best diving areas of the world. Innumerable excellent diving spots in an unspoiled environment, the rich marine life, the beauty of the islands and breathtaking sunsets - reasons enough to dive here and nowhere else.
Onboard of Barutheela you experience a unique journey through the Maldives that combines life onboard, visits to local and uninhabited islands, sailing and diving into a harmonic adventure vacation. We offer well-approved routes that are adapted to the different seasons and therefore provide optimal diving conditions all year long.
Barutheela is a one-of-kind ship, which has been designed and constructed according to the original plans of a Spanish galleon from the late 18th century. Some call her "the pearl" of Maldivian ships. She is an all wooden vessel. She has been carefully hand-crafted and many of her parts have a long history: bull eyes and ship lamps come from antiquity markets in Bombay, the masts come from the Austrian woods, the motors are Swedish, the interior is partly from India and Sri Lanka and the technical facilities are among the best world-wide. The visitor keeps discovering carefully designed details. The construction time lasted over four years due to the lavish building-technique. No plywood, no fibres glass. The design of Barutheela inevitably evokes the image of old pirate movies. Nevertheless, the ship is equipped with all the modern facilities a swimming hotel demands. In the year 2000 the ship was fully restaurated.
The unusually spacious construction and the relaxed atmosphere of the ship will make your stay on Barutheela a sense-pleasing luxury cure for body and soul. Divers as well as non-diving guests feel comfortable aboard of Barutheela. Both groups and single travellers are heartily welcome.
| Accomodation |
TRAVEL AND LIVE ABOARD IN A RELAXED ATMOSPHERE
Six spacious, air-conditioned cabins can accommodate 12 to 18 guests. What you shouldn´s miss: A night spent on deck under the stars of a clear nightsky.
The ship offers six spacious and antique styled double cabins of which two have double beds and four have two single beds. In other words Barutheela has a normal capacity of 12 guests. On demand cabins can be equipped with extra beds raising the guest capacity to a maximum of 18. All cabins have air-conditioning, private shower and bathroom. Additionally every cabin has sufficient storage space even for big bags. For recharging diving lamps and batteries there are two european-normed 230V sockets. The bed sheets are regularly changed and fresh towels are always available.
| Eating & Drinking |
ENJOY OUR LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL CUISINE
The kitchen is reigned by a professional cook. His international light cuisine goes with the tropical climate and is as a result highly popular among our guests. The high rate of repeaters may also be due to our exquisite menu.
Breakfast buffet: Here our guests find daily baked bread, cheese, jam, muesli, cereals, yoghurt, fruit juices, Sri Lankan tea, Italian coffee and our cook's legendary "Hot Special". Additionally there is a variety of freshly prepared egg dishes and assortment of tropical fruits.
For lunch we serve fish, chicken or beef with salads or vegetables.
Five o'clock tea: Tea and coffee with freshly baked cakes, sandwiches or other snacks.
Dinner: Consists of a three-course menu or a big buffet.
Bar: Aboard there is a well-equipped bar, special drinks such as cocktails, whiskey, cognac or champagne is charged extra.
| Diving |
EXPERIENCE THE FASCINATING WORLD UNDER THE SURFACE
Embark on your voyage to the pristine beauty of the Maldives and discover
this paradise for divers individually and exclusively. Many of our dive sites are among
the most beautiful in the world. And there is many more waiting to be found!
Where? By diving in small groups it is possible to offer very personalised care for each and every diver aboard. At the beginning of the turn we decide on a route. We are happy to make this choice together with our guests and take their individual wishes into account. Wind, weather, time available and the momentary current situation have to be considered in order to come up with the optimal route for a secure and fun tour. We have worked out well-approved routes that lead to the most beautiful diving spots and take the seasonal climate conditions into consideration. Depending on the season the best locations can either be found rather on the east or rather on the west side of the atolls. Our diving instructor (PADI) is more than sufficiently experienced to determine where the richest marine life is to be found. Together with our guests we have also discovered new, superb diving spots. Over the time we have added various special Barutheela-locations to our tours.
How? The divers are divided into two ability-oriented groups; each guided by an experienced divemaster. That way the difficulty level of the dive can be adapted to the knowledge of each diver. Advanced as well as beginning divers can enjoy a stress-free dive. Every dive is made from our dive boat - a specially rebuilt fishing boat, 30 ft, equipped with oxygen bottles, compressor and emergency kit. This dive boat accompanies our divers while they are under water. No struggling against the current in order to get back to the ship, just floating with the warm, clear water and being picked up wherever you surface. As a special treat there are cool drinks waiting for you onboard the dive boat. Every diver disposes over his/her own place and his/her own bottle for the time being onboard. The equipment remains on the dive boat, therefore there is no lugging around heavy diving bags. There are 10lt, 12lt, 15lt alu or steel bottles available. Between the dives we return to nearby anchoring Barutheela.
How often? We offer 3 dives a day (maximum 60 minutes), apart from day one due to time considerations and the day of departure due to flight safety. On demand we also offer night dives.
Equipment: Guests who don't bring their own equipment have the possibility of renting a diving kit - complete or partly. Bottles, lead and lead belts are available free of charge for all divers.
Give-it-a-try diving: Even non-divers who have never even thought about exploring the submarine weightlessness may easily get curious while on Barutheela. If desired we offer especially careful and slow guidance by an instructor through a so-called give-it-a-try dive.
The personalised and relaxed environment on Barutheela provides the best conditions for stress-free diving and learning. A professional, friendly and experienced dive-crew enjoys sharing these incomparable underwater experiences with you.
Necessary: Please bring along your diving certification, your log and a medical permission slip that proves your physical ability to dive during your stay on Barutheela.
A visibility of up to 40 meters is possible. There are several dive sites, which have been ranked among the best in the world and many others that are waiting to be discovered.
| Trip Info |
DISCOVER THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ATOLLS OF THE MALDIVES
Barutheela cruises the most beautiful atolls of the Maldives. The exact route is agreed on at the beginning of each turn by guests, dive master and captain. It varies according to the season due to weather, current and wind.
We bring you to the best diving locations on the Maldives. The colourful labyrinths of the coral reefs and wrecks are the home of turtles, napoleons, moray eels and schools of thousands of reef fish, sometimes manta and stingrays. Not to forget the small jewels like Gobi, blennies, snails and cancers. During outer-reef dives we encounter grey reef sharks, white tip sharks, hammerheads and whale sharks, eagle rays, barracudas and huge swarms of trevallies.
On our tours we leave the beaten track and bring you to the more remote areas far from the tourist masses. Barutheela only cruises by daylight, in the evening the anchor is dropped in a quiet lagoon. Barutheela will navigate you through an experience of a lifetime.
The following well-approved plans cover either 1 or 2 week turns. They include world-famous dive sites - highlights - that can be pretty crowded during the diving "rush hour". We avoid these diver-concentrations by simply going diving while the others sit and eat their meals. That way you have the unique opportunity of diving in exclusive freedom at legendary dive sites such as Maaya Thila, Broken Rock or Helengeli Thila - another advantage of travelling aboard of Barutheela.
Non-Divers BARUTHEELA HAS A LOT TO OFFERS FOR NON-DIVERS AS WELLNobody is left aside on Barutheela - Non-divers have a variety of possibilities to turn their vacation into an exceptional experience.
While our underwater pioneers get wet, we offer other diversions to our non-diving guests. One can have a tour of the local and uninhabited islands, go snorkelling, swimming and fishing. Of course, if you want to stay on one of the decks, the balcony or in the bowsprit net with your book or experiment with our refreshing cocktails while tanning or simply enjoy the impressive beauty of the Maldives - the choice is all up to you. Surfboards, fishing gear, hifi-equipment and ship library are waiting to get used. Free of charge. We are looking forward to assisting in your comfort and enjoyment.
Snorkel Express: On demand our crew brings you to beautiful snorkelling sites with our dinghy and escorts you for increased security. This service is offered while the divers are out since most of the dive sites are also excellent snorkelling locations. This way you can also watch the others diving from the surface.
Activities ACTIVITIES DURING YOUR BARUTHEELA VACATIONWhen you are not busy with diving or tanning Barutheela offers a range of other activities that make your vacation even more attractive....
Fishing: For compassionate fishers and those who want to become such we prepare night fishing trips with our dive boat at sunset. Onboard the guests are supplied with the necessary equipment (including drinks) and get the chance to try their luck under instruction and with the help of our crew. Chances for returning to Barutheela with a decent catch are good: Red Snapper, Jackfish, Barracuda and Grouper are among our favourites. 20 kg of fish and more are not unusual after two hours of night fishing. Aboard the fish is turned into a delicious dinner.
Big game - during the day while we are on the way to the next dive site our fishing enthusiasts are invited to try to bust the big ones like yellow finned tuna and bonito using fishing route and wobbler. How about some sashimi with wasabi & Soya afterwards?
Surfing: Our surfing boards are there to be used and our crew will have an eye on you so we can pick you up with the dinghy in case of an emergency.
Island visits: A visit to a maldivian island - whether local or uninhabited - is always a special experience. On our tours island visits are always included.
Barbecue: Once a week we prepare an original Maldivian beach barbecue on an uninhabited island for our guests. Fish and meat are grilled over open fire, cool drinks and Maldivian music evoke the matching Robinson Crusoe-feeling.
Just one week or more! Whichever you like it best! Our turns alternate weekly, as a result you have the chance to stay more than one week without seeing the same dive sites again. Just stay onboard!
| Cost |
HOW MUCH IS YOUR DREAM VACATION?
Prices per person, S$7290.00 All Inclusive*
* Only cocktails, champagne and hard drinks are getting charged for.
ENJOY YOUR VACATION ABOARD "ALL INCLUSIVE"
Airport pick-up and transfers to and from Barutheela at the beginning and at the end of tour all Wednesdays. We are happy to take care of further transfers for guests who go to a resort island afterwards.
All meals onboard: rich breakfast buffet with daily baked bread and international specialities, tropical fruits, freshly prepared egg dishes, muesli yoghurt, tea, coffee and fruit juices, light lunch, 5 o'clock tea and three-course dinner.
Drinks: Tea, coffee, juices, waters, soft drinks, wines, and draft beer. Cocktails, champagne and hard drinks have to be charged extra.
Accommodation: Spacious double cabins, bed sheets and towels are regularly washed, cabins are daily cleaned. Each cabin has a private bathroom with warm and cold water, an individually controllable air-conditioning and european-norm sockets for recharging diving lamps.
Diving: All offered dives. (3 a day - apart from day one and day of departure and on days with long transfers due to previously chosen route) One night dive per week is offered. Experienced diving instructors guide the dives in two ability-oriented groups. The dives are accompanied by our dive boat (rebuilt fisher boat). Cool drinks await the divers aboard this comfortable dive boat. The diving equipment stays onboard during the whole tour. Emergency kit and oxygen are available in case of an accident. Rented equipment has to be charged. Bottle, lead and lead belts are free of charge. For interested not-yet-divers we offer free give-it-a-try dives.
Snorkel Express: On demand our crew brings you to beautiful snorkelling sites with our dinghy and escorts you for increased security. This service is offered while the divers are out since most of the dive sites are also excellent snorkelling locations. Snorkelling equipment can be rented onboard.
Fishing: For avid anglers and those who want to become such we prepare night fishing trips with our dive boat at sunset. Onboard the guests are supplied with the necessary equipment (including drinks) and get the chance to try their luck under instruction and with the help of our crew. Chances for returning to Barutheela with a decent catch are good: Red Snapper, Jackfish, Barracuda and Grouper are among our favourites. 20 kg of fish and more are not unusual after two hours of night fishing. Aboard the fish is turned into a delicious dinner.
Barbecue: Once a week we prepare an original maldivian beach barbecue on an uninhabited island for our guests. Fish and meat are grilled over open fire, cool drinks and maldivian music evoke the matching Robinson Crusoe-feeling.
Service: The service onboard is joyful, friendly and professional. We are happy to fulfil the individual wishes of our guests.
For more information, contact
bbcdiver@starhub.net.sg or call us at 222
6862 for more details now!