Maldives Sea Turtle Conservation Cruise - 8 Days

On arrival in the Maldives, we’ll be greeted by our Tour Leader at Male International Airport and transferred by dhoni to board MV Felicity, our floating home for the week. After settling into our cabins, we set sail for Maafushi in the South Male Atoll where we’ll enjoy our first snorkel in the warm Maldivian waters. Our Tour Leader will guide us through a responsible snorkelling briefing, helping us learn how to minimise our impact on these delicate reef systems. As our ‘spotter’, they’ll point out marine life we might otherwise miss - offering a whole new lens through which to experience the reef.

In the evening, we gather for a talk focused on coral reefs - their biodiversity, their role in the marine ecosystem, and the challenges they face from human activity, pollution and climate change. We’ll reflect on the threats marine life encounters and the simple but effective steps we can take to reduce our footprint.

Please note: Latest Arrival by 11 am.

We strongly recommend you bring your own mask and snorkel on this tour, both for hygiene reasons and to ensure a proper fit.

This itinerary applies to departures from 01 November 2026 onwards. If you're travelling before this date, please contact us, as a different itinerary applies.

The day opens on Guraidhoo, where talk turns to the two faces of tourism and what it means for small island nations. In the water, you snorkel the seagrass beds — an ecosystem so often written off as unsightly and cleared away, yet one of the most valuable on the planet, quietly linking the coral reefs, the fish and the sea turtles that depend on it. After lunch back aboard Felicity and a little afternoon snorkelling, you cruise into Vaavu Atoll in search of turtles.

Following the turtle code of conduct, you'll swim alongside them and help the Olive Ridley Project researcher record size, behaviour and markings — real data for real research. This evening, the researcher walks you through turtle species, biology and behaviour, ready for the days ahead.

As the sun rises, you're back in the water with your camera ready — every sighting counts. Photo identification is a gentle, non-invasive way to study marine populations, reading the naturally occurring marks on each animal; a turtle's face, it turns out, is as unique as a human fingerprint.

Olive Ridley run through the snorkelling code of conduct before you set off. Sightings are never guaranteed — one turtle in an hour, or several — and that uncertainty is part of the pull. In the afternoon, you land on an uninhabited island, a natural nesting ground, where the researcher explains how turtles breed and nest and the threats their eggs and hatchlings face. You'll wander the empty beaches too, joining a clean-up to clear the plastic that so often washes ashore.

This morning brings another turtle search, gliding over reefs alive with colourful fish and coral. Keep your eyes on the blue — sharks and rays are never far off — while your tour leader spots the creatures you'd easily miss.

Later, you step ashore at Keyodhoo, a working Maldivian fishing village of around 500 people where a handful of guesthouses have recently appeared. Straight from the beach, you snorkel the house reef and see the coral rehabilitation site built by local NGO Save the Beach alongside the community — a close look at how a damaged reef can be given a second chance.

Another morning on the water, snorkelling and searching for turtles, adds to the data that helps researchers gauge population size and pinpoint the habitats turtles rely on for mating, feeding and migration. Green and hawksbill are the two you're most likely to meet here, though both are in decline — greens now classed as threatened, hawksbills as critically endangered.

Ashore on Felidhoo, you meet local NGO Rashu Plastic, who turn plastic pollution into art and give the community a stake in a cleaner future; the waste you've gathered over the past few days goes straight to their project. This evening's talk turns to protecting turtle habitat, reducing bycatch and the quiet danger of ghost nets — and how turtles are rescued, untangled and returned to the sea.

As we begin our journey back towards Male, we continue gathering turtle data while enjoying one last snorkel among the reefs.

Later, we drop anchor near the local island of Gulhi. With fishing as its main livelihood, Gulhi offers a glimpse into traditional island life. We’ll visit the boatyard - home to the oldest dry dock in the Maldives - and chat with locals while sipping fresh kurumba (coconut).

That evening, we enjoy a Maldivian theme night on board, complete with bodu beru drumming and dancing, offering an immersive celebration of island culture.

Our final full day begins with one last snorkelling trip, collecting any remaining data and saying goodbye to the reefs and their residents.

In the afternoon, we review the data gathered throughout the week. Sea turtles are essential to the health of the Maldives - both ecologically and economically -so every observation counts. There’s a chance someone in the group may even identify a new turtle for the Olive Ridley Project’s database and have the opportunity to name it!

Even if not, we can still adopt a turtle we’ve encountered - leaving a lasting legacy from our time on board.

After breakfast, we disembark MV Felicity and transfer back to Male International Airport.