On Monday 5th October 2020, Master Liveaboards was pleased to announce they were returning with several of their scheduled Scuba diving liveaboard trips. Like many others in the travel industry, the global lockdown had forced them to cease operations for an indefinite amount of time.
It was momentous news which was welcome not only by their staff and crew but guests alike. The period during lockdown had been a busy one for the crew members and staff, who took the opportunity to make significant improvements to the liveaboard vessels. It was not only upgrades and refurbishments which had been installed on the vessels, but the team also had to implement rigorous changes prior to being assessed in order to become successfully certified for COVID-19 safety regulations, set out by the associated Government bodies.
Thailand was the first destination which started operating scheduled trips, with there being a large local community. The vessels, staff and operating procedures had been carefully changed to ensure the safety of the guests and crew members. With the COVID-19 safety measures in place, they were able to enjoy some fantastic trips with The Junk and The Phinisi. The trips in Thailand were 4 nights of spectacular diving, incredible sunsets and delicious meals. All the guests also took part in a beach clean as part of their Going Green project and everyone had a fantastic time!
The Galapagos Islands were next to follow suit with the Galapagos Master having
successfully passed the COVID-19 certified safety measures and regulations. After several successful trips the boat and crew members have found the new procedures to be like second nature to them. With a reduced number of guests, clear procedures set out and diving conditions not seen for a long time due to the period of rest on the environment, the trips have been a massive success. The reports from the SCUBA diving liveaboards have been described as ‘out of this world’ with incredible visibility and many sightings including whale sharks, schools of hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, sea turtles, moray eels, silky sharks and large groups of fur seals too. After such a long time having only dreamed of getting back out into the deep blue everyone has been so happy to be back in the waters again.
The Red Sea, Egypt has now been added to one of the destinations which has set sail, with a number of scheduled trips setting sail on the Blue Horizon. Having been equally busy during lockdown the crew members were thrilled when the vessel received confirmation that they were successful in passing the stringent Egyptian Governments Covid-19 certification.
Most recently, the Maldives has also successfully become certified by the local Government, as being COVID-19 compliant. They have met all the health and safety measurements to ensure the safety of guests and its crew members. With the first trip to set sail on the 8th November everyone is very excited.
For more information please contact a member of our sales and reservations team on 01752 480 808 in the UK or +66 (0) 76 367 444 in Thailand.