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There are few places as beautiful in the world as the Maldives, the cascading groups of islands nestled halfway between the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. With stretches of white sand beaches, crystal blue waters and rich marine life, there’s no shortage of activities for both luxuriators and adventure seekers alike.
On a recent visit to the Maldives, our hosts at the InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort arranged a special snorkeling excursion for us to get up close and personal with the native manta rays in the ocean, while learning more about the conservation efforts lead by the the non-profit organization, Manta Trust.
SEE ROOMS & RATES InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau
Located in the Raa Atoll, about a 45-minute seaplane ride from Velana International Airport in Malé, the area around the InterContinental Maldives is home to a large population of manta rays, and researchers at Manta Trust have been working with the resort since 2019 to bring awareness to the declining population of these animals (oceanic manta rays are currently listed as “endangered” species while reef manta rays are listed as “vulnerable”)while also showcasing the beauty of their natural habit in the warm ocean waters.
On our manta viewing trip, we were led by Gareth, who had us decked out in snorkel gear and fins (and life jackets for safety of course). I noticed that Gareth, meantime, was wearing a very prominent watch on his wrist, which he later told me was a Citizen Promaster Dive Watch, one of the most popular and trusted brands of diving watches on the market today.
Promaster Aqualand 200M Depth Meter
$746.25
$995
25% off
Buy Now AT CITIZEN
Citizen first started work on its line of watches more than a century ago from its Shokosha Watch Research Institute just outside of Tokyo. The company introduced its first waterproof watch in 1959, and the now-iconic Promaster model was released in 1989.
Gareth was wearing the Citizen Promaster Aqualand Watch on our snorkelling excursion, though he noted that he also wore the watch on deeper scuba dives as well. With a shatter-resistant face, anti-reflective coating and illuminated hands, the watch is easy to read, even underwater. It is also water-resistant down to 200m, while the durable strap appeared comfortable and flexible even as Gareth spent an hour swimming around our group. Gareth told me he’d been wearing his watch for years, and raved about how it’s held up to multiple excursions and countless hours in the water and sun.
Real divers will appreciate the watch’s dive mode setting and “Rapid Ascent Alarm,” which alerts you if you’re ascending too quickly (which could lead to decompression dizziness).
The Promaster Aqualand Dive Watch boasts a strong 4.8-star rating (out of five) from reviewers online, with many praising it for its handsome looks and functionality. Regularly $995+, Citizen has the watch marked down by 25% off to just $746 right now. Amazon, meantime, has a similar watch discounted to just $661 here. As with all Amazon deals, prices could change at any time so we recommend snagging the watch while the sale is still live. See full details here.
Promaster Dive
$281.25
$375
25% off
Buy Now AT CITIZEN
The most affordable Citizen Dive Watch online right now is this Promaster Dive model, which boasts a similar black strap, stainless steel face and anti-reflective mineral crystal. This one also boasts water resistance down to 200 meters in addition to the luminous hands and markers. Styling-wise, the Promaster Dive is smaller and sleeker, with a 44mm case width versus the 53mm width of the Promaster Aqualand above.
Regularly $375+, get the popular Promaster Dive Watch on sale for just $281 at Citizen.com.
Citizen Promaster Sea Eco Dive
$298.44
$495.00
40% off
Buy Now On Amazon
And you can find this Citizen Promaster Sea Eco Dive model on sale at Amazon, with a 40% discount as of this writing. We like the blue and red detailing, which adds a nice color contrast to the black strap. This watch is also water resistant down to 200 meters/20Bar.
