A diver´s guide to the Maldives

The Maldives offers five-star luxury with excellent diving. The atolls are booming with life underwater and there are there is something for everyone. Whether you are here for the whale sharks or manta rays, or are more into macro life, the Maldives have it all. This guide will help you plan your Maldives trip based on when to see what and where.

Northern Atolls

Baa Atoll. The Northern Atoll of Baa is much quieter than the atolls in the south and makes for a peaceful, calm vacation. The UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Baa Atoll is known for its amazing gatherings of manta rays when plankton blooms during the southwest monsoon (between May and November) at Hanifaru Bay. Whale sharks also gather here between May and December to feed on plankton and mate. Although diving is not permitted anymore, you can enjoy the beauty of these gatherings while snorkeling. Best: July to October.
Baa Atoll is also home to many other exceptional dive sites, such as Dhonfanu Rock, Yellow Wall and Dhiagali Haa, with beautiful coral reefs and pinnacles (thilas) full of marine life.
Noonu Atoll. Orimas Thila is the best and most famous dive site here where you can expect to see large numbers of grey reef sharks. Best: January to May.

Central Atolls

North Ari Atoll. Maaya Thila is considered one of the Maldives’ top dive sites, where you´ll see nudibranchs and frogfish, eagle rays, barracuda, and even guitar sharks. Hafza Thila is for you if you want to see sharks, boasting schools of reef sharks at a cleaning station. Another must dive site is Fesdu Lagoon, where a small population of manta rays comes togother by the lights of liveaboards at night. Best: December to May
South Male Atoll. Kandooma Thila, or Cocoa Thila – is one of the most famous dive sites in the Maldives. It is a manta cleaning station within a wide channel, and is also visited by grey reef sharks. Chances are you will also see eagle rays, turtles, and many reef fish. Best: November to April
Vaavu and Meemu Atolls. Visit Fotteyo Kandu, a narrow channel with swim-throughs, small caves and large overhangs to explore, to see colourful soft corals, the occasional hammerhead and schools of grey reef and whitetip sharks and large schools of trevally. Best: November to April.

Southern Atolls

Fuvahmulah Atoll. This isolated atoll has over 20 known dive sites to and more are being discovered every year. It is relatively unknown for diving but has become more famous because of the regular encounters with Fuvahmulah’s resident tiger sharks at the site Tiger zoo. Fuvahmulah also offers close encounters with thresher sharks. Best: year round.
Huvadhoo Atoll. Huvadhoo Atoll offers healthy reefs with stunning table corals and staghorns, with soft corals such as sea fans. All sorts of fish are common here, from bigeye trevally to tuna, snappers and oriental sweetlips. Nestling sea turtles can also be spotted here. Best: year round, whale sharks: January to April.