Best Diving Sites in the Maldives

In Maldives, hotels such as the Kandolhu Island Maldives is sure to have many diving excursions on offer, and they are almost guaranteed to feature this iconic locale. Since a large section of the coral reef present here broke off and drifted down, Nasimo Thila contains one of the deepest reefs to explore. The nature of this reef also resulted in overhanging formations of coral from the reef above to the reef below. In addition to sharks and tuna, you can discover some incredibly colourful varieties of coral fish.

A dynamic diving locale with vastly differing sights to witness, Okobe Thila's reef starts with a humble width of ten metres in diameter and then expands to an incredible fifty meters at its widest. On the northernmost section of the reef you will find an abundance of marine life ranging from blue-striped snappers, to endangered turtles, and even fusiliers.

Since it is a protected marine area, you're bound to find marine life in abundance here than anywhere else. It has been described as a coral reef that is almost blanketed by a dense covering of fish. The formation of the reef is quite striking, since it forms the shape of a camel's back due to two rising points on the underwater atoll. The recently grown coral featured on these peaks play sanctuary to schools of colourful fish. The species to be found here include Moray Eels, Red-Toot Triggerfish, and Scorpionfish.

This magnificent area might be a little challenging to reach, but offers an immensely thrilling variety of fish to be glimpsed here. Spectacular sea-creatures such as barracudas and eagle-rays are commonplace, and photographers will surely appreciate the opportunities present here to capture large schools of oriental sweetlips. Sharks are also known to be found here.

One of the most recognised dive-sites in the Maldives, Banana Reef was the first to achieve the status of protected marine area. The striking shape of the reef as well as the diverse range of sea-life to be found here attracts both divers and photographers in equal measure. In addition to the spectacular scenery, sub-marine predators such as sharks and barracuda are also easily found here. The reef gets its name due to the schools of one-thousand plus yellow snappers that can be easily spotted here.

This is definitely one of the most unique reefs to be witnessed, offering the complete package any diver would seek. Consisting of circular reef formations, the reef is just 15-25 metres below the water surface. Areas of the reef closer to the surface contain sandy-surfaces where large groups of rays gather for cleaning, where the name 'Manta Road' was derived. Many notable attractions such as the under-water cave located on this reef led to it being referred to as the best diving destination in the southern section of the Maldives. Even whale-sharks are known to be spotted here so if you're a diving enthusiast in the Maldives, this is probably the best place you'd want to check out.