Joanna James
With some of the world's most stunning coral reefs & an amazing array of marine life, the Maldives offers thrilling diving excursions at its atolls. Here are some of the not to be missed dive sites. 🏊🐠🐟
North Male Atoll , Photo via Maxpixel , CC0 Public Domain
One of the most popular sites for diving in Maldives, the North Male Atoll features plenty of reefs, drop offs and caves rich in coral and marine life. Manta Point is a popular site here and is where one can not only see manta rays, but white-tip reef sharks, octopuses and moray eels.
Girifushi Thila is another well known dive site and features soft corals of vibrant hues along with eagle rays, jacks and tuna.
Banana Reef which was one of the earliest discovered dive sites in the country, Miyaru Faru with its many sharks and the submerged Maldives Victory Wreck are some of the other sites in North Male Atoll you can explore on diving tours. 🦑
South Ari Atoll : Photo by Maafushivaru Maldives
While you may not find many large barrier reefs in the Ari Atoll, it does offer some wonderful opportunities to witness the marine life that inhabit these waters. There are protected areas where one has the chance to see whale sharks, while pelagic fish, manta rays and hammerhead sharks are amongst the more frequently spotted denizens of the deep.
In order to see manta rays, one can dive to such sites as Rangali Madivaru and Donkalo Thila, while Hammerhead Point is aptly named since hammerhead sharks can be found in the area. Not to be missed is a chance to go scuba diving at Maaya Thila with its colourful corals, turtles, guitar sharks and more. 🦈
Vaavu Atoll, Maldives by goldpicasa CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The stunningly beautiful Vaavu Atoll is the smallest one in the country and is considered the least commercialised as well. Offering something for both beginner and advanced divers, the dive sites are home to various fish species.
It always helps to understand more about such diving hotspots before actually diving here and blog sites like The Maldives Travel can help you to find out more about the marine treasures in the country.
When exploring Vaavu Atoll, make sure to head to Fotteyo Falhu which features the country's largest unbroken barrier reef as well as Bodu Miyaru Kandu where whitetip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, tuna and Napoleon wrasse can be found.
*Fotteyo Kandu *is another favourite diving spot with its soft corals and countless marine life including titan triggerfish, shark varieties and barracudas. 🐠
Maamigili Island Raa Atoll By Loamaresort (Own work) CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
When it comes to witnessing the amazing array of fish life the Maldives is home to, the Raa Atoll is a great place to explore.
Reethi Thila is well worth heading to and features a wide range of overhangs and caverns as well as marine life including an amazing array of wrasses from lemon meringue to ringed and speckled to reindeer.
Another dive site here is Fenfushi Giri where one can see bannerfish, butterflyfish, unicornfish and hunting jacks to name a few.
Baa Atoll (Voavah) By Ahmed Abdul Rahman (Own work) CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
A biosphere reserve, the Baa Atoll has a rich marine biodiversity that can be experienced while scuba diving in its waters.
Two protected marine environs can be found here and are ideal spots (especially Hanifaru Bay) in which to see whale sharks.
Maavaru Kandu with its vibrant soft corals, Dhigali Haa home to unicornfish, trevallies and blue-dash fusiliers and Dhonfanu Thila with its manta rays and plethora of fish varieties are amongst the other dive sites to be explored in the Baa Atoll.
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