Alex Untola
Among the world's favourite water sports hubs, the Maldives is a diver's dream come true. Blessed with intriguing wrecks and a rich marine heritage the top diving spots in the country are as follows.
As one of the first diving sites to have been uncovered in the Maldives the diving hotspots in North Male Atoll are some of the most frequented sites in the archipelago. Popular with seasoned visitors and as some of the oldest scuba diving venues in the island collective the hotspot diving spot in North Male Atoll has to be Banana Reef. Also known as Gaathugiri in the local language the breathtaking underwater geography of this popular locale boast innumerable caves and sharp drops as well as steep outcrops. Littered with awe-inspiring rock facades marine life one is likely to spot on a diving expedition here includes black snappers and large moral eels. Manta rays and groupers are also known to make an appearance in this bannerfish infested region occupies by sharks and trevallies. Maldivian grubfish and squirrelfish also inhabit the area in addition to soldierfish.
Known as one of the most consistently impressive diving sites in the Maldives, the scenic underwater confines of Ari Atoll guarantee encounters with schools of vibrant marine species. Littered with pelagics Ari Atoll is the perfect venue to come face to face with batfish and manta rays. White tip sharks and Napoleon wrasses are also frequently spotted by seasoned divers while grey reef sharks and blacktail barracudas also call this underwater landscape home. Hammerhead sharks and whale sharks are other marine species found in the waters off Ari Atoll which is also an eagle ray haven.
Part of the Southern Atolls of the Maldives Vaavu is known for its deep underwater channels that serve as breeding grounds for many a fish species due to the rich sources of nutrients that pass through the channel in the form of currents. A fantastic diving hub all year round Vaavu Atoll is home to numerous shark species including the infamous hammerhead shark. Home to the most famous dive site in all of Maldives, Fotteyo Kandu divers can experience the precipitous outcrops, swim-through channels and caves of the famed locale. Groupers and tuna are just some of the marine species that come in to view at Vaavu which is home to its fair share of unicorn fish, trevallies, eagle rays, snappers, mantas and triggerfish.
Tipped to be one of the most intriguing wreck sites in the Maldives, the submerged ruins of the British Loyalty Wreck are found in Addu Atoll. A 140m length mammoth seafaring ship that was downed by Japanese torpedoes in the middle portion of the 1940's the famed World War II ship now lies in a watery grave 17m beneath the ocean's surface. Perfect for inexperienced as well as seasoned divers the ship's vertical posture also makes it popular among divers as its curious positioning adds an air of mystique to the site. The ship's hull features a large crevice one assumed to have been created by the torpedo piercing through. Large sea turtles and clownfish are just some of the marine inhabitants occupying the downed vessel where angelfish, bannerfish and parrotfish are also found.
As the most famous wreck site in the whole of Maldives this capsized vessel is a 110m long mammoth ship that drowned in 1981. A breeding ground for a large spectrum of marine species divers can spot tunas, massive groupers and turtles at the site which lies 12m below the ocean's surface. Visitors based in a Maldives resort such as the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa can book a diving expedition to the site through the hotel.
