The Maldives is often hailed as one of the world’s top diving destinations. Its year-round warm water (27-29 degrees), multifaceted dive sites, and abundant marine life make it a bucket-list destination. With the occasionally stronger currents, it offers adventure dives with plenty of pelagic encounters. The Maldives offers a range of stunning dive sites that will leave you breathless—both underwater and on the surface. Here’s a guide to some of the best dive spots in this tropical paradise.
Manta Point (Lankanfinolhu)
- Location: North Male Atoll
- Experience Level: Advanced
- What to Expect: As the name suggests, Manta Point is the place to be if you’re eager to encounter manta rays. This site is a cleaning station where mantas congregate to have their skin and gills cleaned by cleaner wrasse. The best time to dive here is during the southwest monsoon season, which typically runs from May to November. With good visibility and gentle currents, Manta Point is a fantastic site.
- Itinerary visiting this site: We visit North Male Atoll on our Northern Atolls (charter request only), Central Atolls and Central Atolls & Baa itineraries
Maaya Thila
- Location: North Ari Atoll
- Experience Level: Advanced
- What to Expect: Often dubbed “The Grey Reef Shark Capital,” Maaya Thila is renowned for its incredible biodiversity. This small thila (underwater pinnacle) offers the chance to see a variety of marine life including grey reef sharks, turtles and large schools of fish.
- Itinerary visiting this site: We visit North Ari Atoll during our Central Atolls or Central Atolls & Baa itineraries
Fesdhoo (manta night dive)
- Location: North Ari Atoll
- Experience Level: all levels but with night dive experience
- What to Expect: Fesdhoo Lagoon is an area where manta rays often congregate in the late afternoon and evening to feed. We attach lights to the stern of the boat which attracts plankton and, hopefully, mantas. If the mantas put in an appearance, you will have the opportunity to do a stationary night dive at the back of the boat to passively observe the rays while they are feeding.
- Itinerary visiting this site: We visit the North Ari Atoll during our Central Atolls or Central Atolls & Baa itineraries
Rasdhoo Madivaru
- Location: North Ari Atoll
- Experience Level: Advanced
- What to Expect: The Rashdhoo region is a small atoll in its own right, encompassed administratively by North Ari Atoll. Rasdhoo-Madivaru is a channel on the southeastern edge of Rasdhoo Atoll which is famed for the large groups of Scalloped hammerhead sharks that emerge from the depths just before sunrise. The reef formation in this area is possibly one of the most stunning and confusing in the whole of North Ari. A narrow spur, peaking at around 12 metres, extends outwards from the reef into the channel between Madivaru and Rasdhoo Islands. On the open ocean-facing side, the reef drops off to more than 200 metres while the sandy bottom inside the channel is around 30 metres. There is a prolific amount of fish life around the spur ranging from pelagics such as barracuda, tuna and trevallies to colourful reef fish in all shapes and sizes.
- Itinerary visiting this site: We visit the North Ari Atoll during our Central Atolls or Central Atolls & Baa itineraries
Fish Head (Mushimasmingili Thila)
- Location: North Ari Atoll
- Experience Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- What to Expect: Fish Head is a dive site known for its abundant marine life and stunning underwater scenery. Once a shark-hunting ground, this protected marine area is now home to a healthy population of reef sharks. Divers can expect to see large schools of fish, including fusiliers, snapper, and barracuda. Fish Head is also a great site for spotting Napoleon wrasse and eagle rays.
- Itinerary visiting this site: We visit the North Ari Atoll during our Central Atolls or Central Atolls & Baa itineraries
Kudarah Thila
- Location: South Ari Atoll
- Experience Level: Advanced
- What to Expect: Located inside a large channel, Kudarah Thila is a small, isolated reef covered in beautiful soft and hard corals, teeming with fish and one of the most colourful dives in Ari Atoll. The top of the thila is 14-16 metres deep and drops off sharply to 27 metres all the way around. If the current is not too strong, it’s possible to navigate the entire thila in one dive and explore the top of the reef for macro species. Around the eastern end, there is a swim-through and two large overhangs decorated with yellow daisy corals on the ceilings and giant gorgonians on the floors. Thousands of blue-lined snappers surround the reef, as well as large schools of humpback red snappers and bannerfish. Grey reef sharks are also regularly seen cruising the peripheries.
- Itinerary visiting this site: We visit the South Ari Atoll during our Central Atolls or Central Atolls & Baa itineraries
Miyaru Kandu
- Location: Vaavu Atoll
- Experience Level: Advanced
- What to Expect: In Dhivehi, Miyaru means shark, indicating what to expect at this channel dive location, specifically grey and white-tip reef sharks in large numbers around the entrance. The channel opening slopes from 30-35 metres before dropping off into the deep, open ocean on the eastern side of the atoll; leading into the atoll, the channel floor is approximately 25 metres deep and mostly sand, with a small coral garden towards the end. Depending on which way the current is flowing, we hook in on one of the corners to watch the action before continuing the dive as a drift either into the channel, or out and along the outside reef.
- Itinerary visiting this site: We visit Vaavu Atoll on our Central Atolls, Central & Southern Atolls and Central Atolls & Baa itineraries.
Alimathaa
- Location: Vaavu Atoll
- Experience Level: All levels but with night dive experience
- What to Expect: On the southern side of Miyaru Kandu is the resort island of Alimathaa. Here we usually organise a sunset dive on the resort’s house reef, close to their jetty, which is well known for the large number of resident nurse sharks. There is no need to go searching for them, simply hook in, wait (not very long) and watch in awe as they circle around and above the reef and the divers. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, you can also expect some eagle rays to put in an appearance just to mix things up a bit.
- Itinerary visiting this site: We visit Vaavu Atoll on our Central Atolls, Central & Southern Atolls and Central Atolls & Baa itineraries.
Kuredu Express
- Location: Lhaviyani Atoll
- Experience Level: Advanced
- What to Expect: Known for its strong currents and thrilling drift dives, Kuredu Express is a dive site for the adventurous. As you glide along with the currents, you’ll encounter an abundance of marine life, including grey reef sharks, eagle rays, and Napoleon wrasse. The highlight of Kuredu Express is the “shark highway,” where divers can see a high concentration of reef sharks patrolling the area. This exhilarating dive is a must for experienced divers looking for an adrenaline rush.
- Itinerary visiting this site: We only visit Lhaviyani Atoll during our Northern Atolls (charter request only) itinerary
Final Thoughts
The Maldives offers an unparalleled diving experience with its diverse marine life and breathtaking underwater landscapes. Whether you’re hoping to spot manta rays, get hooked in the current to observe reef sharks patrolling or simply enjoy the marine life as mantis shrimps, octopus, moray eels, the Maldives has something for every diver. The combination of world-class dive sites and the stunning backdrop of the Indian Ocean make it a destination every diver should experience at least once.
So, pack your gear, and get ready to dive into the heart of the Indian Ocean for an unforgettable underwater adventure in the Maldives! Onboard Maldives Master of course xx
