The most enchanting dive sites in Vaavu Atoll and how to dive them from a local island

When it comes to diving, the Maldives is such a diverse country. From north to south each of the atolls has its own characteristics and highlights. If you are planning on exploring this piece of heaven from a local island and indulging in some ravishing diving, then you’d love the idea of going to Vaavu atoll. It is only 1.5 hours from Male by speed boat, which makes it an easy getaway. In this post we share with you the best dive sites of Vaavu together with some tips on staying on a local Maldivian island, all through the eyes of an expat and a local insider. Enjoy!

 

Submerging into the best dive sites of Vaavu atoll with Gen

Hey Guys! My name is Gen Darling (@scubadarling) and I am a Rescue Diver, studying my Dive Masters in Maldives. I am 25 years old, originally from Toronto, Canada. I fell in love with the beauty of Maldives and decided to move here and study. Currently, I am living in Vaavu Atoll with my boyfriend Picco (@picc0) who is from the Maldives. Picco is a Divemaster and has dived all around Maldives but most prominently in Vaavu Atoll for the last 5 years. 

I would like to share with you my awe for the diving here and our favourite dive sites in the area. I am also give you some insights on some great dive centers and guest houses located on local islands.

The best dives in Vaavu are done in channels and normally at around 30m depth. That is why being an Advanced Diver is definitely best if you are coming to Vaavu atoll. With channels comes the good stuff!!!!! White tips, grey reef sharks, silver tips, black tips, eagle rays – the list goes on! Not to mention the incredible coral life 7m and below.

 

Alimathaa – Night diving with hundreds of nurse sharks

Alimathaa is a small resort in the northern part of the atoll known for its high populations of nurse sharks. For that reason it has become a very popular night dive. 

Depending on your guide you will descend around sunset time. You would usually spend roughly 45 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on your air consumption. 

The dive itself is usually done quite shallow. Normally, the boats park a bit away from the jetty. Once you descend you can enjoy the reef for a little while before you get to where the sharks are. Keep in mind, you are in a channel so keep an eye on the blue for any eagle rays or other species of sharks coming through! 

Once you get closer to the jetty you will begin to find large schools of nurse sharks, black tips, stingrays, marble rays and if you’re really lucky sometimes manta rays. One of the most amazing experiences Picco ever had was when the divers set up a runway with their lights. The manta rays began following the lights, collecting their planktons, it was an experience he will never forget.

 

Miyaru Kandu – Massive schools of sharks, iconic Maldives

Miyaru is the Dhivehi word for “shark” and Kandu means “ocean”. Dhivehi is the local language here in Maldives. Translated directly, this dive site is called Shark Channel. This dive site is a favourite amongst the locals here in Vaavu but also in Maldives. It is extremely well known for being able to see massive schools of sharks. Although, one thing to mention is that this is a dive site for experienced divers only. You need to be comfortable with currents and most notably schools of sharks. The dive begins by jumping in the open ocean and making your way closer to the reef. This allows for some protection from the strong current. If needed, you can hook yourself in and just enjoy the show. 

It is truly unlike anything I have ever witnessed before, HUGE schools of grey reef sharks, silver tips, black tips, white tips, eagle rays all pass through this channel regularly. At most, you can see up to 80+ sharks!!! It is truly an incredible dive. Once you are ready to unclip, the divers drift with the current through the channel. You will enjoy gorgeous coral life, moray eels, hawksbill sea turtles and more. 

Recently, there was a group of divers who were extremely lucky and during their safety stop, looked up and saw a healthy, beautiful 4m long whale shark! Now, whale sharks aren’t common in Vaavu Atoll, in fact they are rarely seen. Recently in Vaavu Atoll, however, this 4m long juvenile whale shark has been spotted roaming around this area 5 times now! So keep your head on a swivel. You never know if you may be the lucky one to spot her again!

 

Golden Wall – The most beautiful soft coral life I have ever laid my eyes on

If you are doing a liveaboard in Maldives you will most likely be doing a Deep South trip or Central Maldives. That being said, those who do the Central Maldives and pass through Vaavu never get the chance to go to the eastern side of Vaavu because it is quite far. Most of the liveaboards will stop at Alimathaa Night Dive and Miyaru Kandu which are great dive sites. But there are a few more dive sites that are THE BEST! 

Golden Wall is south east of the local island known as Keyodhoo. Golden Wall is another channel dive and gets its name because of the absolute stunning soft coral life you can see between 10m and 30m. Most of the time we hook in on the ocean side of the reef and watch the sharks pass through. Vaavu is known for its abundance of shark populations! Although we can’t see whale sharks, we make up for it in mass schools of grey reef sharks, silver tips, white tips and black tips.

Once you’ve enjoyed the sharks, we make our way into the channel to see some of the most beautiful soft coral life I have ever laid my eyes on. Caves and overhangs FULL of pink, green, yellow soft corals hang to make it so easy to just get lost in the beauty of the dive. The name Golden Wall is no joke! Golden Wall has healthy beautiful soft corals like I have never seen before. It is truly one of the most beautiful dive sites I have ever seen! It is so much fun to swim through the overhangs and go look at the caves. They have gorgeous honeycomb moray eels, nudi branches and so many other microorganisms.  With healthy coral life, comes a healthy fish population. So get ready to see schools of fish such as doctor fish, oriental sweetlips, batfish, lionfish, moray eels, anthias etc. 

Make sure to bring a camera and some good lights with you on this dive because the coral life is one you will want to remember forever!

 

Fotteyo Kandu – The Mecca of all dive sites in Vaavu atoll

If you didn’t think it could get any better, it can, and I saved the best for last! Fotteyo is the Mecca of all dive sites in Vaavu and really in all of central Maldives. Fotteyo Kandu gets it’s name because it is the channel connecting the main ocean to the the uninhabited island known as Fotteyo. It is also the most eastern point in the entire Maldives making it undiscovered and untouched!

Fotteyo Kandu is truly a divers paradise! And if you’re lucky, I’m sure you’ll be filling up tanks for a second dive to enjoy it one more time. The dive starts on the outer corner of the reef in the open ocean and from here, hook in, and enjoy the show! Hammerheads, oceanic mantas, reef manta rays, eagle rays, grey reef sharks, black tips, silver tips, mobula rays, the list goes on and on! I will note, the hammerheads are always seen at sunrise, so plan your dive ahead of time. They are usually seen around 30m making this dive site for more advanced divers! 

Once you’ve unhooked and you want to drift inside the channel, you can enjoy the beautiful caves and overhangs filled with bright coloured soft corals! And always keep your head on a swivel! There are school of dolphins, sharks and/or eagle rays passing by through the channel. With healthy coral, come schools of fish! Schools of barracudas, triggerfish, blue surgeons, maldivian anemone, tuna, trevallies and really the list just goes on! 

Favorite dive site in the Maldives

Picco has dived this channel multiple times and has always been surprised by what he can see! He’s done it for sunrise, he’s done it at high tide and low tide… And all of which have been a different dive with different marine life. Fotteyo Kandu still remains his favourite dive site in Maldives!

Ask your tour operator if you can have a visit Fotteyo island! This is the ultimate paradise because it is so far from other islands that not many visitors come here! Walk for 45 minutes down a sandy white pristine beach and find baby sharks swimming by the beach, beautiful palm trees, and serenity! Fotteyo actually has a lot of very interesting history and conspiracy theories within the Maldives. When the 2004 Tsunami in the Indian Ocean happened, most of those who died in Maldives were swept away with the current and most of the bodies were recovered on Fotteyo. Now, the Maldivians believe the island is haunted, but I have done overnight camping trips there and didn’t experience anything crazy, haha. Just an amazing place full of beauty and peace. 

 

Check out some liveaboards that go to Vaavu Atoll

 

Where and when to dive in Vaavu Atoll, Maldives

There are multiple ways of diving in Vaavu Atoll. I thought I would highlight some options for those who are interested in visiting Maldives and specifically Vaavu.

Firstly, the best season for diving in Vaavu is December to April. However, since the Tsunami in 2004, most locals will say that currents and seasons have shifted. So it can be very unpredictable on when the season will actually start. Your best bet is to plan your holiday for diving between January and April. This year (2019), for example, the incoming currents didn’t start until end of January.

Vaavu has five local islands and three of them have operating dive centres with local guest houses available.

 

Vaavu Fulidhoo

Fulidhoo is the most northern local island in Vaavu and has an incredible dive centre known as Fulidhoo Dive. Both the DM and the Instructors are locals who have a vast knowledge about diving in Maldives and in Vaavu. They run programs from DSD all the way to DM and can accommodate Nitrox divers as well! 

One thing to note is Fulidhoo is close by to Miyaru Kandu and Alimathaa. However, they are quite far from Fotteyo and Golden Wall. Nonetheless, Fulidhoo has some really incredible dive sites nearby such as Fulidhoo Caves and other beautiful pinnacle dives. 

If you’re looking for a place to stay in Fulidhoo Kinan Hotel is amazing. Their rooms are beautifully designed right in front of the harbour and next to the dive centre. They accommodate families and have different price packages depending on room type. 

 

Vaavu Thinadhoo

Thinadhoo is not only central in the atoll it is also the most beautiful local island in the atoll. With less than 20 locals actually living on the island it makes for an incredibly unique experience. 

Thinadhoo is a special place because you get a wide range of tourists but also different kinds of guest houses. On the island there is a large hotel known as Plumeria which has a variety of different room types. It also has its own dive centre as well. The current instructor from Plumeria is from Malaysia and the DM is from the Philippines. What makes Plumeria a nice place to dive is their dive boat. With its high speed, it can reach almost every single dive site in Maldives. They also have Nitrox available. However, the price at Plumeria is a little bit higher than the local dive shops.

Vavoy Beach View is a small guest house that I highly recommend staying at. With its gorgeous beach front restaurant, beach accessible rooms, outdoor showers and more, this guest house couldn’t be more perfect. The owner is from Thinadhoo and has done an excellent job at creating something very special and unique. The most amazing part of this place is how reasonable it can be. With different price packages such as full board, or bed and breakfast he can find a way to accommodate all travellers and is happy to help and assist with any needs! 

 

Vaavu Keyodhoo 

Keyodhoo is a 5 minute boat ride away from Thinadhoo with roughly 500 people living on the island. Keyodhoo is a great place to start your diving holiday. Muraka Dive Centre is an excellent dive centre that has been operating for 5 years now. The owner is a Maldivian who is the DM and his wife who is European is the instructor. Together, they run an amazing dive centre with top-of-the-line equipment and a beautiful double story local dive boat. 

Muraka Dive Centre actually has some rooms available at their dive centre so it makes for an awesome diving holiday! Otherwise, I recommend looking at Jupiter Sunrise which has two different locations on the island and different room types. They offer excursions other than diving and for a great price. There are several hotels on Keyodhoo so worth checking it out online and finding what suits best for your holiday!

With all of that being said, I am so happy to be a connection for anyone looking to come and dive in Vaavu so I can help book your holiday here!

Cheers,

Scuba Darling

 

Check out more dive resorts in Vaavu Atoll