Maldives liveaboard – Diving the iconic Central Atolls

So you are thinking of booking a Maldives liveaboard trip? Maybe you are wondering whether to stay in a resort or dive from a liveaboard. Maybe you have already made up your mind about a liveaboard trip but not sure which route to take. In this article we tell you everything about the Central Atolls route, aka “Best of Maldives”.

On our blog, you can also find why the Maldives Deep South route is a top bucket list experience. You can also read what a trip to the North looks like and what the pros and cons of resort vs liveaboard diving are.

Now to the iconic itinerary, which covers the best dive sites of five different atolls in just 7 days!

The Central Atolls route

For a first time Maldives liveaboard experience the Central Atolls route is probably the best choice. This route is also called “Best of Maldives” and it includes five atolls which are North Male, South Male, North Ari, South Ari and Vaavu.

These atolls have world class dive sites where the first highlight are the channel dives (Kandus). It is really what the Maldives are all about. The best experience is when the current comes in from the outer ocean into the atolls and brings in all the nutrients. With an incoming current you drop in the blue and drift in to the channel, hook in and enjoy “shark tv” as sharks, tuna and other larger predator fish patrol up and down the “channel mouth”.

Here you will find also deep pinnacles (Thilas) and shallow pinnacles (Giris). On those dives you can expect to see beautiful coral reefs abundant in fish life and sites with graceful mantas either feeding or getting pampered by the cleaning wrasses.

Some of the most iconic dive sites in the “Best of Maldives” liveaboard route

Fish Tank, aka Tuna Factory (North Male Atoll)

Probably the most densely populated dive site as the name suggests. You will be surrounded by banner fish as soon as you hit the water. As you make your way down you will already spot dozens of moray and honeycomb eels as well as countless stingrays. As you might have already guessed, the dive site is right next to a tuna factory and it is the fishbone disposal which attracts hundreds of fish. You will be blown away by this feeding frenzy!

Maaya Thila (North Ari Atoll)

Although this site is only 80 meters in diameter, it has an explosion of life where common sightings are white tip sharks, grey reef sharks, healthy colourful corals, dogtooth tuna, schools of fusiliers and yellow snappers as well as a large variety of reef fish. 

Fish Head (North Ari Atoll)

This is one of the reasons the route is called Best of Maldives. This dive site gives you chance to encounter big schools of grey reef sharks and eagle rays. Another common sighting are big schools of fusiliers, napoleons and barracudas. 

Fesdu Wreck (North Ari Atoll)

This wreck lies at 30m/100tf and is completely covered in soft corals. You will find many lion fish and millions of sweepers. Once you are close to your NDL (no decompression limit) you will make your way to a nearby thila. The top of this shallow pinnacle is covered by a carpet of small anemones, which wiggle around in the current.

7th Heaven (South Ari Atoll)

This dive site is a gigantic soft coral garden and it is hands-down the biggest, or at least one of the biggest, soft coral dive sites in the Maldives. The colours of these soft corals are blue, pink, yellow, orange and green. A true technicolor experience. In this coral garden you can also find an astonishing variety of fish and other marine life.

Moofushi (South Ari Atoll)

Moofushi is a hard coral dive site the main highlight of which are the manta rays. This reef is actually a cleaning station which mantas regularly visit to get bacteria and parasites removed from their mouths and bodies by little cleaning wrasses. If you are a macro lover, there’s also a small leaf fish which likes to hide inside this cleaning station.

NB: Make sure to stay out of the cleaning station when manta rays are present. Also, position yourself in such a way that you do not block the manta’s way when they enter and exit the cleaning station.

Kuda Rah Thila (South Ari)

This is one of the most beautiful coral reefs in the Maldives and it is abundant in healthy corals. This place features massive schools of yellow snappers as well as reef sharks and a big variety of Maldivian fish species.   

Alimatha (Vaavu Atoll)

This site is mostly a sandy bottom between 12 to 20 meters / 40 to 65 feet and what makes it stand out from the rest is the big schools of nurse sharks either resting on the bottom or swimming all around. Often, you will do Alimatha as a night dive and it is a true spectacle to swim with up to 200 sharks and stingrays.

Kandooma thila (South Male)

Saving the best for last! Kandooma Thila is a tear drop shaped Thila situated in a channel. This dive site has been voted amongst the top 10 in the world and it is truly spectacular.

Here you will see countless grey reef sharks, schooling eagle rays, turtles and all the fish you can find in the books. As you drift away from the main attraction, you can also find a shark cleaning station.

Best time to go

If you are planing a liveaboard trip in the Maldives note that diving is mostly good all year round but the best visibility will definitely be between January and April. This is also the high season and the prices will be higher than the rest of the year. So if you are looking to find a better deal we would suggest to book outside those dates.

Marine life

Minimum requirements for a Maldives liveaboard trip

You need to be an Advances Open Water diver with 20+ logged dives to make the most of any liveaboard trip in the Maldives. Here, the local regulations allow Open Water Divers to dive to a maximum of 20 meters while Advanced Open Water Divers are allowed to dive to a maximum depth of 30 meters.

Although some liveaboard will take Open Water divers, almost all the best dive sites in the Maldives are below 20 meters. You can, of course, get certified onboard!

We would personally recommend to have at least 50 logged dives and be comfortable with currents. Being a Nitrox certified diver will also make a big difference to your experience on any Maldives liveaboard. This will allow you to stay longer underwater, especially as you will be logging 3-4 dives a day.

Logistics

The logistics run very smoothly. Once your international flight lands in the Male, the dive operator will have organised someone to wait for you at the arrivals hall. Then you will have a short boat transfer from the airport directly to the liveaboard.

One great advantage of the Central Atolls route is that it does not require any domestic flights. Your starting and finishing point will be the international airport in Male.

Another great advantage of booking a liveaboard in the Maldives is that it is pretty much an all-inclusive dive trip! How great is that?

The liveaboard fare includes accommodation, all meals, snacks, all dives and transportation to and from the airport. The only extras you have to pay for are dive equipment rental (one of the reasons why it might be better to have your own equipment), Nitrox (some boats offer it for free though), bar consumption, international flights and WiFi.

Other highlights

Depending on the conditions, many operators organise a night dive with manta rays. If you have never done that, then imagine the following: The divers line up in two rows, kneeling opposite each other and point their dive lights up. This creates a sort of a runway and as plankton is attracted to the light, manta rays would come to feed on it. You will have these magnificent creatures glide by you just inches away and barrow roll right in front of you!

A similar experience is created when at night the boat crew positions a large projector pointing towards the water at the stern. This is usually done above deep waters and you can have the chance to see whale sharks, manta rays and nurse sharks coming to feed. A simply spectacular sight!

If you want to join a Maldives liveaboard but you also don’t want to miss out on having an island experience, we have great news for you! During the trip there is normally a BBQ dinner on a sandbank where you will feel like a real castaway surrounded by the natural beauty watching a magnificent sunset.

Another breathtaking experience is watching the stars at night from the top deck. You will be literally in the middle of the Indian Ocean, which means no light pollution and beautiful starry nights. 

Our top traveller’s tips

If WiFi is a must for you, it is best to buy a tourist SIM card at the airport. The two options are Ooredo and Dhiragu with offers of 17 GB and 100 GB two week data plans for around 37 USD and 50 USD respectively. Liveaboards also sell internet codes on board but these are typically 5 GB only and more expensive than getting a tourist SIM card. 

To be fully prepared for your scuba vacation, we recommend to have a look at our extensive list on what to pack for a dive trip. You will find all the essentials and we also advise on the stuff, which can stay at home so you can pack smartly.