Scuba diving in the Maldives – Bliss & Adrenaline

If you could define scuba diving in the Maldives in a few words those would be “spectacular” and “diverse”. In a country where 99% of its surface is the ocean, marine life thrives in unimaginable ways. This is what makes the Maldives an absolute paradise for scuba divers!

Each atoll in the Maldives has its own unique marine life. In this blog post we describe the different scuba diving highlights of the best areas. 

 

Northern atolls

Baa 

Baa atoll is the manta ray capital of the Maldives. Although its most popular manta hotspot, Hanifaru Bay, is for snorkelling only there are many cleaning stations. You can see mantas on almost any dive from May to November. Also, the coral blocks in this atoll house copious amounts of glass fish unlike anywhere else in the Maldives. 

 

Raa 

This atoll has a little bit of everything which Maldives scuba diving can to offer. Here you can find turtles, year-round manta rays, reef sharks, hard corals, soft corals and a vast array of fish life. 

 

Lhaviyani

This place is great for channel diving. Here you can spot massive schools of grey reef sharks while drift diving into these wondrous channels. Lhaviyani atoll is the perfect place for current lovers. 

 

Central atolls

North Male

The main highlights are its manta ray cleaning stations, some pretty spectacular soft coral sites and also diving with countless stingrays at the same place. All of this within close proximity to the international airport.

 

South Male

A great place for spotting grey reef sharks, doing channel diving and also for scuba diving in plentiful thilas (underwater pinnacles) with beautiful coral gardens.

 

North Ari

North Ari atoll has a great selection of beautiful thilas with hard and soft corals, channel diving, manta rays, eagle rays, turtles and grey reef sharks. 

 

South Ari

The most beautiful soft coral dive sites are in this atoll. This is also the best atoll to dive for whale sharks which you can spot all year round.

 

Vaavu

Vaavu atoll is famous for diving with sharks and in particular nurse sharks. The biggest aggregation of nurse sharks in the Maldives happens over here.

 

Southern atolls

Thaa

If you go to the right place at the right time then you have a great chance to spot a big school of hammerhead sharks. Manta rays and occasionally whale sharks can also be found here.

 

Meemu

A place to scuba dive in beautiful coral reefs, swim with manta rays, spot different types of reef sharks and find the occasional whale shark. 

 

Laamu

A great selection of all what Maldives has to offer regarding scuba diving. Here you can find beautiful healthy corals, turtles, manta rays, eagle rays, sharks and seagrass meadows.

 

Deep south atolls

Huvadhu

Huvadhoo atoll is a great place for the shark lovers. Here you can find white tip sharks, black tip sharks and grey reef sharks in great numbers. It is also possible to spot hammerhead sharks occasionally. The coral in this region is lively and very colourful.

 

Fuvamulah

This is undoubtedly the best place in the Maldives to dive with pelagic animals. The main highlight of Fuvamulah is the tiger shark diving. Here you can also spot grey reef sharks, thresher sharks and magnificent oceanic manta rays. 

 

Addu

Addu is the most southern atoll in the Maldives. The diving here is very diverse. From massive walls completely covered in soft coral to wrecks and beautiful pinnacles. Because of it’s unsheltered from the currents location, Addu is home to the only manta cleaning station where you can spot these wonderful giants all year round.

 

Best time to scuba dive in the Maldives

The best time to scuba dive in the Maldives will vary depending on the atoll. The Maldives have two seasons. The southwest monsoon extends from May to November and the northeast monsoon extends from December to April. 

The atolls in the Maldives that are good for scuba diving all year round are the Northern, Central and South-Central atolls. If you want to scuba dive in the Southern Atolls it is best to do so during the northeast monsoon, as the sea conditions can be rough between May and November. 

 

Resort, local island or liveaboard?

If you are solely interested in logging some mind-blowing dives then the best would be to go on a liveaboard. They will normally visit four to five atolls in seven days and you can choose from different routes (Northern, Central, South-Central and Southern). An alternative will be to go to a diver’s resort where it is possible to do shore dives from the house reef, apart from the regularly scheduled scuba diving boat trips.

If you are looking for the best prices and to experience the Maldivian culture, then your best option will be to stay in a local island. 

If you are looking for a combination between diving holiday and spending some relaxing time while enjoying beautiful facilities with a different cuisines every day, then your best option will be a resort.

Also, if there is some specific type of diving you want to do, for example, let’s say you want to see a whale shark, we suggest staying in just one atoll which is good for that specific type of diving. This way you will have the highest chance for your dream encounter!

If you decide to visit more than one atoll, we strongly suggest visiting no more than two (except if you are on a liveaboard).

In the Maldives the transfers between islands can be quite lengthy and often costly. The type of transportation to go from atoll to atoll normally would be speedboat, seaplane, domestic flight or a combination of the two. It is often, however, that because of the lack of demand, all connections happen through Male, where the international airport is.

We personally recommend splitting your time between the different types of “stays” and combine a liveaboard with a few days in a resort or local island. 

 

Editors’ choice

Our top pick in the Central Atolls is the LUX* South Ari. This beautiful resort combines luxury and hip vibes with the iconic scenery of the Maldives. What truly sets it apart, however, is its prime location in one of the world’s top spots for whale shark encounters. Whether you’re snorkelling or scuba diving,  you will have the unique opportunity to swim alongside these gentle giants literally just off the water villas. Prepare for an experience that is both awe-inspiring and unforgettable!

 

Marine life

The marine life you can expect to see throughout the Maldives is manta rays, green and hawksbill turtles, different types of reef sharks, nurse sharks, stingrays, eagle rays, macro life and big schools of fish.  An interesting fact is that the Maldives has the largest population of reef manta rays in the world. In regards to coral life most dive sites in the Maldives feature beautiful soft corals and hard corals. 

 

Types of dive sites

The different types of scuba diving sites that can be found in the Maldives are: kandus, thilas, farus and giris.  

Kandu (channel)

The channels are the connections between the inner part of the atoll to the ocean and they are the places with the strongest currents, which makes them great locations for shark diving. 

Thila (pinnacle)

The thilas are submerged pinnacles where the top of the reef is never shallower than five meters. These are the best places to find colourful soft corals, hard corals and endless schools of fish. Turtles, octopus, different types of rays, macro life and reef sharks also frequent this dive locations.

Faru & Giri (shallow reefs)

The Faru and the Giri are shallow reefs where the top is very close to the surface. They are normally the easiest locations to dive in the Maldives and they feature hard corals, lots of fish life, turtles, white tip sharks, rays, among some other beautiful marine creatures.

 

Scuba diving conditions in the Maldives

The water temperature in Maldives is always around 30°C/85°F. In general, the season in which the water is crystal-clear and has the calmest sea is from December to April. Also, the strongest currents are during this season which carry lots of nutrients attracting a lot of marine life. Going up the food chain, this means you can spot even more sharks during this time.

 

Tips for travellers

Your scuba certification

If you want to dive in the best spots in the Maldives then you need at least an Advanced Open Water certification and a minimum of 40 logged dives. 

If you are a newly certified diver then what better place than the Maldives continue your training and gain more experience? Here you will definitely learn how to dive in stronger currents and your guides will be more than happy to teach you this new skill.

If you want to do your first diving certification in the Maldives, you will be spoiled by experiencing world class diving from your very first dives. The Maldives will certainly make you fall in love with marine life, so it is a great place to get started with scuba diving.

 

Regulations

The Maldives has strict regulations regarding the depth scuba divers can do. If you are a certified Open Water Diver the maximum depth allowed for you is 20 meters / 65 feet. If you are an Advanced Open Water diver or higher the maximum depth allowed for you is 30 meters / 100 feet. The dives are limited to a maximum of one hour and as per the country’s regulation divers need to wait 24 hours between their last dive and going on an airplane.

When diving from a liveaboard reef hooks are a must, and provided by the diving operators, so be prepared to learn how to use them even if you have never use one before!

 

What if you are a non-swimmer? Can you do scuba diving?

The answer is yes. To do this, you need to attend a Discover Scuba Diving session where you will be under direct supervision from a scuba instructor the whole time. This session is normally split in two parts. The first part consists in a theory session and an underwater session in shallow water to make sure you are comfortable underwater before the actual dive. The second part is dive up to 12 meter / 40 feet depth where an instructor will be holding you and looking after you the whole time. 

 

How much does it cost?

In addition, the price of a dive for certified divers ranges from 60 USD to 250 USD per dive. The price of a Discover Scuba Diving session is between 150 USD to 300 USD per person and the price for an Open Water course ranges from 500 USD to 1700 USD. These prices will vary depending on your type of accommodation. Resort prices tend to be higher than local island prices, also the higher the category of the resort the higher the diving prices will be. The price for a one-week liveaboard trip is between 2000 USD and 3500 USD, depending on the route and the time of the year.

 

What to bring to the Maldives for a diving holiday?

The basic things you need to bring are rash guards and leggings with sun protection, reef safe sunscreen and swimming suits. For your own comfort will want to have your own dive computer, mask, snorkel and fins. Take flip-flops, but you should know that in most places you will be mainly barefoot. If you decide to bring your full dive gear even better (and you will save some money in rental fees).

If you are going on a liveaboard, we highly recommend you check out our packing checklist!

 

Scuba diving vs snorkelling

There are many places in the Maldives where you can see a lot of marine life just by snorkelling so if you are a marine life lover and only like to snorkel you can still have great encounter with beautiful animals just by using a mask, snorkel and a pair of fins. That being said, if you really want to see the best marine life in the Maldives and experience what we call “documentary like moments” then scuba diving is a must!