A Protected Marine Area, this offers one of the best-known dives in the Maldives. There is a remarkable variety of marine life on the thila, including grey reef sharks, white tip sharks, turtles, stonefish, frogfish, zebra morays, batfish and many, many more species. At the edge of the thila, where there is a large coral overhang full of bright orange Tubastrea corals.The top of the rock, at 15m (50ft), is covered in colourful soft corals. The vertical side of the rock drops down to the atoll plate at 40m (130ft). In this channel between the satellite rock and the thila, grey reef sharks often patrol and we have seen guitar shark here on a number of occasions.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 40m

Hafza Thila is in the middle of the Atoll, 35 minutes south from Velidhu. Normally there is not a lot of current. You can easily dive around the thila two times during one dive, but take your time. There are nice overhangs on each side, in which you can find stingrays, morays and scorpion fish. Don’t stay too long in the deep area, because the top reef is not very shallow (10 - 12m) and you might run out of time! Save some time for the top reef, there are very nice hard corals!

A huge variety of marine life can be expected here. Batfish, blue striped snapper and barracudas are schooling in the blue. Big sharks, jackfish and trevallys are hunting in the current. Watch out for turtles on the top reef and try to find some scorpion fish and stonefish! You may find octopus, slugs and shrimps in the beautiful hard corals of the top reef.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth:

Two hours of boat trip in the southwest of Velidhu is Maalhos Thila, otherwise known as "Blue Caves". This is really one of the best dive sites in the Maldives! Plenty of caves and overhangs in the south part (20-30m) and the soft corals are overgrowing all! It looks like a huge cake with white and pink whip! The ceilings are covered in soft corals in a mixture of colours, mostly white but also blue and violet - the decorated caves make a surreal back drop for underwater photographers. In the south there are a few big blocks 20m apart of the main reef.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth:

Those huge caverns are among the largest and the nicest of all the Maldives tourists’ atolls. 2 big caves close to one another are just 50m from the corner, one at 20m, and the other one at 16, the latest one is 70m long and has a curly overhang. Inside the pass you come to one cave at about 10m with a hole going all the way to the top reef at 5m. With a torch it is even better.

Inside the caves, we will see yellow sponges, seafans, blue soft coral, small tube corals and often giant morays, as well as squirrelfish, and many groupers. Along the reef we should see clown triggerfish, Napoleon, sweetlips, and angelfish, and this is a great site to spot many turtles, especially green turtles.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth:

This site is a little channel on the north side of Guraidhoo channel. This channel has a very shallow, narrow sandy canyon, separating the inside from the outside. The channel deepens inside to a sandy bottom at 30m, and the reef slopes from 6m to 30m on the outside.

Here divers can encounter plenty of fish life inside the channel and especially inside the canyon. School of pyjamas, lutjans, fusiliers, butterflies are very common. At the entrance of the canyon, with an in going or out going, white tips reef sharks are very often spotted as well as napoleon. The canyon is the high light due to the quantity and diversity of fish and also to the reflection of the light on the sandy bottom.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m

The Guraidhoo Corner lies on the east side of the South Male’ Atoll, outside of the reef. Nearby islands are Losfushi, Guraidhoo and Kandooma. On the edges of the channel, at depths ranging from 25 to 30 meters, you will have the best chances to observe great many grey reef sharks, local school of eagle rays, large hammerhead sharks, whale sharks and. Guraidhoo Corner is also home to large schools of oriental sweetlips, bannerfish and large black-and-white striped snappers.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m

The Felidhoo is a sloping wall with overhangs and divers can expect to see white tip reef sharks, banner fish, stingrays, boxfish, barracuda and fusiliers.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m

The square-shaped reef is about 80 metres wide and can be circled in one dive if divers wish, providing the current is not too strong. There are ledges and caves at different depths around much of the reef and for the most part, there is a big undercut from about 25 to 30 metres before the reef tapers to the bottom slopes. The north and north west sides have a particular interesting landscape at reasonably shallow depths, making it ideal for the less experienced diver, while at depth, are caves with all the usual features including sea fans and black coral bushes. Divers tend to stay shallower at Fish Head, hovering around the reef edge at about 15 metres as this gives the best all round view of a family of about 20 resident grey reef sharks.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m

This is considered one of the best night dives in the Maldives. Every night there is a show performed by a big number of nurse sharks, stingrays and massive jacks. Definitely not to be missed.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 18

The most spectacular channel dive of the atoll. There are a few different ways to dive it but crossing the channel offers the most exciting encounters with big fish. Although it might seem very easy it is not recommended for not experienced divers due to washing machines created by the current. Staying close to the dive guide and same positioning will make crossing the channel easier. Negative entry is recommended.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 18

Diving in North Ari Atoll is not famous for corals, and in fact, many dive spots may seem a little dull in terms of the coral splendor. However, the main attraction of this part of the atoll is the regular encounters with big marine life including reef and hammerhead sharks.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 18

Explore the captivating underwater world of North Male Atoll with its renowned dive sites like Lankan Manta Point and Fish Factory. Encounter vibrant coral reefs, diverse marine life including mantas, sharks, and colorful reef fish, making it a diver's paradise.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 18

A beautiful pinnacle just 10 minutes from Rahdhiga Island, Rahdhiga Thila is impressive from the second you swim down to 30m to look at some grey reef sharks, then moving up to the overhangs with their beautiful dripping blue, yellow and orange soft coral between 8m and 18m. Then finish the dive at 3m to 6m with some impressive table-top coral for a pleasantly relaxing safety stop.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30

A magnificent long thin pinnacle in the middle of a channel between Cocoa Corner and Kandooma Island Resort, this is one of the few channels in the Maldives where it doesn't matter which way the current is going - it will be a spectacular dive! Grey reef sharks and eagle rays are likely companions here. Magnificent overhangs with draping colourful soft coral and shark cleaning stations await those who dive this challenging but rewarding dive site.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30

11km of reef stretches along the south of Ari Atoll, which is home to whalesharks coming up for a feed. Thought to be a 'nursery' for whalesharks, the South of Ari Atoll is a place where you can find juvenile whalesharks all year round.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 18

This is a cleaning station which many Mantas are visiting. A lot of snappers and oriental sweet lips. Diver can keep on his knees to watch a huge mantas passing by or hook himself to a dead coral and float above the bottom.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 24

Grey reef sharks are common visitors at Guriadhoo Kandu when the currents are incoming, along with several pelagic species and eagle rays.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 18

This is the perfect site for a night dive. Typically, Nurse Sharks, Black Tips, Marble Rays and Jacks are seen here.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 15

The best diving is on the outside corner of Dhiggaru Falhu, with lots of cavities and small swimthroughs, as well as lots of nice overhangs in the entrance to the channel. The area is covered in soft coral and hard coral groups grow up from the sandy patch, where white tip sharks and stingrays rest.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 18

Expect to see Napoleons, turtles, moray eels and a lot of reef fish. In the blue water pegalics can often be seen passing by. There are caves and overhangs with walls packed full of yellow, blue, pink and white soft coral.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 32

The channel is narrow and features swim-throughs, small caves and large overhangs. The drop-off at the channel entrance is covered in colourful soft corals. Titan triggerfish are common here along with grey reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, tuna and barracuda. You might be lucky enough to get a glimpse of hammerhead sharks in the most outer side of the channel. This is also where eagle rays can be spotted, along with big groupers such as the potato grouper and the black saddle coral groupers. Look out for sting rays resting on the patch of sand and turtles on the channel walls.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 18

The top of the wheelhouse is at 24 meters and the propeller is at about 27 meters. Coral is already well established on Fesdu Wreck, and a couple of good sized black coral bushes are growing off the stern. Among the superstructure are moray eels and in the engine room are big groupers. The wreck lies at the end of a small Thila that is about fifty meters out from Viligilee Falhu reef. There is extensive soft and hard coral growth all over the Thila and plenty of fish life, few caves and little coral rock formation.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 20

This site is located opposite the similarly named island & features a slope. There are a large number of cavern-like overhangs between 20 & 40m depth from which this site is named. These overhangs are densely covered in blue & yellow soft coral as well as black coral. Nurse sharks can often be found resting here. Stingrays can often be seen on the slopes & if one looks closely, there are numerous nudibranchs also to be found.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 40

You can find Outstanding Typically, visibility is Good ( 10 - 30 m)
The average depth is 20 m / 65.6 ft although the maximum depth you can reach is 32 m / 105 ft
To reach Machchafushi Wreck you have to do it By boat & from shore
This dive site is best suited for CMAS ** / AOW divers.

• Dive Type: Wreck Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 32m

During north-east monsoon is a good manta gathering point. Out of this season it can be a very nice drift dive with great outcrops and nice reef fishes. On the more southern part, the kandu cuts in weird ways the thila, creating nice cavities within the steep wall. In this side there use to be dog toothed tuna, napoleon and grey reef and white tip sharks.Currents can be very strong, and drifting the thila will be over in less than 30 minutes. Be prepared for an open water safety stop.

• Dive Type: Drift Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m

This is a well-known drift diving site due to the very fast currents that flow through the area but it is also known for the many sea turtles that come to the area between January and May. The site has the normal features of a Maldives site with a good healthy reef, many overhangs, and even a large cave.

The dive site is a sloping reef with a maximum depth of 30 metres and with visibility reaching 25 metres, divers can nearly make out the bottom of the ocean from the surface. The dive averages out at around 15 metres. The reef is found on Kalhahandhi Huraa, which is an island. The name Kalhahandhi translates as trevally and so divers can expect to see these fish whilst visiting the site.

The many trevallies are accompanied by many grey reef sharks, barracuda, white tip reef sharks, and black tip reef sharks. In between February and March, it is also very common to spot many manta rays in the area. About one metre below the reef, there is a set of channels that provide shelter from the current. Divers can stop there to see the many basslets, dotty backs, and fusiliers that are also seeking respite from the fast moving currents. Out into the ocean, divers will be able to see many midnight snappers, rabbitfish, unicornfish, tuna, and schools of rainbow runners.

• Dive Type: Drift Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m

You can find big fish, abundant fish life Typically, visibility is 20m+
The average depth is 20m although the maximum depth you can reach is 30m
To reach Faru Kolhu you have to do it Boat

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m

This is a very interesting formation, with a wall of seafans on the outside of the main peak, and some pinncacles on the western side. There is a tunner to swimthrough cutting the reef at 16m where yellow sweepers stay. At the north side there are another two pinnacles starting at 20m, with a narrow canyon between them. The dive can be very deep and currents treacherous.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 40m

Dive sites around Angaga Island provide some of the best diving in Maldives. Most divers associate Ari Atoll with pelagic species but the dive sites of South-Ari Atoll host creatures large and small. From the smallest nudibranch or frog fish to the largest fish in the ocean, the whale shark, these waters have something for all divers.

Often strong currents in Maldives, you will find drift dives are common and quick descents may be necessary. Once you are on the dive site though, currents are easily managed and the scenery is spectacular!

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m