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

Beside Kudarah Thila this is most probably the most, well known dive site in south-Ari atoll. A 2m wide Canyon splits this small thila in two parts, from the west towards east side, which gives this reef its name. This Canyon is the main attraction, on this wonderful submerged reef, covered in soft corals. On the north side at a depth of around 25-30m are two big coral blocks with overhangs, and beautiful fan corals which (torchlight recommended!) are well worth a visit. The top reef has intact hard coral growth and with some luck, even a leaf fish can be spotted along with a variety of marine life. Depth and strong currents make this thila suitable for experienced divers only - watch your no-decompression limits!

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 35m

Regularly an encounter with the giant manta rays is common on this reef, from December until April the big manta rays can be watched during there feeding and cleaning procedure in cleaning stations on the top reef. A close approach is possible, but don’t touch or chase them; otherwise they will disappear in the blue. The reef itself drops on the east side steep down to 25m where the sand bottom starts. The big overhangs at 20m are a good start of the dive before you go shallower and follow the reef edge on the 12m area where the mantas can be seen most of the time. The reef top has nice marine life, moray eels, octopuses, lion fish and a few napoleons make this place, even without manta rays a real adventure.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 25m

Reethi” means “beautiful” in Divehi, the language of the Maldives, and this dive site deserves this name! This site is around 45 minutes at the eastside of the atoll and is exposed in both seasons. The shape of the reef is like the back of a camel with two hills. Both top reefs are deeper than 10m and between them there is a valley in the depth of 18m. The coral life on the top reef is exceptionally rich. But strong current can make the impression that the current is coming from everywhere and therefore only for experienced divers can dive here!

In Reethi Thila you can always find a lot of fish, because most of the time there is some current. So usually trevallies, tunas, millions of fusiliers, snappers and anthias will welcome you here. On the top reef you can find nice corals with scorpion fish, mantis shrimps and sometimes a turtle. Stingrays in the caves or on the top reef, and often white tip shark and grey reef shark make this dive site unforgettable.

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

Cocoa Corner is located on the north side of the Biyadoo channel. The wall of the channel is steep and we can find many caves and overhangs, whereas the outside reef slopes more gently. Inside the channel 200m from the corner, is a large outcrop of reef 20m long at the depth of 30m.

The best conditions are with an in-going current even if it is also possible with an out-going. Watch out with an out-going to go down before the large outcrop. We might also witness “washing machine” with an in-going current knowing that they will not be as strong as other dive sites.

The outside corner offers a great diversity of fish life. School of pyjamas, snappers, fusiliers, many groupers are very often seen. We can even spot on the corner at 30m some white tips reef sharks, eagle rays, grey reef sharks. There is also a great quantity of colourful soft coral after the corner in-between 10 and 20m. Some beautiful caves and overhangs finishing the dive with an in-going current or start it with an out-going.

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

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

Thila shaped like a teardrop, between 16 and 30m deep, it is about 250m long of one of the most spectacular dive of this atoll, for scenery as well as a prolific fish life. The west and north coast are covered with soft corals and schools of red bass or even big-eye trevallies.

The north and West Coast are the most impressive, top reef is about 20m. There are some outcrops and overhangs where the soft coral outgrowth is very good, but the nicest feature there is the nearly sure meeting with grey sharks, white tip sharks and eagle rays that should be found on the north east of the reef, along with tuna and barracuda. To finish in style on the top reef where the hard coral is still intact, green turtles and maybe a school of batfish might accompany us.

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

The reef is on the west side of Rihiveli. The top reef is between 5 and 10 m, and is dropping slowly to a sand patch at around 30 m. Overhangs can be found in at all depths, but some lovely caves around 12m offer a great variety of coral, white tip shark, turtles, lobster. This is our favourite place for night dives.

All kind of tropical fish are there, butterfly, sweetlips, angel or trigger, but we can also see the white tip sharks either in the caves around 12m, or down on the sand at 25m, lobsters and big groupers are hiding in those caves, as well as turtles.
Great site to spot torpedo ray or stingrays, leaf fish are not rare there if we look well enough, lionfish are very numerous, and the coral on the overhangs are very delicate. Big Napoleon as well as mantis shrimp or ribbon eels can also be seen.

• 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

Kuredo Express is one of the most famous dive sites in the Lhaviyani Atoll. Express gets its name from the strong currents that can flow here. The Sandy channel leads to a corner where there are terraces of different depths, perfect for action encounters with grey reef sharks, eagle rays, large tuna, napoleons, stingrays and barracuda.

• Dive Type:
• Diver Level:
• Max Depth:

Maadhoo Wreck is located on the south side of Dapparhu Island in the Haa Alifu Atoll. This beautiful 80 metres long wreck immediately presents you with 4 chimneys rising out of the water and it is easily accessible at a depth of 5 to 18 metres. As you descend to the deepest point of the dive, you'll see leopard sharks hiding from the moderate current beneath the stern.

• Dive Type:
• Diver Level:
• Max Depth:

Large and shallow plateaus (10 - 20 ft) on the west side of the atoll, right next to the wide lagoon of Rasfari. It is covered with hard corals and hosts a cleaning station during the northeast monsoon. The most common way to do the dive here is to start on top of the reef, which is protected from the currents and after spending some time with the mantas continue the dive towards the wall that drops down to about 75 feet. The wall is nicely covered with hard corals, rich with fish life and popular with turtles.

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

One of the channel dives that you don’t want to miss. With strong incoming current the list of possible encounters is impressive. Mainly grey reef sharks but also whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, napoleons and tunas are quite common and with the visibility reaching 120 feet during the northeast monsoon it can be the highlight of the trip.

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

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

Scuba diving the Maldives' Baa Atoll is to scuba dive in one of the greatest biospheres on Earth. The region harbors significant biodiversity of reef animals, hard and soft corals, reef fish species, turtles, manta rays and any number of shark species. Baa Atoll scuba diving is also famous for offering one of the largest gathering of manta rays worldwide.

• 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

The famous Hanifaru Bay, which is known locally as Vandhumaafaru Adi, is thought to be one the few places in the world where whale sharks congregate in to mate, although recent research suggests otherwise with the vast majority of the whale sharks seen there being young males. The bay also regularly sees some of the largest gatherings of Manta rays worldwide with up to one hundred individuals in the small inlet when the tide pushes plankton into the bay.

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

With high chances of spotting Manta rays, especially during rising tides. The Thila (pinnacle) has several overhangs, with the most interesting parts are the west, east and south sides where you may encounter ghost pipefish, stingrays and Manta rays.

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

Dhigu in the Maldivian language means Long and Thila means pinnacle, and that is exactly what this dive site is, a long thin pinnacle in Baa Atoll, starting at 6m and descending down to 30m. Between 12 and 25m there are some interesting overhangs with some soft coral and Gorgonian Fan coral. Look out for Leaf Fish, Frog Fish and Stonefish, as well as nudibranchs, white tip reef sharks and perhaps the odd Manta passing in its way to it from Hanifaru Bay.

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

Also known as 'Big Shark Channel', this is another top dive site and certainly lives up to its name. Dropping in at the south eastern corner you keep the reef on your left until you reach the drop off at the channel entrance which is approximately 30 metres deep. This site features small caves and numerous overhangs, and there is a sloping section on the left side of the channel covered in hard coral and some soft coral.

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

Thaa Atoll (also known as Kolhumadulu) is among the least visited dive destinations in the Maldives. This round atoll has a combined landmass close to nine kilometres, with no single island larger than a square kilometre. The mesmerizingly beautiful series of 66 tiny islands that make up the atoll are surrounded by spectacularly clear water with underwater wonders and beauty yet to be discovered. Some dives have strong currents but this brings in the pelagic such as Hammerheads, Whale Sharks and dolphins especially at night. Expect large reefs, coral gardens, steep walls and overhangs plus action packed channels.

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

Laamu Atoll (also known as Haddhunmathi Atoll) is an oval shaped southern atoll. It measures 48 km in length and 35 km in width, and has some of the top dive sites in the world such as Guraidhoo and Gan; this Maldives Atoll is situated 32 southeast of Kolhumandulu Atoll and 95 km north of Huvadhoo Atoll. Laamu Atoll boasts numerous pristine dive sites with many different features like caves, steep drop offs, swim-throughs, not to mention the abundance of marine life and beautiful topography. Expect beautiful fish-filled channels with great shark encounters.

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

The high concentration of plankton present in these waters gathers a large number of filter feeders, including the large manta rays. Some swim alone, but most are in groups of three, five, eight, even fifteen, twenty advancing in single file forming long undulating ribbons. Plenty of colourful coral structures can be seen with clown fish swimming between the tectacles of orange anemones. The synchronous and harmonic movement of a school of hundreds of yellow snappers is a beautiful view and you may even spot a turtle.

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

Dhonfanu Thila is a topographically beautiful dive site that has a pinnacle surrounded by changing currents. There are many overhangs and drop-offs around it, but the narrow swim-through is the most exciting part. It leads to a pool with a lighter current that is full of various species. This dive site is well-known for manta rays and larger pelagic fish as well as being full of cleaner wrasses, fusiliers, triggerfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish, and lots of soldierfish.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 25

Christmas Tree Rock is a dive site that has a large pinnacle in a shape of a Christmas tree. It is composed of plateaus, ledges, an arrow-shaped rock, swim-throughs and magnificent coral reefs. This dive site shelters a variety of species living between various types of soft and hard corals, colorful sponges, gorgonians and purple fans. It is easy to spot whitetip reef sharks, stingrays, midnight parrotfish, grouper, and wrasses. Other fish include blennies, yellow-lined snapper, basslets, trumpetfish, and dottybacks.

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

Two storage vessels caught fire while being towed in the process of being deposited in the 1980s. Both ships were almost vertical on the reef of a channel, resting on a sandy bottom at about 30m. One of them remains in its initial position, but the second one fell on the bottom during a violent storm. It is very easy to spot the site due to one boat's bow, which is visible from the surface. The wrecks are still in a good condition and now host a rich fauna. Tinny blennies nesting throughout the ends of shattered pipes, damsels, butterfly fish, emperor angelfish and anthias are normally found all over the wreckages. A large number of glassfish as well as few well-camouflaged scorpion fish can certainly be spotted. You will sometimes find stingrays having a good sleep beneath the wreckage.

• 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

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

Grey Reef Sharks and large pelagics can be seen at this site as well as manta rays, Napoleon Wrasse Eagle Rays and Sailfish.

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

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

Situated in a channel between two islands its possible to encounter some larger species such as grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, mako sharks and even hammerhead sharks. There is also the chance of seeing manta rays, eagle rays, barracuda, travellies and groupers. The corners and overhangs that can be found along the site are nicely covered with blue and white soft corals.

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

Eagle Rays Soldier fish, Blue-Lined Snapper, Nurse Shark, White tip Shark Leopard, Guitar Shark and Stingrays can be expected to be seen here.

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

You can expect to see Bannerfish, Napoleon Wrasses, Turtles, Groupers, Eagle Rays, Turtles and Moray Eels at this site.

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

This dive site is a narrow and curved reef which is situated on the northern side of the island of Dharavandhoo. You can see Napoleons, stingrays and turtles. During the South West Monsoon, manta rays can also be spotted here.

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

You can expect to spot both sharks and manta rays when diving at this site.

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

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

Feydhoo Caves (also known as Feydhoo Finolhu or Feydhoo Wall) is located north of Malé, Maldives. The reef is an upright wall with lots of holes, clefts, and swim-throughs. At some places, there is almost a 90-degree drop-off. There are swim-throughs and small overhangs at shallower depths, and prolonged overhangs at the deeper areas of the wall. The wall is covered with sponges and corals. This site gives the divers an opportunity to explore caves, walls, reefs, as well as lots of marine life such as fish, sharks, eagle rays, turtles, sponges and corals.

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

This site is known for its schooling fish and jacks which attract large numbers of white tip reef sharks, whilst tuna and eagle rays wait for the leftovers. Keep an eye out for large napoleon wrasse who may been seen nibbling on the corals.

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

A very shallow channel with several cleaning stations for Manta Rays. Sharks and Napoleons are also usual sightings as an almost unbelievably large field of sand eels.

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

While crossing this dive site from one corner to the other, look in the sandy areas for stingrays and check above you for eagle rays flying in formation. The occasional white-tip and grey reef shark can be spotted swimming along the channel edge. As you approach the corners of the channel you have the chance to see schools of snappers and brightly coloured triggerfish.

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

The top of the reef is 10-15 feet (3-5 meters) deep. Expect nudibranchs, and redtoothed triggerfish with their distinctive red teeth that look like incisors. As you navigate the reef’s long crack, you might see a nocturnal nurse shark having a snooze.

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

Divers can expect to spot both Manta rays and sharks at this dive site.

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

Many species can be spotted at this site, including Napoleon Wrasses, Turtles, Groupers, Eagle rays and Moray eels.

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

The thila, with lovely soft corals, sits in the centre of a broad channel and attracts mantas, eagle rays, sharks, grouper, sweetlips and turtles. Cleaner wrasse abound on the thila, which is a Protected Marine Area.

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

The waters around Komandoo offer an incredible amount of fish life.

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

The island abounds with unique marine life. Divers will enjoy the chance to look at rays, dolphins, whale sharks and sea turtles at arm’s length.

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

Sharks can be expected to be seen at this site, such as guitar sharks.

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

Gaafaru Atoll is a small island on the important shipping route, which is surrounded by numerous shipwrecks. The main dive sites around here are the SS Seagull (a giant sunken steamship with an anchor at 6m/20ft, boilers and stern at 30m/98ft), Lady Christine (a sunken iron vessel with a drop down at 50m/164ft, overhangs and caves) and Erlangen (almost intact shipwreck with the hull at 50m/164ft).

The best season for diving at Gaafaru Atoll (Maldives) is from January to May, while June is usually not recommended. The water temperature averages 27-28C/81-82F, and the air is generally 29-31C/84-88F.

The shipwrecks of the Gaafaru Atoll dive sites serve as home to nurse sharks, Napoleon wrasses, moray eels, rays, grouper, and lots of crustaceans. Sometimes divers may even spot a hawksbill turtle.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 55m

The Huvadhoo Atoll is located in the far south of the Maldives just above the equator. It’s the region’s second largest atoll and is divided into two separate administrative regions – the northern Gaafu Alifu and the southern Gaafu Dhaalu.

Huvadhoo provides an escape from the developed north, and its diving is less chartered. You’ll need to use local knowledge to explore the atoll’s 1,864 square miles (3000 km²) of ocean. Due to its distance from the country’s capital, the locals speak a different form of the Dhivehi language called Huvadu Bas. After a day spent diving, you can admire the red-hued sunset from the beach.

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

Some call this place manta point, as you might encounter manta rays between december and april. If not you still have the possibility to see some bigger stuff in the blue, like eagle rays. The thila lies inside the Hithi Kandu and goes from 8 to 25m, there is not much coral compared with other dive sites and visibility sometimes is not good. Although with bad visibility the more chances to see manta rays. From east to west there are three small bays with sandy patches where tunas, fusiliers and oriental sweetlips can be found. As the thila is quite long (more than 300m), is a good dive for drifting.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 25m

The main attraction of the site are manta rays coming to the cleaning station during the southwest monsoon. The dive site is relatively easy to access, with small currents and is very often considered as a good dive to start the week. The cleaning station itself is a large coral block covered with anemones and full of fish life. It is also very common to come across whitetip reef sharks, turtles and napoleons.

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