Dive Sites in Maldives – The Best Underwater Thrills and Chills
There are an enormous number of dive sites in the Maldives; enough in fact that you could dive here every day for months on end and never need to visit the same dive site twice. Some are more exciting than others, and which Maldives dive sites you visit will depend largely on what you are hoping to encounter while under water as well as your experience level. Many of the best dive sites in Maldives are centered around quite deep reefs and as such, a PADI Advanced Open Water qualification (or equivalent) is often required.
Best Dive Sites in the Maldives
It’s difficult to say exactly which are the best Maldives dive sites because there are so many and it depends a lot on what time of year you come to the Maldives and of course on each diver’s personal preferences, but the following are a good selection of the best Maldives dive sites in the major atolls. On the whole, these dive sites are well-known and often visited by the various resort dive centres and liveaboard boats. Once you get to the Maldives, you’ll find out about plenty more top dive sites in Maldives and end up with your own collection of favourite Maldives dive sites.
Maldives Dive Sites in Ari Atoll
There are plenty of amazing dive sites in the Ari Atoll, which are highly recommended Maldives dive sites thanks to their marine life and are known for their populations of sharks and rays. Hammerhead Point, one of the dive sites to see hammerhead sharks in Maldives, is located in the North Ari Atoll and is sometimes known as Big Blue. The best time to dive this site is in the early morning, just before the sun rises, which is when the hammerheads are most likely to visit.

Whale Shark Sighting in Maldives
Maaya Thila, also in the North Ari Atoll is best known for its amazing congregations of grey reef sharks. Maaya Thila makes for a great dive during the day, but is best known for its spectacular night dives when the sharks can be seen hunting the reef. Being one of the Maldives top dive sites, Maaya Thila is included on many liveaboard routes, some of which stay in the area for a whole day to allow divers enjoy a morning, afternoon and night dive at Maaya Thila. Incredibly, each of these dive experiences is totally different, but equally exciting.
Kudarah Thila is found in the South Ari Atoll and is one of the many wonderfully colourful sites in Ari Atoll . Here, you will find greater concentrations of reef fish like angelfish and soldierfish as well as moray eels, pufferfish and the occasional turtle. White tip sharks have also been spotted at this Maldives dive site.
Fish Head – also known as Shark Point – is another of the famous dive sites in Maldives, mainly because of the large numbers of sharks that gather here. This is an interesting “thila” dive site and is one of the best Maldives dive sites for seeing sharks. Particularly common here are the white tip reef shark and grey reef shark and thanks to a government ban, Fish Head dive site is actually protected from fishing; a move executed by the Maldivian government to prevent overfishing of the sharks. Fish Head is also one of the top dive sites of the Maldives because of its large numbers of pelagic including napoleon wrasse and its curious caves and overhangs.
Maldives Dive Sites in South Male Atoll
The South Male dive sites are top Maldives dive sites in terms of seeing some really varied Maldives life and great diving conditions.
While divers are often hampered by the strong currents, it’s definitely worthwhile visiting Cocoa Thila dive site because the rewards are immense. The interesting overhangs, pinnacles and other formations mean there are plenty of places to shelter from the current and enjoy the views of the oriental sweetlips and fusiliers in their droves and where the reef drops off you should be able to spot tuna and eagle rays as well as a number of grey reef sharks. This is one of the most stunning dive sites in Maldives.
Guraidhoo Kandu, is definitely one of the most spectacular dive sites in the Maldives and such is the extensiveness of the site, it is often split into two and visited twice. Many say that the marine life at Guraidhoo Kandu is unrivalled: here you will spot squirrelfish, moray eels, eagle rays and grey reef sharks. Like many of the best dive sites in South Maldives, Guraidhoo Kandu displays a wide variety of colourful coral formations and interesting topography.
Kuda Giri is one of the best wreck dive sites in the Maldives and is a good spot to see napoleon wrasse, feisty triggerfish and some batfish. The actual wreck is only small and has only been there for around 10 years, but that seems to have been long enough for some interesting and attractive corals to grow. Sightings of turtles and reef sharks are not uncommon here.
Embudhoo Kandu, like many other of the Maldives best dive sites is well known as a place to see sharks. Here you are likely to find many grey reef sharks and white tip sharks and thanks to a shark fishing ban in the area, this dive spot should remain a good place for sighting reef sharks for years to come. It’s also one of the top dive sites in the Maldives for underwater photographers as there is a stunning pinnacle frequented by morays and groupers.
Maldives Dive Sites in North Male Atoll
North Male Atoll dive sites are known and loved for their beautiful coral formations and the best dive sites in this Atoll are almost synonymous with the best dive sites in the Maldives.
Lion’s Head, named after the lion-shaped coral formations here, is considered one of the most beautiful Maldives dive travel sites in the Maldives and is a common playing ground for many different reef-dwelling types of marine life, including rainbow fusiliers and napoleon wrasse.
Lankan Manta Point is one of the Maldives famous dive sites, known particularly for sightings of manta rays. The key with visiting Lankan Manta Point is to go at the right time of year. It’s also one of the few places where you can expect to see mobula rays.
Check out this fascinating underwater clip shot at the Lankan Manta Point in the Maldives. The divers were plunged amidst a large group of manta rays, peacefully gliding through the water.
Banana Reef, another top Maldives dive site is named for the curved, banana-shaped reef here and is one of the most colourful dives you will find in the Maldives. This is a great place for seeing vivid reef life like the angelfish, blue-lined snapper and bannerfish. The reef itself is gorgeous here and the only precaution you really need to take is to mind the swirling currents known as “washing machine currents” that can really take you by surprise.
Okobe Thila, one of the most interesting “thila” or “pinnacle” dives in the Maldives, is a definite favourite with scuba divers here. The three coral heads at this dive spot are frequented by schools of eagle rays, tuna, bannerfish and much more, but is perhaps most famous for its barracudas – so much so, in fact, that the site is often known as Barracuda Giri. Reef sharks have also been seen at this dive site on regular occasions.
Maldives Dive Sites Information
There is plenty of information surrounding the many dive sites of the Maldives online and you’re sure to find Maldives dive sites maps and many underwater photos taken at the hundreds of dive sites. The best way to find out more, of course, is to get out there and start scuba diving – the dive guides in the Maldives and experienced liveaboard crew members are the ones who really know all about the Maldives top dive sites.
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