EcoPro Mariana Itinerary

Best of Maldives (MLE)

Enjoy 3 dives a day in North Male, South Male, North Ari, South Ari, Vaavu, Rasdhoo, Meemu, and Thaa. The exact atolls visited will depend on the monsoon season.

NORTH MALE ATOLL:

Fish Tank

Directly in front of a fish factory in the North Male Atoll, large schools of stingrays gather again and again, looking for food. Mostly you can find them on a sandy slope with rubble, so that you can watch the spectacle easily or if there is current, you can also hook there. You can also find all kinds of moray eels there. If you are lucky, a guitar shark or even a tiger or bull shark will appear.

Lankan Beyru (Manta Point)

The outer reef of the Paradise Island resort, not far from the airport island. 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.

Bodu Hithi Thila

Located in the middle of the Kaafu Atoll, with the reef top of 8-10 metres and three bays with sandy bottom between 15-25 metres, this thila is a cleaning and feeding station for mantas from January till May. The site has a long reef with the best diving experience on the southern end and also points to a cave at 17m where nurse sharks can be spotted. The site is mostly ideal for experienced divers.

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SOUTH MALE ATOLL:

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Embudu Kandu

This is a famous channel between the ocean and Embudu Island, located east-west of Embudu Island. The channel is around 35-45 metres deep, and a thila is located on its North-East side where a variety of sea life such as sharks, hump head wrasses, eagle rays, and barracudas can be explored. The current is strong, making it ideal for only experienced divers. The best season to explore the site is during the Northeast Monsoon.

Kandooma Thila

Definitely number one in the ranking of the best dive sites in South Male atoll. Long Thila, located in the middle of the channel, offers spectacular conditions to observe grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, big schools of jacks and snappers both with incoming and outgoing current. North side of the pinnacle is nicely covered with soft corals with the top of the reef being home to many reef fish and green turtles. Currents can be pretty strong so negative entry and fast descent is often required. Current hooks should be ready to use. Rasdhoo atoll

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Guraidhoo Corner

Located south of Guraidhoo Island, this is a protected site hosting many pelagic species during incoming currents and presents several “washing machines”, downstream currents. This site is thus only recommended for advanced divers with greater experience and should be avoided by those who are beginners. This site is a great spot to watch eagle rays, whitetip sharks, and grey reef sharks, and is especially interesting during Northeast Monsoon.

NORTH ARI ATOLL:

Rasdhoo Madivaru

Channel dive between Rasdhoo island and Madivaru offers a spectacular ridge facing the ocean to observe grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays and large dogtooth tunas. More pelagics are visible during strong incoming currents, the use of current hooks is advisable. The ridge drops down to 50+ metres on the outside, expands to a sandy bottom inside the channel where it is common to see stingrays.

If dived during the first rays of the sun, with incoming current and a bit of luck it is possible to encounter hammerhead sharks. In this case the dive starts in the blue. Depending on the air consumption and no- deco time we continue the dive on the ridge and then drift into the channel.

 

Maaya Thila

The thila (a pinnacle) is about 80 metres wide in diameter and is considered one of the best night dives in the Maldives. Top reef at 5 metres makes it easy to access even with strong currents. The upcurrent side is always very active and busy with fusiliers and snappers. Big jack fish, whitetip reef sharks, stingrays and moray eels can be spotted easily. Some overhangs around the thila provide shelter for turtles. Even though it has a reputation for a night dive it is also quite popular during the day. A few separated coral blocks south of the thila create a tunnel and are full of beautiful coral bushes. With the right current this is a place to spot grey reef sharks as well.

 

Maayafushi Lagoon or Fesdhoo Lagoon

In both lagoons you have the unique chance to snorkel or dive with manta rays at night.

To experience the fantastic and exciting adventure up close, a powerful spotlight is pointed at the water, attracting plankton. This plankton in turn attracts the manta rays. 

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Fish Head

One of the major attractions of the atoll, cannot be missed. Due to its exposure to the currents it offers a rich presence of fauna and flora. Big schools of jacks and fusiliers on the upcurrent side as well as difficult to count amount of blue striped snappers hiding from strong currents inside the overhangs all around the thila are the highlights of the place. It is also popular with grey reef sharks, schools of barracudas and dogtooth tunas in the blue as well as turtles and moray eels on the top reef. With strong currents negative entry is recommended and current hooks should be ready to use.

 

Bathalaamaagaa Kanthila

Long coral ridge in the middle of a channel, extended from the outer reef and sloping gradually down to 25 metres and deeper offering good conditions for observing grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays and napoleons as well as schools of jacks and fusiliers. The dive site is active during both incoming and outgoing currents but might be more challenging during outgoing currents of northeast monsoon. Negative entry required and divers are recommended to hide below the depth of the top reef to protect from the current. Current hooks strongly recommended.

SOUTH ARI ATOLL:

Moofushi Kandu (Manta Point)

Drift dive with a chance to spot manta rays hovering over the cleaning station at the depth of around 14 to 25 metres. If mantas are spotted it is recommended to use current hooks and stay around the cleaning station for a longer time. The dive site is quite popular during the northeast monsoon and sometimes might be overcrowded with divers. Whitetip reef sharks are common visitors around the deeper part of the cleaning station with blue striped snappers and fusiliers being permanent residents.

 

Kudarah Thila

The thila is a part of Marine Protected Area and is often considered the most beautiful site of the atoll with exceptional diving conditions. Overhangs rich in sea fans and the top reef nicely covered with healthy soft corals are the highlights. It is also known for big schools of blue striped and midnight snappers, fusiliers and jacks. It is worth having a torch and looking inside small caves where often you will find big groupers hiding. The water entry might be challenging due to its exposure to strong currents and with the top reef at 15 metres negative entry is recommended. The use of current hooks might be required if the current is strong.

 

Maamigili Beyru

Located on the southern tip of Ari atoll within the Marine Protected Area of South Ari atoll. Shallow and very easy dive which might turn into a very exciting one as it is known as the best location in the Maldives for spotting the biggest fish in the world. Whale sharks can be seen cruising along the reef all year round. Most of the boats look for them from the surface. Once spotted, divers enter the water, go down and start swimming along with them. The code of conduct for whale shark encounters must be followed and is always discussed during the briefing.

VAAVU ATOLL:

Miyaru Kandu

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 40 metres during the northeast monsoon it can be the highlight of the trip. Outgoing current offers worse visibility but the sharks are still there. The site is not recommended for beginners, negative entry is often required and current hook is a must to avoid causing unnecessary damage to the reef. Most of the time you will spend at the depth of 26 to 30 metres so checking air and no-deco time more often is strongly recommended.

 

Alimatha House Reef

Located on the south side of Alimatha island resort and considered one of the best night dives in the Maldives, being often a victim of its success and resulting in overcrowding of divers. Every night there is a show performed by a big number of nurse sharks, stingrays and massive jacks. Maximum depth will not exceed 15 metres and most of the time you will be kneeling on a sandy bottom waiting for the sharks to come closer. Definitely not to be missed.

MEEMU ATOLL:

Muli Corner

The reef is known as home to a lot of sharks during incoming currents but it also welcomes manta rays on a large cleaning station during outgoing current. Entering the water with empty BCD and not wasting time on the surface is often recommended, especially with strong currents.

THAA ATOLL:

Whaleshark Point

There is no specific place where diving would guarantee an encounter with a whale shark but the common practice is to use a strong light in the evening at the back platform of the boat to attract the zooplanktons which will further attract the whale sharks. Scuba diving while having the shark at the back of the boat is rather discouraged as the bubbles may disperse the mass of the plankton. The best experience is to grab a mask, fins and gently enter the water on the side of the boat, not to scare the whale shark away and then enjoy the view while snorkelling. Sometimes the whale shark will stay for hours, more than one visitor is also possible. Instructions given by the dive guides have to be followed and a code of conduct must be respected by all snorkelers to enjoy the moment to the fullest.

Sample itineraries are for guidance only. Actual itineraries may differ slightly due to factors such as weather, wildlife, logistics and local regulations.