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Best Scuba Diving In The Maldives

Manta rays, whale sharks, white tip sharks, huge schools of fish – the best scuba diving in the Maldives is all possible to see within the space of one week on a typical Maldives scuba diving liveaboard trip.

Hafsaa Thila

While there are unsurprisingly hundreds of world class dive sites in the Maldives, the majority of liveaboards tend to follow a fairly standard 7 day itinerary that departs from and returns to the capital city of Male. This is basically a loop that runs from north to southern Male atoll, makes the crossing to Ari atoll and then swings over to Felidhoo atoll before heading back up to Male atoll and the capital.

Certainly this trip is the most convenient Maldives itinerary to do, and it has several world-class dives within it which makes it perennially popular. I’ve done this trip several times on three different Maldives liveaboards – MV Orion, MV Carpe Vita, and MV Sachika – follow the links for detailed reviews of each boat – and here are what I think are the best Maldives dive sites in a typical seven day trip.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yihoIvUBDM4

You can see my previous trip report 7 days on Maldives Liveaboard MV Orion, my magazine story Luxury Scuba Diving In The Maldives for Bangkok Airways inflight magazine Fah Thai and Maldives Diving photo gallery January 2011 for more info on how trips actually run.

Note that this list of dive sites doesn’t cover Baa atoll (home of Hanifaru, the annual August and September manta ray and whale shark fest) in the north or the southern Maldives sites south of Ari atoll – that would be another Best Of list in its own right as those sites are not visited so often by Maldives liveaboards due to their relative remoteness.

The best time to go to the Maldives to do the classic Male- Ari – Thud – Male itinerary is April, when the visibility is outstanding, although it’s pretty amazing all year round. June and July are the months to avoid as seas get choppy and wind picks up with the monsoon changeover.

Hafsaa Thila

Usually awash with huge schools of fish, Hafsaa Thila is a shallow, flat-topped pinnacle where marine life congregates. Since the catastrophic coral die off in the 1990s, the Maldives is more a place to creatures rather than coral, and Hafsaa is one of the signature sites for spotting white tip sharks in the blue as well as schoals on the pinnacle.

Manta Rays of Rangali Madivaru, Maldives

Rengali Madivaru

A sun-drenched shallow reef, Rengali Madivaru is also one of the Maldive’s most famous manta ray cleaning stations – there are several stations scattered along the edge of the reef on the cusp of its slope down into the depths. Mantas cruise and wheel around each station, making it possible to move on from one to another if it gets too crowded – it’s unsurprisingly a popular site. See more manta ray photos from Rengali Madivaru in my previous post Maldives Manta Rays: A Spectacular Close Encounter At Rengali Madivaru

Turtle and Sting Ray, Maya Thila Night Dive, Maldives

Maya Thila

Widely considered as the best night diving spot in the Maldives, Maya Thila is a shallow pinnacle where white-tip sharks, stingrays, turtles and a plethora of other creatures are regularly encountered after dark.

Whale Shark

Maamigili

Not a dive site as such, more an area, Maamigili is a stretch of water famous for sightings of whale sharks. It’s possible to go snorkelling with the gentle giants here, although you need to keep your wits about you in the water

Kudarah Thila

Kudarah Thila

Picturesque overhangs and a field of coral fans typify Kundahah, one of the prettiest dive sites on this list. There can be strong currents and a negative descent required, but once on the thila itself, the abundant fish life brought in by the currents makes it a must-see site worth the effort

Manta Rays at Dhonkalo, Maldives

Dhonkalo

An eighteen metre deep sandy channel in the middle of nowhere, Dhonkalo’s barren reef is distinctly unappetising – except it’s also a stunning manta ray cleaning station. I’ve seen up to 15 here on any one dive, riding in train formation on the sometimes savage currents that can rip through the channel – it’s like an underwater airport. (See more Dhonkalo pix in my previous post Maldives Manta Rays: My Best Picture of 2010).

Kuda Giri Wreck

Kuda Giri Shipwreck

Actually a minor dive site in the Maldives pantheon, this one is a personal favourite of mine. The wreck of the Kuda Giri, a boat deliberately sunk for diving, sits upright on a sandy bottom at 30 metres with the top of the deck around 24 metres. Thickly encrusted with colourful corals and still relatively intact, the wreck provides an atmospheric final dive for most trips. The nearby reef provides some extra scenery for the last, shallow part of the dive.



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My Recent Dive Trips

  • February 2023: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • December 2022: Raja Ampat liveaboard, Indonesia
  • December 2022: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • August 2022: Komodo liveaboard, Indonesia
  • June 2022: USAT Liberty shipwreck, Bali, Indonesia
  • April 2022: Stonehenge, Koh Lipe, Thailand
  • March 2022: Manta Rays at Koh Bon, Thailand
  • January 2022: Richelieu Rock liveaboard, Thailand
  • March 2021: HTMS Chang and Alahambra Rock liveaboard, Thailand
  • February 2020: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • December 2019: Raja Ampat liveaboard, Indonesia
  • October 2019: Malapascua, Philippines
  • June 2019: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • April 2019: Tulamben, Bali
  • December 2018: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • December 2018: Anilao, Philippines
  • October 2018: Moalboal, Philippines
  • October 2018: Malapascua, Philippines
  • July 2018: Tulamben, Bali
  • May 2018: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
  • April 2018: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • May 2017: Apo Island and Dumaguete, Philippines
  • April 2017: Tubbataha Reef, Philippines
  • April 2017: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • March 2017: Triton Bay, Indonesia
  • March 2017: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
  • September 2016: Tulamben, Bali at Alba Dive Resort
  • August 2016: Cenderawasih Bay on Damai 1
  • April 2016: Sogod Bay at Sogod Bay Scuba Resort
  • February 2016: Raja Ampat and Banda Islands on Damai 1
  • April 2015: Anilao at Crystal Dive Resort

My Less Recent Dive Trips

  • March 2015: Myanmar and Similan Islands on Thailand Aggressor
  • May 2013: Similan Islands on Thailand Aggressor
  • April 2013: Tubbataha Reef on Discovery Palawan
  • January 2013: Komodo, Indonesia on MSY Damai
  • August 2012: Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
  • April 2012: Similan Islands and Southern Thailand liveaboard
  • January 2012: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • August 2011: Hanifaru, Maldives
  • June 2011: Tubbataha Liveaboard Hans Christian Andersen
  • April 2011: Similan Islands and Southern Thailand liveaboard
  • April 2011: Carpe Vita Liveaboard, Maldives
  • March 2011: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
  • December 2010: Menjangan, Bali
  • July 2010: Tofo, Mozambique
  • July 2010: Sardine Run, South Africa
  • May 2010: Sangalaki / Derawan, Tambora
  • March 2010: MV Flying Seahorse, Similan Islands
  • March 2010: MV Orion, Southern Maldives
  • January 2010: Big Blue Explorer, Palau
  • November 2009: MSY Damai, Banda Sea Liveaboard, Indonesia
  • October 2009: MSY Damai, Komodo Liveaboard, Indonesia
  • October 2009: MV Orion, Maldives Liveaboard
  • September 2009: MV Scubanet, Koh Losin, Thailand
  • May 2009: MSY Seahorse, Banda Sea liveaboard, Indonesia
  • March 2009: Sachika Liveaboard, Maldives
  • February 2009: Daytrips, Koh Lanta, Thailand
  • January 2009: MV Jazz, Burma (Myanmar) Liveaboard

Back In The Day Bragging Rights Dive Trips

  • November 2008: Borneo Explorer, Visayas Liveaboard
  • September 2008: S/Y Siren, Komodo Liveaboard
  • August 2008: Ocean Rover, Sulawesi Liveaboard
  • August 2008: NAD Lembeh Resort, Indonesia
  • June 2008: Koh Tao
  • March 2008: Maldives, Bandos Island
  • February 2008: MSY Seahorse, Raja Ampat Liveaboard
  • January 2008: MV Jazz, Burma Liveaboard
  • October 2007: Bali Dive Safari
  • September 2007: Davao, Philippines
  • July 2007: Great White Sharks, Rodney Fox Liveaboard
  • June 2007: Big Blue, Palau Liveaboard
  • May 2007: Whale Sharks at Exmouth, Australia
  • April 2007: Borneo Explorer, Tubbataha Reef Liveaboard
  • December 2006: Komodo Dancer, Komodo Liveaboard

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