Best Of Central Atolls (Malé - Malé)
Departure
Malé
Malé Intl (MLE)
Return
Malé
Malé Intl (MLE)
10 Nights
Approx. 30 Dives
Certified to dive to a depth of 30 meters and comfortable with diving in medium to strong currents If you have Open Water certification and experience with currents, we strongly suggest you complete Advanced Open Water or Deep Diver Adventure Dive either before or during your holiday.
Itinerary Highlights
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Dive pristine reefs, explore beautiful caves and overhangs covered with soft corals, colorful sponges, invertebrates and gorgonian fans, and experience thrilling shark dives in some of the best areas to see hammerheads and grey reef sharks.
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Many cleaning stations where cleaning wrasses and shrimps help to clean the skin of the larger animals such as sharks and manta rays.
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Thilas' formations bring water up from the ocean floor against their walls, feeding the sponges and soft corals creating an environment that supports a plethora of crustaceans and schools of resident fish.
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Manta rays, eagle rays and a variety of sharks including the mighty whale shark.
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The clear water, brightly illuminated by the sun's rays and the great numbers of fish provides an ideal environment both for photographers and fun divers alike.
Program Sample
This itinerary gives you 10 days on board and will include a combination of either the Central and Northern Atolls or the Central and Southern Atolls. You can expect to visit some of the following: North and South Male Atolls, Felidhoo Atoll, Meemu Atoll, Ari Atoll, Rasdhoo Atoll, North and South Nilandhoo Atolls, Baa Atoll and Lhaviyani Atoll.
The diving day has a typical schedule as follows:
• 06:30 - Tea, coffee and biscuits
• 07:00 - Dive 1 followed by full breakfast
• 11:00 - Dive 2 followed by lunch
• 15:00 - Dive 3 followed by homemade cakes and snacks
• 19:30 - Dinner
Itinerary Description
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Safety Briefing, Crew Introduction, Necessary Dive Paperwork, Cabin allocation and ship orientation will take place before departing the Harbour.
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During the journey to our first dive site for a check dive, please take this opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the vessel and make yourself comfortable.
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Please Note: This is a sample itinerary and nº of dives, dive sites, etc. may be subject to change due to weather conditions and other unforseeable factors
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Enter a wonderful world of beautiful coral formations, channel dives and submerged pinnacle with the possibility of shark, eagle ray, tuna, manta ray and whale shark sightings.
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There are sites scattered all around Ari Atoll and they provide the full range of underwater adventure, meaning there is something for everyone. Dive sites full of sharks, including whale sharks, hammerheads, and manta rays.
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North Male Atoll has dive sites with a lot of caves, drop-offs and reefs. It is also one of the areas that can boast places that feature pristine coral coverage.
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South Male Atoll is considered to be one of the best diving areas in the Maldive Islands due largely to the currents which support an astonishing number of marine creatures. Scuba divers do not come to South Male to look for pristine hard corals but rather to investigate colorful caves and overhangs, be surrounded by vast schools of reef fish, spot large pelagic fish, and marvel at the variety of colorful soft corals.
South Male Atoll
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Guraidhoo Kandu, the eastern side of the channel is open ocean, large predatory fish can regularly be spotted here.
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This site is famous for sightings of sharks, schools of eagle rays and the occasional sail fish and hammerheads. The best condition to do the dive is when the current is flowing into the atoll.
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The dive begins on the outer reef following the current into the atoll. Most of the pelagic species can be observed on the eastern side, where the reef drops off into the deep ocean. At the end of the dive in the channel, along the reef you can find overhangs with plenty of soft coral growth and small fish.
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Kandooma Thila is located in a channel, the reef is subject to strong currents at times. The ocean currents carry lot of nutrients to the reef, supporting an abundance of sea life.
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The site is well renowned for the soft coral growth, turtles, diverse fish life and invertebrates found on the reef. At the reef slope you may find sharks and eagle rays.
Meemu Atoll
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Mulaku Kandu is peppered with submerged pinnacles covered predominantly in soft corals, whilst the west will see you surrounded by jacks and snappers. Keep an eye open for sharks and rays at 30m!
Vaavu
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Fotteyo Kandu is one of the best dive site in the Maldives and it is also rated among the top 5 dive sites in the world. The mouth of the channel is exposed to the ocean and during northeast monsoon when the currents are incoming, a good variety of pelagic hunters gather at the entrance to the channel. Species commonly spotted here include grey reef shark patrolling the channel mouth, jack and tuna in the deeper water, schools of midnight snappers and red snapper form in huge groups.
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The wall features caves, overhangs and swim-through at different depths. These caves and overhangs are filled with colorful yellow color like soft coral, deeper caves and overhangs are filled with huge bushes of black corals.
South Ari
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Dhigu Thila is located in a channel on the western edge of South Ari, this 400 meter long reef is dotted with caves and overhangs on its southern side, and 20–30 meter high pinnacles on its western side. A variety of sharks including grey reef sharks, white-tips and nurse sharks are often seen here, as well as barracuda, tuna, jacks, eagle rays and napoleon wrasse.
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Vilamendhoo Thila this reef slopes gently down to more than 30 meters on its west side while the east side is a steep drop-off with caves and overhangs between 10-25 meters. Masses of corals covering the top of the reef provide fish with shelter as eagle rays and reef sharks cruise above and along the edges of the reef.
North Ari
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Fish Head also known as Shark Point or Mushimasmingili Thila, fits the classic definition of a thila - a large isolated flat top reef rising sharply from the inner atoll floor at 40m to 50m to around 10m from the surface. It is one of the best sites for seeing sharks.
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Features a series of caves and overhangs in between where you can see thousands of blueline snapper against a backdrop of black coral bushes and large gorgonians.
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Rasdhoo Madivaru Corner is located in the corner of the channel into the atoll. Madivaru is famous among seasoned divers of the Maldives. It has one of the most spectacular and confusing reef formations found in Ari Atoll. Hammerhead sharks emerge in big numbers just before sunrise swimming in large groups. Dolphins, dog tooth tunas, along with schools of black snapper are seen at the reef edge during the early hours.
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Divers get an opportunity to view white tip reef sharks, pelagics, trevallys, little tunas, jacks, ribbon eels, fish leaves tunas, Napoleon wrasse and barracudas.
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Experience the thrilling scuba diving adventure among fine coral formations with the highest underwater visibility.
North Malé
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Miyaru Faru is located on outside corner of Thulhaagiri Kandu in North Male Atoll, this reef, with its overhang at 28 meters, is a great location to stop on an incoming current to watch grey reef sharks patrolling the edges or the reef into the channel, as well as large numbers of barracuda, trevally and tuna. In the center of Thulhaagiri Kandu, the long and narrow Miyaru Thila has many large coral heads on its north-west side which attract big schools of fusiliers, napoleon wrasse, powder blue surgeon fish and eagle rays.
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Okobe Thila is a spectacular dive site, which comprises three large reefs with a variety of features and an abundance of different types of coral, teeming with fish. Large groups of blue-stripe snapper, oriental sweetlips and fusiliers swim over the reefs while sharks, barracuda, tuna and trevally patrol the outer edges and channels between the reefs.
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Lions Head a protected marine area is another great location for spotting grey reef sharks. A deep wall with an overhang shaped like a lion's head, hence the site's name, offers exciting drift dives in the company of sharks, turtles and much more. A large cave filled with soft corals provides shelter for hundreds of smaller fish while sea fans and an abundance of corals cover the top of the reef.
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2 dives in the morning depending on guest flight schedules and the 24 hour requirement before flying.
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Unfortunately our trip has come to an end and we have to say goodbye, but we hope to see you again soon!
Please note: the itinerary above is an example of the planned route and dive sites cannot be guaranteed. All dive sites are subject to weather conditions and the final route taken is at the absolute discretion of the captain and dive guides.