Beta

• 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.

• 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. 

• 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.

• 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.

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  South Male Atoll 

• Guraidhoo Kandu the eastern side of the channel is open ocean, large predatory fish can regularly be spotted here. 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.

• 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.

• Kandooma Thila is located in a channel, the reef is subject to strong currents at times. The ocean currents carry a lot of nutrients to the reef, supporting an abundance of sea life. 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.

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  Vaavu Atoll

• Fotteyo Kandu, 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.

• 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. 

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   South Ari

• Rangali Madivaru: Madi means "ray" in Dhivehi. Between the months of December and April this is a superb manta ray cleaning station. As with many good manta points, the reef slopes down gently from its top at 8m (25ft) to the atoll floor at 30m (100ft). Although there are many cleaning stations along this 1km reef, the area where the mantas are most active is midway along the northern side. A deep basin, almost 100m (110yd) across has formed in the coral and as the currents flow out of the atoll, the waters eddy in the basin. This attracts the mantas, which hover gracefully in the current. 

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   North Ari

• Orimas Thila,  good chance of spotting grey reef sharks here, circling and wriggling while they are being cleaned. The best spot to view them from is down-current either on the sandy bottom or from a ledge out of sight, kneeling or using a reef hook if the current is running. 

•  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 40-50m to around 10m from the surface. It is one of the best sites for seeing populations of grey reef sharks and white tip reef sharks. Featuring a series of caves and overhangs in between where you can see thousands of blueline snappers against a backdrop of black coral bushes and large gorgonians. 

• Rasdhoo Madivaru Corner is located in the corner of the channel into the atoll. Madivaru has its fame 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, dogtooth tunas along with schools of black snapper are seen at the reef edge during the early hours. Divers get an opportunity to view whitetip reef sharks, pelagics, trevallies, little tunas, jacks, ribbon eels, fish leaves tunas, Napoleon wrasse and barracudas. Experience the thrilling scuba diving adventure among fine coral formations with highest underwater visibility. 

• 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.