Maldives’s blue waters are home to many of the most famous and dearest sea creatures. There are dives for every level that will bring brightly coloured fishes and many other marine life.
My dives in the Maldives:
Even though a lot of the shallow coral is dead and struggling to recover, the reef health is much better at depths of 5-6 meters / 16 – 20 feets and more.
A lot of large fishes can be seen during the dive that include Picasso triggerfish, banner fish, box fish, pipefish and sweetlips.
During a day dive in the house reef we encountered a big group of nurse sharks that was sleeping in the jetty area. A big female 3m+ and 4 other smaller sharks that could be easily observed and filmed.
Read about night fluo dive experience.
Read about dive sites in North Male Atoll.
Check my Maldives diving experience in the following clip:
Getting there:
Fly to Velana International Airport (MLE) from North Male Atoll. There are a lot of direct flights from main airports in Asia, Europe and Middle-East so finding a flight will be easy.
From airport to accommodation transfer arrangement should be made in advance. You should check with your hotel or travel agency. Based on the distance from MLE there are multiple options :
- Boat transfer from MLE to hotel (private or shared) if the distance allows ( 1 – 2 hours);
- Public ferry to another main Island and boat transfer to hotel;
- Domestic flight from MLE to a local airport followed by boat transfer;
- Private or shared seaplane from MLE to hotel. This is the easiest transfer but might be expensive;
When to visit:
Diving season runs all year round in Maldives with water temperature from 28 °C to 30 °C / 82 °F to 86 °F. The weather is hot and sunny with daily temperatures from 25 °C to 31 °C / 77 °F to 88 °F.
The best time to visit Maldives is during the dry season that runs from December to April. This time is characterized by lower humidity and little rain.
What you`ll see:
Nurse Shark, Blacktip Reef Shark, Whitetip Reef Shark, Eagle Ray, Manta Ray, Stingray, Turtles, Giant Moray, Maldives Clownfish, Picasso Triggerfish, Orange-lined Triggerfish, Titan Triggerfish, Angelfish, Parrotfish, Longnose Butterflyfish, Meyer`s Butterflyfish, Blackwedge Butterflyfish, White Collar Butterflyfish, Humphead Bannerfish, Unicornfish, Shrimp, Squid, Octopus, Stonefish.
Whale Shark and mantas can be seen only in specific regions and during limited season so plan accordingly if this is your goal.
DIVETIP
Accommodation:
There are three options for staying and diving in the Maldives:
- Guest House
- Liveaboard
- Island Resort
Read more about staying in the Maldives.
Diving center:
I recommend Euro Divers Maldives as their service was excellent with safe dives and experienced guides.
Dive rating:
Snorkeling:
Maldives is a great destination for snorkeling. Read the dedicated article.
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