Sharktastic

Ari Atoll

Ari Atoll (also called Alif or Alufu Atoll) is one of natural atolls of the Maldives. It is one of the biggest atolls and is located in the west of the archipelago. The almost rectangular alignment spreads the islands over an area of about 89x30 kilometres. It has been divided in two sections for administrative purposes, Northern Ari Atoll and Southern Ari Atoll.

Here are some possible sites you may visit:

• Kudahrah Thila -

  Kuda Rah thila in south Ari atoll is one of the highlight dives in the area, a small thila that can be challenging if the current is strong. The reef is covered with anthias, red tooth trigger fish and schooling bannerfish. Eagle rays can be seen circling the site and divers get to swim through large schools of blue line snappers, macro lovers can search for nudibranchs, peacock mantis shrimps and goby. The healthy reef has a number of overhangs and a large arched swim through along the way

  
  

• Seventh Heaven -

  Seventh Heaven is a large U shaped thila in south Ari atoll, this large site can be dived several times without visiting the same are due to the size and shape of the reef. Stunning soft corals and healthy hard corals make this a truly beautiful site, the reef is covered in anthias and red tooth trigger fish whilst grey reef sharks can been seen in the deeper areas. Large schools of humpback and blue line snapper and fusiliers are found along the way with patrolling dog tooth tuna looking for a meal.

North Male Atoll

North Male Atoll has at least 20 resort islands operating in the area with some excellent diving spots with beautiful pinnacles.

Here are some possible sites you may visit:

• Kandu Oiy Giri (Fish Factory) -

  Fish factory is exactly what it says, this dive is conducted just outside a local Yellow fin tuna processing plant in north male atoll. Whilst the corals here are not the best the marine life more than make up for it, attracted here to feed on the waste tuna parts the reef if full of life all concentrated just next to the factory waste disposal. Schooling stingrays, banner fish and fusiliers are always present, and you can find almost every kind of moray in the Maldives here, all of which are very well fed and so a little larger than the norm. For lucky divers, the sight of a Guitar shark really tops of what is a fantastic dive than is full of surprises.

  
  

• Kurumba -

  Kurumba is the house reef of the first ever resort in the Maldives, it is located close to Hulhumale and perfect for a check dive. The long sloping reef which turns to a wall in certain sections is a popular choice for the first dive of the trip. The currents can vary but generally is an easy drift dive if the current in medium or more. Black tip reef sharks are seen in the shallows while tuna and trevally patrol up and down the reef. All manner of reef fish, morays and sting rays can be found as divers make their way along the reef.

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Lankan Manta Point -

  Lankan manta point is the most famous manta point in north male atoll, and a great location to see mantas cleaning. The long gently sloping reef offers a wide variety of marine life from turtles amp; octopus to black and white tip reef sharks. But it is mantas that steal the show, they can be seen at the cleaning station on this reef every day during from the middle of the rainy season through to the end of the year.

South Male Atoll

The atoll of South Male is separated from North Male by the Vaadhoo Kandu channel. Channel diving is a major feature of diving in South Male. These channels, whilst currents can be challenging, do bring with it an abundance of nutrients to feed and attract all types of marine life.

Here are some possible sites you may visit:

• Cocoa Corner -

  South of the Island Cocoa is a channel with its northeastern tip rich in reef fauna especially during incoming currents which can be strong at times. Divers can either stop to view the wildlife in the blue in front of the channel or slide along the reef at the inside of the channel with an outgoing current which hosts a number of big blocks and overhangs. The inner reef has schools of reef fish, white tips, and with a small incoming current one could attempt to cross on top of the the channel mouth entrance to complete the dive at Kandooma Thila with numerous Grey Reef Sharks and Eagle Rays.

  
  

  
  

• Kandooma Thila -

  Kandooma is the stand out dive in south male and can be a spectacular dive. It is possible to dive with an incoming or out going current, grey reef sharks are found in the split point of the current along with schooling eagle rays and fusiliers. A large school of big eye jacks are a common sighting along with dog tooth tuna and giant trevally. The currents can be strong and this site is only for experienced divers, the current allows for an action packed dive.

  
  

Vaavu Atoll

Vaavu (or Felidhoo) Atoll is an undeveloped paradise comprised of 19 beautiful isles and the natural atolls of Felidhoo Atoll and the Vattaru Reef. It is the smallest and among the least commercialised atolls in the Maldives. The pristine, warm waters here are teeming with fish and larger marine life providing superb diving for both beginners and advanced divers.

• Rakeedhoo -

  Next to the island Rakeedhoo is a wide north south oriented channel that marks the southern end of the Atoll. The channel is too deep and wide to cross and most of the time it is already possible to measure the strength of the violent currents from the surface when it appears to the eye as if it is boiling. The reef slopes relatively straight down beyond 30m and has a beautiful top reef plateau with table corals, at the corner of the channel the reef extends forming a torn all with some overhangs and plateaus between 20 and 30m+, very rich in soft corals. It is a reef exposed to severe turbulence due to the reef formation but the turbulences may attract many large schools of fish such as jacks and snappers.

  
  

• Devana Kandu -

  Devana Kandu is to be considered the "small sister channel" of Miyaru Kandu, which can be just as productive. The channel entrance here however comes down a bit deeper at 34m, and comes up quite steep with a sandy slope up to 16m towards the inside of the Atoll. The channel middle holds a fairly big Giri  and in front of it a good number of Bannerfish hang out. From time to time divers can encounter a nursing station for Grey Reef Sharks, where the babies, 3, 4, 5 or many more seem to have Kindergarten hours swimming up end down on top of the sandy bottom.

  
  

• Fotteyo Kandu -

  This is the last channel in the northeast of Vaavu Atoll and is one of the most beautiful and richest sites. Along the outside reef are overhangs and some tunnels between 20 and 30+ meters, many of them in the western area are filled with yellow soft corals. The channel entrance is at 22m and passes in front of a small thila where, with an incoming current, Sharks and Eagle Rays hang out. Fotteyo can be dived in many different ways, depending on the current, the fauna changes drastically. From Hammerhead Sharks to Leaf fish and the beautiful corals - everything is here.

  
  

• Golden Wall -

  A large channel on the eastern side of Vaavu Atoll that features a roughly 120m long vertical wall that is covered in yellow soft coral and holds a number of overhangs. With current not too strong one can simply drift along the wall, with an incoming current pelagics can be observed at the channel entrance which is a bit deep, but on the outer reef and the sloping channel corner algae offers a good chance to find ghost pipe and leaf fish, and big Moorish Idols are feeding on the soft corals.

  
  

• Miyaru Kandu -

  Miyaru Kandu is a very popular channel located North of the Island Alimatha. The channel is about 150m wide with sloping corners to the north and south and comes down to 31 m with a sandy channel bottom covered with green midnight coral. With an incoming current the list of possible encounters is impressive, many Grey Reef Sharks, White Tips, Eagle Rays, Tunas, Barracudas and a shoal of Silver Jacks are resident here. Divers simply go down and hook and hover at the channel mouth entrance and enjoy the show. The inner reef  has a sand garden in the northwest where different kind of stingrays, moray eels and smaller wildlife like garden eels can be found.

  
  

Meemu Atoll

Enchanting channels with pelagic action, sailfish, grey reef sharks, eagle rays and beautiful soft coral. Manta cleaning station.

Here are some possible sites you may visit:

• Kurali Kandu -

  At the most southern tip of Meemu Atoll, a long channel offers good Manta Ray encounters during Northeast Monsoon. The sandy channel bottom is several hundred meters long, but only around 20 - 30 meters wide at its best with an average depth of 12 - 14 m. Up to about 600 meters inside the channel  along the sandy bottom to the south many blocks are dispatched and host Manta Rays that come to get cleaned during outgoing currents.

  
  

• Muli Corner -

  The site is basically an outer reef that extends over several hundred meters to the middle of the wide channel north of the island Muli, with a very wide plateau behind the reef to the west. Some overhangs along the outside reef and on the sloping plateau are home to sweetlips, turtles and White Tip sharks. With an incoming current during north east monsoon a lot of sharks can be seen here, while with outgoing currents during southwest monsoon the plateau welcomes Manta Rays with a large cleaning station on the plateau.

  
  

• Vanhuravalhi -

  Vanhuravali is the 3rd channel to the east in the North of Meemu Atoll. It is a very narrow channel only about 100m wide and has two edges, the first at around 25-30m and the second deeper then 38m. The wall of the step has many colourful soft corals. In the corner of the west side of the channellarge blockson the bottom are home to large schools of fish. While the channel is more attractive to dive with an incoming current where one can hook at the channel entrance and enjoy sharks and fish, this site can offer surprises during out going current too such as cleaning sharks in the middle of the channel.

  
  

Male Airport