Diving the MaldivesThe Maldives' 26 atolls stretch north to south for hundreds of miles creating a broken barrier to the Indian Ocean's prevailing currents. It's the flow of these currents and local tides through & around the atolls and islands, and the rich planktonic soup they carry, that gives diving in the Maldives its unique flavour. The Maldivian atolls are divided into 21 administrative regions named in order, north to south, by the letters of the Maldivian alphabet. We use a mix of official, 'popular' and traditional names for five broad geographical regions and describe the diving in each and then individual dive spots in each. We also have a seperate description of the wrecks of the Maldives starting with the 30+ wrecks of the central Atolls region
Maldivian Liveaboard safari boats come in all shapes and sizes and a single safari may take in primes dive sites in two or three of the Maldives' atolls but even an extended 14 night safari could not cover the entire region. Shorebased diving takes in sites local to the resort island. This may include up to 40 sites either fringing 'house reefs' that can be dived from shore or local sites between 10 minutes to 2 hours away by day boat. The traditional Maldivian day boat is the dive dhoni, based on local wooded craft. More recently resorts have started to use faster fiberglass dhoni's that can carry divers to more remote sites.
The huge variety and abundance of fish life make a holiday diving the Maldives so exciting. Some species are common throughout the Maldives while pelagics, like mantas and whale sharks, move with the season. The Maldives has diving for everyone. Larger channels (Kandus) and mid-channel coral pinnacles (Thilas & Giris) offer the opportunity of exhilarating drift dives with manta cleaning stations adding to the excitement. Complex formations of inner reefs, lagoons and the atolls' outer walls offer diving at a more leisurely pace.
With each change of season comes a reversal in the flow of the currents which influences the choice of dive site at any particular time of year. Throughout the Maldives there are, broadly speaking, two seasons. Iruvaa, December-April, is the North Eastern monsoon when the winds are Northerly, North Eastern or Easterlies, and bring generally dry weather. During Hulhagu, April-December, the winds come from the opposite side of the compass carrying with them moister air. With the change in season the currents and tides also reverse which has a major influence on the diving and location of the filter feeders, like the Mantas.
For the current conditions in the Maldives check out our Weather to Go
Diving Holidays in the Maldives
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