The best Maldives atolls for diving

Find Inspiration for your next dive trip

Search our stories and get inspired by our passionate team of writers, dive travel specialists, local experts and ambassadors.

Azalea-liveaboard

The best Maldives atolls for diving

Cruising the Maldives on a liveaboard might just be the best way to get the most out of your holiday. Diving from a liveaboard offers the chance to have a different amazing Maldivian diving experience every day. The Maldives’ crystal clear waters are home an abundance of marine life such as mantas, whale sharks, and reef sharks, not to mention the smaller fish species that hide in the incredible coral reefs and pinnacles. The Maldives liveaboards offer routes that visit a number of different atolls and their many dive sites.

These are just a few of the great atolls that are visited by the Maldives liveaboards:

turtle-maldives-dive

Haa Alifu and Haa Dhaalu

The Northern diving route is sure to entice, taking divers to the best sites around Haa Alifu and Haa Dhaalu. Around these atolls are several thila dives where you find submerged reefs to hook into and all you will need to do is sit back and watch the life under the sea. Be sure to look out for hammerheads and barracuda just off the drop-offs. This area is also frequented by mantas gliding over the reefs.

manta-maldives-diving

North Male

North Malé Atoll features some of the Maldives most stunning and popular dive sites. North Male Atoll diving is known for its vast reefs, deep caves, current-swept channels and steep drop-offs. This atoll sees plenty of fish action and is a very good area to see some of the larger pelagic species such as reef sharks and mantas. 

diving-maldives

Baa Atoll

The Baa Atoll offers divers stunning underwater topography in the form of large submerged pinnacles and the huge number of fish species that call it home. The ever-changing topography, along with the mantas and other big creatures that are found here, makes this a dive site to remember. The Carpe Vita is just one luxurious liveaboard that takes its guests on a route that includes visiting the Baa Atolls.

Carpe-vita-maldives

Noonu Atoll

This fantastic atoll has an abundance of grey reef sharks that school in large numbers. The schools are made up of inquisitive juveniles as well as more imposing adults. This Atoll offers divers the chance to experience incredible encounters with sharks in the Maldives.

maldives-shark-dive

Raa Atoll 

An area famed for its submerged pinnacles, Raa Atoll has an exceptional variety and volume of fish life. Wrasses, surgeonfish, butterflyfish, fusiliers and triggerfish are particularly evident when scuba diving here.

reef-maldives-dive

Felidhoo Atoll

One of the most famous dive areas, the Felidhoo Atoll, is a fantastic place where you can observe big pelagic fish. This area is a great spot for meeting up with different shark species as well. There is a strong current here so it is best for more experienced divers, but that is the main reason why the marine life is so rich and fascinating. The Blue Force One liveaboard frequents this atoll on its itineraries.

Blue-Force-One-maldives

Rasdhoo Atoll

Divers visiting the Rasdhoo Atoll are likely to come across hammerhead sharks that cruise the passage between islands. This is the place to be to see white tip sharks and grey reef sharks. This area has some stunningly colourful coral reefs that are home to eagle rays,  Napoleon wrasse, stonefish, schooling jacks and large dogtooth tunas.

coral-dive-maldives

If the Maldives sounds like the diving holiday of your dreams then contact us now for more information on the best Maldives liveaboards!