MALDIVES DIVING HOLIDAYS

Diving Holidays In The Maldives

The Maldives fit the image of tropical desert islands, white sandy beaches backed by lush interiors, azure blue skies and lagoons filled with the crystal clear waters and fringed by coral reef. The tropical paradise continues into the coral waters. Snorkellers view the coral reefs from the surface but the divers experience it in true 3-D.

The 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 and around the atolls and islands, and the rich planktonic soup they carry, that gives diving in the Maldives its unique flavour. At Planet Dive we have one of the most comprehensive collections of Maldives Island Resorts spread across virtually every Maldives Atoll. We also work with a fleet of Maldives liveaboards that range around the archipelago.

Planet Dive are specialists in Maldives dive holidays, and Maldive liveaboards, with extensive knowledge of this complex destination. The Maldives is an incredible dive location, but it is important to get to the correct Island for your time of travel, dive expectations or preference, and of course budget. Please call and speak to an expert here at Planet Dive if you are considering the Maldives for your next dive destination.

Planet Suggested Tour Itineraries In Maldives

Diving The Maldives

One of the world's ultimate destinations in long haul luxury, the Maldives is at the top of most seasoned divers’ wish lists.  

Indian Ocean currents and local tides flush clean water through the atolls. As it exits the atolls through the channels (Kandus), it carries with it nutrients and plankton, the ideal environment for the filter feeders. 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. Sites around the channel walls and coral pinnacles (Thilas & Giris) in these channels, offer exhilarating drift dives. The inner reefs and the atolls’ outer walls offer diving at a more leisurely pace, something for everyone, and manta ‘cleaning stations’ and manta ‘feeding stations’ add to the excitement. 

The Maldives are blessed with an incredible variety of marine species. Throughout the year the Maldives are most famous for whale sharks and manta rays which can quite reliably found at known feeding and cleaning stations. In addition, there are eagle rays, devil rays, blue spotted rays even the enormous black spotted rays - so keep an eye out into the blue.

For the shark loving divers out there, the Maldives have a fantastic array of species that make for the most incredible of diving experiences. Amongst many other types to be seen roaming the waters, there is a great range of black tip, white tip, leopard shark, and the Maldives has its own hammerhead point. Another firm favourite amongst voyaging divers are the characterful turtles, as the age old creatures are a mascot of your safety stops.

When diving in the the Maldives you can choose from liveaboard or landbased options. liveaboard diving in Maldives, give you the opportunity to roam around sites spread over a large area. Whereas, Landbased diving in the Maldives based in a comfortable resort with day boats departing morning, afternoon or for full day trips give you a different type of diving experience. Most islands have a house reef of sorts but only a select few Maldives Resort Islands can claim to have true world-class house reefs.

Diving Seasons In The Maldives

The following is written in broad terms as forecasting seasonality in the Maldives is not an exact science. Average visibility can vary between 15 to 40m, by their nature many of the great sites have reduced viz due to waters flowing out of the atolls' interior. 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. Average air temperature 25C to 30C

Hulhagu: April-December, the winds come from the opposite side of the compass carrying with them moister air. Brief storms pass across the Maldives chain and the rest of the day is usually dry, sunny, and hot.

Seasonal Equinox: Late May or early June and then late October early November are the equinox months marking the transition of the monsoons. With the change in season comes a reversal in currents, which dictates the location of the filter feeding Mantas and Whale sharks, and so influences the choice of dive site at any particular time of year. During these equinox months currents and surface conditions are changeable and less predictable.

Moon Phase: The moon phases also affect the type of diving you might expect. New and Full moons, particularly in January and February, produce highest tides and so more water movement, a drift diver's dream. These periods are also times of frenetic activity both on the reef and amongst pelagic species. A few days either side of the new moon is the best time for Manta sightings, especially in Hanifaru (see below); the next best is either side for the full moon.

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