Your Guide to The Far North Atolls

Scuba Adventures in Maldives

...Highlights: shark action, manta rays, schooling fish & big pelagics...
...Diving environment: healthy reefs, wall dives, drift diving, caverns, advanced divers, off the beaten track...

A vacation escape to the Far North Atolls rewards you with serenity on your dives since, unlike most other areas of the Maldives, you are unlikely to see another liveaboard during your entire cruise. The marine life also seems to revel in the minimal interference from humans with flourishing hard coral growth over most of the submerged boulders, probably the best in the entire country. Soft corals do well on the sides of the boulders even when exposed to the often strong currents.

The sea creatures that are found here thrive in the nutrient-rich waters, bringing in the reef predators: white and black tip reef sharks. Large numbers of manta rays, as well as leopard sharks and guitar sharks populate many of the dive sites in the far north.

Your liveaboard diving adventure in the Far North Atolls will be spiced up with drift dives, cave explorations and even a visit to the Maadhoo wreck. Wall dives are among some of the best you will find in the whole of the Maldives region and the coral reefs shine in the sunny weather and clear waters that make for great visibility of up to 30m.

Dive Site Descriptions

Haa Alifu Atoll

At Baarah Thila, numerous species of fish including Andaman sweetlips and blackfin barracudas school against a backdrop of hard coral growth while leopard sharks rest on the sandy floor. Moving with the current over this submerged boulder is memorable with the possibility of witnessing over 30 mantas enjoying the attention at a wrasse cleaning station.

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Haa Dhaalu Atoll

Witness huge numbers of black and white tip reef sharks at Nellahidhoo Thila, feeding with apparently no interest in inquisitive scuba divers. If you can distract yourself from the spectacular shark scene you will see giant trevallies and mantas soaring in the blue above you, with moray eels and nudibranchs living in the profusion of healthy coral structures below you.

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How to Dive the Far North Atolls

Full access to all the best coral reefs and vibrant marine life in the far north of the Maldives is only possible on a liveaboard safari. Since there is only 1 liveaboard cruising the Far North Atolls, your dive vacation is one adventure after the next with guaranteed large pelagic sightings due to the lack of interruptions from other boats and divers in the area.

A 30 minute domestic flight from Male is required to join these charters. For more information on the tour route and all the other travel information you might need to visit Maldives, read our Outer Atolls liveaboard section.

Liveaboards in the Maldives become fully booked well in advance so we recommend that, to avoid disappointment or having to settle for a sub-standard vacation, you plan to book your trip at least 6 months prior to your proposed dates of travel.

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