Maldives Liveaboards in the Central Atolls

Top Dive Trip Options and Travel Information

Although the Maldives are known the world over for the stunning beaches and azure waters that typify the tropical idyll, its life beneath the water's surface is becoming ever more respected by scuba divers in the know. Whale sharks, manta rays and even hammerhead sharks are regularly seen on a single liveaboard vacation in the Central Atolls!

Ari Atoll is widely accepted as being the leading atoll for scuba diving in the Maldives. There are sites scattered all around Ari Atoll and they provide the full range of underwater adventure, meaning there is something for everyone. It also means that the atoll is ideally suited for liveaboard tours. The innumerable underwater pinnacles that typify the diving here are hotbeds of marine life, and you can expect to see greater fish density in this location than other parts of the country.

Often the first thing people think of when they consider a Maldives diving safari is sites full of sharks, including whale sharks and hammerheads, and manta rays. Athough there are many good places for these elsewhere in the island chain, it is Ari Atoll that can lay claim to many of the best. Maaya Thila is one of Ari's typical pinnacles surrounded by an outrageous amount of marine life. Diving here is like jumping into the most populated aquarium imaginable. Fish Head is another populous pinnacle where sharks can be present in big numbers; and if sharks are your thing then an early morning dive at Hammerhead Point simply must be on your agenda. Other dive locations include Broken Rock, Fesdu wreck and Kudarah Thila. [More details on these dive sites: Ari Atoll.

North Male Atoll is an area of the Maldives that is quite sparsely populated but has a great concentration of dive sites. However, the sites are well spread and best visited by liveaboard. Sites frequented on diving safaris tend to have topographical features such as caves, drop-offs and reefs. It is also one of the areas that can boast places that feature pristine coral coverage; something that thanks to El Niño cannot genuinely be said of some other parts of the country.

Manta Point is a cleaning station not to be missed, while the famous Girifushi Thila is a visual assault of riotous colour and marine life. Other sites you are likely to enjoy include The Maldives Victory, Lion's Head and Okobe Thila. [More details on these dive sites: North Male.

South Male Atoll is considered to be one of the best diving areas in the Maldive Islands due largely to the currents which gush through the channels and therefore support an astonishing number of marine creatures. Scuba divers do not come to South Male to look for pristine hard corals but rather to investigate colourful caves and overhangs, be surrounded by vast schools of reef fish, spot large pelagic fish, and marvel at the variety of colourful soft corals.

Cocoa Thila is quite typical of South Male, where you can hover in an overhang sheltered from the current and check out the rays, sharks and schools of fish enjoying the current. Guraidhoo Kandu South supports the great abundance and variety of life that makes South Male a great area to dive in. Other sites you will explore include Kuda Giri Wreck, Vadhoo Caves and Medhu Faru. [More details on these dive sites: South Male].

Liveaboard Diving Safari Options in Central Maldives

Central Atolls Trips

The vast majority of Maldives liveaboard trips tour the central region on cruises called Maldives Central Atolls. This is not simply due to the convenience of access to Male International Airport. The atolls of North Male, South Male and Ari Atoll provide an amazing array of dive sites within a quite small geographic area. These central routes deliver what many people want from the Maldives: encounters with whale sharks and manta rays, lots of healthy reefs and schools of fish.

Most central atoll cruises are for 7 nights although there are sometimes longer, but never shorter, ones. You will need at least a week for liveaboard diving in the Maldives.

There are other itineraries that visit the central atolls and venture slightly further south. These Maldives Southern & Central Atolls cruises can also include Rasdhoo, Meemu and Felidhoo atolls. The Maldives Northern & Central Atolls cruises visit the central region plus Baa Atoll and its renowned Hanifaru Bay.

The trips may also be for as little as 7 nights, but are more usually 10 or 11 nights in duration.

> [More details: Central Atolls Trips]

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