"Over 19 years making dreams come true for divers... just like you"

Contact us now at ask@dive-the-world.com

contact

LiveChat

Inquiry

Why Choose Us? Diving Videos Special Interests Trip Reports
FAQs
INSURANCE HOTEL BOOKINGS Creatures Parks & Reefs
Maps
Testimonials Newsletters

About Us

Top Currencies

USD U.S. Dollar
EUR EURO

GBP British Pound
AUD Australian Dollar

SGD Singapore Dollar
CAD Canadian Dollar

Other Currencies

BRL Brazilian Real
BGN Bulgarian Lev
CNY Chinese Yuan
HRK Croatian Kuna
CZK Czech Koruna
DKK Danish Krone
HKD Hong Kong Dollar
HUF Hungarian Forint

INR Indian Rupee
ILS Israeli Shekel
JPY Japanese Yen
MYR Malaysian Ringgit
MXN Mexican Peso
NZD New Zealand Dollar
NOK Norwegian Krone
PHP Philippine Peso

PLN Polish Zloty
RUB Russian Ruble
ZAR South African Rand
KRW South Korean Won
SEK Swedish Krone
CHF Swiss Franc
THB Thai Baht
TRY Turkish Lira

Note: Currency conversions are for display purposes only and are the current exchange rate equivalents of the USD prices shown on our website. Actual prices may vary.

DIVE THE WORLD

Liveaboard Search

Start dateEnd date

All Australia

Great Barrier Reef/Coral Sea Southern Australia Rowley Shoals Cairns Barrier Reef

Bahamas Belize British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Costa Rica Cuba Djibouti Dominican Rep Ecuador

Galapagos Islands

Egypt

Southern Red Sea Red Sea North & Wrecks

Fiji Honduras India Indonesia

Komodo Raja Ampat Banda Sea Alor & Flores region Riau Archipelago Wakatobi Archipelago Sangalaki - Maratua Triton Bay North & Central Sulawesi Sumbawa Cenderawasih Bay Transit Trips Forgotten Islands Halmahera

Malaysia

Tioman Sipadan

Maldives

Central Atolls Outer Atolls

Marshall Islands Mexico

Magdalena Bay Socorro Islands Sea of Cortez

Myanmar Palau Philippines

Visayas Batangas-Bicol Palawan Tubbataha Reef Coron Island Apo Reef Transit Trips

Saba & St Kitts Solomon Islands Sudan Thailand

Phuket & Phi Phi Islands Hin Daeng & Hin Muang Koh Tarutao Similan Islands

Truk Turks and Caicos

USD
- Top Currencies
- USD U.S. Dollar
- EUR EURO
- GBP British Pound
- AUD Australian Dollar
- SGD Singapore Dollar
- CAD Canadian Dollar
- Top Currencies
- BRL Brazilian Real
- BGN Bulgarian Lev
- CNY Chinese Yuan
- HRK Croatian Kuna
- CZK Czech Koruna
- DKK Danish Krone
- HKD Hong Kong Dollar
- HUF Hungarian Forint
- INR Indian Rupee
- ILS Israeli Shekel
- JPY Japanese Yen
- MYR Malaysian Ringgit
- MXN Mexican Peso
- NZD New Zealand Dollar
- NOK Norwegian Krone
- PHP Philippine Peso
- PLN Polish Zloty
- RUB Russian Ruble
- ZAR South African Rand
- KRW South Korean Won
- SEK Swedish Krone
- CHF Swiss Franc
- THB Thai Baht
- TRY Turkish Lira
About Us
More Info
Inquiry
LiveChat
WhatsApp
Contact

Guaranteed cheapest price

Free dive insurance

Immediate expert advice

Loyal customer discounts

>Liveaboards>Maldives>Maldives Outer Atolls

Outer Options

Maldives Liveaboards in the Outer Atolls

Top Dive Trip Options and Travel Information

Click to view more images

Click on an image to enlarge

Liveaboard diving safaris in the Maldive Islands

Manta rays gather at Hanifaru Bay, Baa Atoll

Powderblue surgeonfish swim across the reef shallows in the Maldives

Divers watch a leopard shark in the Far North Atolls

Anemonefish inside a bulb-tentacled anemone, Maldives

Sheena liveaboard and dhoni dive boat in the Southern Atolls

A Superior cabin on the Carpe Vita Explorer

Enjoy the sundeck views of northern Maldives from MV Amba

MV Amba in the waters of far north atolls

The spectacular coral atolls of the Maldives

Typical Maldivian island scenery, Indian Ocean

Page contents:
Cruise options
Climate/Best time to go
Getting there
Where to stay
Useful resources

Although the Maldives central atolls are where most liveaboard cruises focus, the abundance of marine life in the Maldives is spread throughout the country. This scattered archipelago is home to innumerable channels between atoll islands washed by nutrient-rich current. It is little wonder that an astounding array of marine life is found here enjoying such bounty. Schools of sweetlips, snappers and jacks can be seen throughout the country, hanging in the water column and facing the current

Scuba diving in the Maldives means enjoying drift dives and pinnacles, lagoons and wrecks, caverns and reef flats. Thanks to the current, you will see a proliferation of soft corals, huge gorgonian fans, bright pastel-hued sponges. Big-name encounters are likely with manta rays and whale sharks, plus various other shark species and meaty pelagics.

If you are prepared to venture a little further than 95% of all scuba divers who visit the Maldives, the rewards can be great. Firstly, you may be the only liveaboard boat in the area. At times in the busy central atolls there can be several boats, some full of snorkelling daytrippers chasing each other around, looking for a whale shark near the surface. So you may appreciate the solitude of the outer atolls. The more remote reefs also benefit from less diving and much-reduced impact from the smaller human population.

If sharks are your number 1 priority for visiting the Maldives then the atolls of the Deep South should be your destination. The star of the show here is Fuvahmulah with an impressive list of species including: tigers sharks, thresher sharks, hammerheads, oceanic whitetips, silvertips and whale sharks! Other atolls in the deep south such as Huvadhoo and Addu promise plenty of action too with eagle and manta rays, schools of barracuda, meaty tuna and varied topography such as caves, pristine reef flats, thilas and steep drop-offs. [More details on these dive sites: Deep South].

The Southern Atolls cover a vast area which is still largely unexplored. Liveaboard charters provide access to the most pristine and undisturbed spots. Each trip is a pioneering adventure, discovering new spots to add to an ever-growing list of 'must do' dive sites. This area of the Maldives is probably the best for reef shark encounters and high numbers of schooling fish.

A large variety of coral formations cover the walls of channels and submerged pinnacles which are populated by a multitude of brightly coloured reef fish. The Southern Atolls are by far the best area in the archipelago for diving with manta rays, eagle rays and stingrays. Whale sharks can be found here all year round. Medhufushi Thila at Meemu Atoll is a perfect case in point. Other spots of interest are 'Mantas and More' at Meemu Atoll, Fushi Kandu at Laamu Atoll to see whitetip reef sharks, Bodu Miyaru Kandu and Fotteyo Kandu at Felidhoo Atoll for grey reef and hammerhead sharks, and Gorgonian Garden at Thaa Atoll for a night dive. [More details on these dive sites: Southern Atolls].

While the majority of Maldives liveaboards tend to focus on the central areas, there are some excellent diving opportunities further north in the Northern Atolls. Lhaviyani, Baa, Raa and Noonu promise a very different experience from further south and one that is considered by many to be superior.

The most obvious benefit of diving in the north is the lack of other boats. There is no competing for space here or rushing to be first on a popular site. Instead you are often the only liveaboard vessel in sight. Underwater you can expect giris and thilas teeming fish. Most sites feature swim-throughs and overhangs sheltering schools of fish and some beautiful soft corals. You will be in one of the best places for scuba diving with manta rays if your safari takes in Baa Atoll. Elsewhere you can expect many other rays and at least one excellent shark dive.

The Northern Atolls are home to reefs with an amazing abundance of fish life, perhaps more numerous and larger schools than you will see diving the central atolls. Baa Atoll is famed for its manta rays and whale sharks, while Noonu Atoll is one of the best sites for grey reef sharks. [More details on these dive sites: Northern Atolls].

In an area that can only be fully explored by liveaboard, the Far North Atolls offer peaceful almost guaranteed interactions with numerous manta rays, leopard sharks and even whitetip and blacktip reef sharks. You will dive in a variety of conditions including still, sheltered waters as well as exhilarating drift dives in current flowing around submerged boulders, blanketed with healthy hard and soft corals.

You will experience some of the most beautiful wall dives around, populated with nudibranchs, moray eels and lobsters hiding in the crevices. Brightly coloured fusiliers and myriad other schooling fish will dash around you in often magnificent visibility of up to 30 metres. There are also opportunities for cave and wreck diving, so the far north has something for everyone, particularly the more experienced divers and those who wish to stay away from the crowds. [More details on these dive sites: Far North Atolls].

Liveaboard Diving Safari Options in Outer Maldives

Check out your liveaboard options here for the Outer Atolls:

››Most popular

››Top rated

››Staff choice

• Maldives Deep South

These expeditions are high in demand, venture to the Indian Ocean frontier, and include Fuvahmulah Island, as well as Huvadhoo and Addu Atolls. Depending on where you board, tours might also include some of the Southern Atolls and some of the Central Atolls.

Most trips are 1-2 weeks’ duration. Longer options might depart or return to Male, but mostly they require a one-way or return flight to an outer atoll port.

• Maldives Southern Atolls

If you are keen to get away from the vast majority of divers and dive boats in the Maldives, then you may wish to consider a liveaboard cruise to the Maldives Southern Atolls. This will allow you to embark on a liveaboard cruise taking in such awesome and uncluttered atolls as Laamu, Meemu, Thaa and Felidhoo.

Normally these cruises will be for 7 nights’ duration. Some of these cruises may be accessed from Male (although these will also dive central sites) while others will involve a domestic seaplane transfer.