Discover more about scuba diving in the Maldives including marine life, currents, weather and water temperature.
The country consists of more than 1000 islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean. From North to South, they stretch over an area of 820km with a width of 130km from East to West. The Islands and live coral reefs form 26 Atolls, each separated by deep water.
Within the Atolls, waters are relatively shallow with a minefield of underwater pinnacles (Thilas), shallow reefs known as Giris and Farus and channels connecting the inside and outside of an Atoll (Kandus). This variation of underwater topography offers a wide array of dive sites with striking overhangs covered in soft corals and sea fans, walls and sloping reefs.
The capital of the Maldives is Male’. Male’ is the main hub of the Maldives and the location of the largest international airport of the country, as well as a modern seaplane terminal and speedboat/ferry ports taking visitors to and from their destination islands and resorts. Most diving liveaboards with central atolls itineraries depart from Hulhumale – an artificial island connected to Male’ and the airport by a bridge and ocean road link.
The main attraction of scuba diving in the Maldives is the incredible marine biodiversity. The landscape and underwater topography of the Maldives encourages nutrient-rich waters, attracting pelagic marine animals and sustaining over 1,100 species of fish, 5 species of sea turtle and 21 species of whale and dolphin. In addition, 187 different species of coral form the coral reefs, home to over 400 species of mollusc, including nudibranch.
Nutrient rich waters and currents sustain the largest population of reef manta rays in the world. Hanifaru Bay located in Baa Atoll is a famous feeding location during the months between June and November. However, what a lot of people don’t know is that these same manta’s travel around the Maldives throughout the year. They follow the currents, searching for plankton-catching lagoons and visiting cleaning stations. Reef manta rays are encountered all year round in Ari Atoll at various cleaning and feeding sites depending on the seasons and currents! Learn more about this below.
Oceanic mantas are a larger species also attracted to the nutrient abundant waters and cleaning stations, most notably the sites fringing the edge of Atolls closer to deep waters. Unlike reef mantas, oceanic mantas are pelagic and travel across oceans. Some oceanics and a lot of reef mantas have been identified to return to the same cleaning stations each year.
South Ari Atoll is the top location in the world for year-round whale shark sightings. These huge fish, and the largest species of shark, feed almost exclusively on plankton and follow the nutrient rich currents circulating the Maldives. South Ari Atoll, most notably Maamiligi, is an area with consistent plankton-rich currents.
The deep water surrounding the Atolls are the perfect invitation for pelagic sharks including tigers, bulls, hammerheads, spinners and threshers – to name just a few! These sharks are known to frequent the waters just outside of the capital city of Male’ and southern Atolls including Fuvahmulah. They can also be encountered inside the atolls during their travels and visit the shallow waters in search of food.
The Maldives is a haven for sharks, boasting one of the healthiest populations of reef sharks in the world. You can expect to see at least one reef shark on every dive, especially in the central atolls. Reef shark encounters include white tips, black tips, greys and nurse sharks. Unlike other locations in Asia where shark sightings are few and far between and the sharks are typically skittish and afraid of divers, reef sharks on most dive sites in the Maldives are comfortable with our presence. You can immerse yourself in their daily lives, watching them forage for food in the reef, cruise in the currents and hunt in the schools of fish.
Besides manta rays, the Maldives is home to an array of other ray species. Eagle rays, mobula rays and multiple different species of stingrays are frequently encountered!
The Maldives is home to 5 species of sea turtle including hawksbill, green, olive ridley, leatherback and loggerhead. They can be encountered on dive sites across the Maldives and tend to stay in locations with ample food and shelter for long periods of time.
Whales and dolphins are commonly seen from the surface between dive sites and during atoll crossings. If you are lucky, you can also encounter them whilst diving! Listen out for the whistles and communications between members of pods. Some species of dolphin are more inquisitive than others and may come to investigate divers and boats.
The Maldives is famous for big marine life and there is plenty of it to see, but what if you are a keen macro photographer interested in macro diving in the Maldives? Read our Macro diving in the Maldives blog here.
A lot of divers wonder what time of year is best for scuba diving in the Maldives. A common misconception is that diving is only possible or is better in ‘high season’ between the months of November and May. In reality, diving in the Maldives is fantastic all year round, but more rain and winds can be expected during transition periods between seasons and more passing storms between May to November. A slight change in the climate of the Maldives is noticeable and rain periods are becoming more unpredictable. The weather can be fantastic, or it can be stormy, at any time of year.
There are two distinctive seasons in the Maldives:
Southwest monsoon (wet season) – May to November. During this period, the wind and currents come primarily from the Southwest, bringing more moisture over from the Indian Ocean. There is more average rainfall in this period, but this does not mean that it is constantly raining! Rain is typically intermittent and passing.
Northeast monsoon (dry season) – January to March. Winds and currents are primarily from the Northeast. Longer periods of low wind and less rain are expected.
Transitional periods – December and April. The transition between seasons is typically when the weather and currents can be more unpredictable. To make matters more confusing, the transitional periods themselves are becoming more unpredictable, sometimes occurring earlier or later, or lasting longer than expected.
It is important to consider the monsoon season at the time you plan to go scuba diving in the Maldives. Certain local islands and resort islands will be better for diving at particular times of the year depending on their location withing the atolls. Fortunately for us divers, liveaboards are able to easily navigate the seasons to visit the best dive sites for marine encounters depending on the currents.
As mentioned before, the main direction of the current is either from Northeast or Southwest, coinciding with the monsoon seasons.
The visibility will be better, and currents sometimes stronger, at the side of the atoll that the current is coming into. The visibility will be worse on the opposite side with less currents and less water movement. For example, the Northeast monsoon will bring currents from Northeast, so the east side of the atoll during this period will likely have better visibility and stronger currents. Meanwhile, the west side will have less visibility and less current. The opposite applies to the Southwest monsoon season.
Knowing this, we can predict where certain marine life will be. Manta rays search for feeding and cleaning stations. They will favour areas of the atoll with higher plankton production often seeking out shallow lagoons and areas with less water movement. An example is Ari Atoll – the best atoll for encountering manta rays all year round. There are feeding and cleaning stations all across the atoll, but they will favour the locations in the Atoll on the opposite side of the incoming current direction of each season.
The direction and strength of the currents can be difficult to predict on dive sites on the inside of the atolls. Each atoll is composed of hundreds of underwater pinnacles, shallow reefs and islands, which can change the direction and speed of the current as it funnels its way through and out of the atoll.
Most vessels and dive centers will do current checks before each dive. Listen to your dive briefing and follow the directions of your dive guide.
The Maldives is known for having strong currents, but this is not consistent throughout each month or each dive site. It is constantly changing with the moon and tides, and even then can be unpredictable because of the underwater topography of the Maldives. One reef or pinnacle may be protected by a nearby reef one day, and the next day the current direction changes very slightly and the same reef is hit by a strong current.
With current comes big marine life and even more fish. Fish like current as it brings a steady flow of nutrients. Sharks can relax in strong currents, going up and down the reef edge. You will often see that there is a higher concentration of fish and sharks where the current first hits the reef or pinnacle. Reef hooks are a very useful and safe tool when used correctly, to use while diving pinnacles and cleaning stations when the current is stronger.
The water temperature is another lure for scuba diving in the Maldives. It is relatively consistent throughout the year at a warm 28 degrees Celsius. There can be slight variations due to upwelling of cool currents known as thermoclines, but these currents are most common in the Southern atolls of the Maldives. Divers are comfortable with exposure protection anywhere between rash guards/shorts to 5mm long wetsuits. The most common option, if you are unsure, is a 3mm shorty or long wetsuit.
