Regularly an encounter with the giant manta rays is common on this reef, from December until April the big manta rays can be watched during there feeding and cleaning procedure in cleaning stations on the top reef. A close approach is possible, but don’t touch or chase them; otherwise they will disappear in the blue. The reef itself drops on the east side steep down to 25m where the sand bottom starts. The big overhangs at 20m are a good start of the dive before you go shallower and follow the reef edge on the 12m area where the mantas can be seen most of the time. The reef top has nice marine life, moray eels, octopuses, lion fish and a few napoleons make this place, even without manta rays a real adventure.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 25m

Banana Reef, named after the C-shape of the reef is around 100 meters in length. The reef is in front of the channel where fresh current enriches the reef with plankton it carries attracting also pelagic.The most exciting part of the reef is at the north-eastern side of the reef where big spectacular rocks starting from a depth of 30 meters rising up to 12 meters below the surface. Schools of Banner fish can be seen just at the start of the dive, the dog-toothed tuna and several species of Jackfish can be seen chasing their next pray. As you drift, the reef slopes down and after few minutes you will drift in the biggest overhang in Banana Reef where the top starts at 10m and drops to 20m. This overhang is fully covered with soft coral on its ceiling, huge schools of Blue line snappers is always inside letting you approach them very closely. It is both suitable for beginners and the most experienced divers and is a photographers’ heaven.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m

Banana Reef is an infamous site, mainly because it was the first dive site to be discovered in the Maldives but also because it has something for everyone and today it still carries on to be one of the most popular in the area. The dive, which ranges in depth from 5 to 30 meters, has several fascinating features comprising of a pinnacle, caves and some overhangs. Coral formations here are abundant and colourful, attracting an extensive variety of fish, including powder blue tang, squirrelfish, morays, napoleon wrasse, bannerfish and oriental sweetlips. Larger pelagic such as sharks, barracuda and groupers swim the waters and currents can be strong at points so it is best to stay close to the reef.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30 meters

Diving in North Ari Atoll is not famous for corals, and in fact, many dive spots may seem a little dull in terms of the coral splendor. However, the main attraction of this part of the atoll is the regular encounters with big marine life including reef and hammerhead sharks.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 18

This site comprises of three large coral heads. The fish life here includes sharks,eagle rays, jacks, tuna, napoleon wrasse and bannerfish. Look for school of barracude and finish your dive on top of the thila filled with anemones.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30

Located north of Kandooma Island, this beautiful pinnacle lies at the bottom of a channel, with its top reef at 12m descending to around 40 meters deep on all sides. The eastern and northern sides are the most interesting with many overhangs and colourful soft corals. The many species you can spot there include big schools of fish, eagle rays, whitetip sharks, green turtles and grey reef sharks. During incoming currents, this fauna is mostly found on the plateau between the thila and the ocean. During outgoing currents, most sharks will be found around their cleaning station.

During outgoing currents, it is recommended for divers to place themselves at the Jack Corner, which is located in front of the thila at a wide overhang. The grey reef sharks’ cleaning station is marked by a distant block in the last part of the dive. Divers can end their exploration around the top reef where eagle rays and green turtles can be spotted. This dive site is accessible throughout the year but conditions can be very difficult. During outgoing currents, divers tend to be pulled to the bottom. They should not explore the cleaning station without at least 80 bars in the tank and being closed to the non-decompression limit.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m

This channel, in the northeast of South Male Atoll, is one of the first names on everyone's lips when someone mentions sharks. It is a marine protected area precisely because of the population of grey reef sharks and white tips that it supports. You will begin this dive by dropping in on the south side of the channel and then sinking down to the edge of the abyssal drop at around 30 metres. Here is the spot to linger for a while, checking out the sharks, rays and Napoleon wrasse that pass by in the blue just off the reef wall. After a few minutes of taking in the action you will be led around the corner with the wall on your left shoulder where there are a series of caverns and caves sheltering marbled groupers and soldierfish. There is one particularly large cave to be explored which is festooned with colourful sponges. It's worthy of penetration since it goes back almost 25 metres.

Your dive here is likely to end by enjoying the drift through a narrow canyon that splits into the channel at about 15 metres, before continuing to go with the flow into the shallows.

There is another area here which is more or less a dive site in its own right - the north side of the channel. Here there is a thila which rises up to 12 metres from a base of around 30 metres, and you can spend a good 45 minutes checking out this thila alone, particularly if you are a photographer. The walls are covered in soft corals and hard corals and provide shelter for an impressive range of marine creatures including moray eels, octopuses and lionfish.

Returning to your liveaboard from this dive you will probably marvel at the range of fish and pelagics you have just witnessed, and you may also remark on the calm conditions of the cave. However, the distance covered from entry to exit on this excellent drift dive is often its most remarkable feature.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m

Fushi Kandu has a fantastic channel with a relatively shallow entrance at 15m allowing for an extended channel dive, which permits crossing the channel to maximise the sightings. This dive site is commonly described as Fish Soup, and it rarely disappoints with its resident grey reef sharks, barracuda, big eye jacks, and abundant fish life.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m

Cocoa Corner is a dive site that can be explored in several different ways and with the right current and conditions, it's is the best shark show around Male Atoll. Many dive guides consider crossing from Cocoa Corner to Kandooma Thila. With the right current, divers begin the dive from Cocoa Corner and while maintaining a depth of 25 to 29 metres, they swim across the current while parallel to the edge at 40 metres. This gives a natural reference that divers are maintaining the correct position while crossing to the Thila and divers are not taken too far inside the channel. The Thila lies in the middle of the channel about 15 metres from the channel edge. Here, divers will see heaps of Grey Reef Sharks from big mother sharks to newborn babies patrolling the edge of the channel together. Eagle Rays and schooling Jack Fish are also common at the beginning of the Thila. By the time divers reach the Thila, their bottom time should be running out and the best thing to do is to swim to the top of the Thila and continue diving in shallower waters. A safety balloon is a must at Cocoa Corner and divers should be prepared to make an open water safety stop.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m