A Protected Marine Area, this offers one of the best-known dives in the Maldives. There is a remarkable variety of marine life on the thila, including grey reef sharks, white tip sharks, turtles, stonefish, frogfish, zebra morays, batfish and many, many more species. At the edge of the thila, where there is a large coral overhang full of bright orange Tubastrea corals.The top of the rock, at 15m (50ft), is covered in colourful soft corals. The vertical side of the rock drops down to the atoll plate at 40m (130ft). In this channel between the satellite rock and the thila, grey reef sharks often patrol and we have seen guitar shark here on a number of occasions.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 40m

This is one of the 15 Protected Marine dive sites of the Maldives, located in North Male’ Atoll south of Girifushi Island. This reef about 100 meters across is an amazing reef with beautiful corals, overhangs, caves, outcrops, a swim through and loaded with the best fish life making it one of the most exciting dives in North Male’ Atoll. With out going currents divers may start the dive jumping in the blue and drifting with the current towards the Reef while keeping with the left hand shoulder to it. The top of the dive site can be a spectacular place to be as the pelagic tend to hunt here; It includes Tuna, giant trevellys with schooling big every travelly and also eagle rays.

As you drift in you will come across a butterfly shaped rock with overhangs reaching depths of 25-30 meters. Under the over hangs it is really beautiful with red soft corals on the ceiling. In this overhang you can see a chimney-like formation; while keeping on drifting you will come across more coral outcrops and overhangs at depths ranging from 18 to 25 meters. As you ascend shallower you will find the top reef colonized by many Sea Anemone clown fishes. Large coral and good fish life makes it ideal for divers to spend the end of the dive on the top reef. Care should be taken while diving on this site which is more recommended for advanced divers with good buoyancy as the coral is very fragile and with strong currents it can become a tricky dive site.

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

The Felidhoo is a sloping wall with overhangs and divers can expect to see white tip reef sharks, banner fish, stingrays, boxfish, barracuda and fusiliers.

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

Finger Point is a little Thila also known as Saddle and it is a real shark magnet in the North West. It is connected via a small and narrow sandy bridge to the Himmiya Faru and has a slightly oval shape with around 50 metres in length. It extends into Makunudu Channel and provides breathtaking close encounters to different kinds of sharks. So divers are reporting more than often to have seen up to 20 grey reef and frequently silver tips, or sometimes even hammerheads.

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

One of the channel dives that you don’t want to miss. With strong incoming current the list of possible encounters is impressive. Mainly grey reef sharks but also whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, napoleons and tunas are quite common and with the visibility reaching 120 feet during the northeast monsoon it can be the highlight of the trip.

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

This is considered one of the best night dives in the Maldives. Every night there is a show performed by a big number of nurse sharks, stingrays and massive jacks. Definitely not to be missed.

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

The most spectacular channel dive of the atoll. There are a few different ways to dive it but crossing the channel offers the most exciting encounters with big fish. Although it might seem very easy it is not recommended for not experienced divers due to washing machines created by the current. Staying close to the dive guide and same positioning will make crossing the channel easier. Negative entry is recommended.

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

This 420 ft tanker is the biggest wreck in the Maldives, torpedoed twice during WW II and eventually sunk by the British in 1946. The vessel rests on its starboard side at around 100 ft depth.

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

Scuba diving the Maldives' Baa Atoll is to scuba dive in one of the greatest biospheres on Earth. The region harbors significant biodiversity of reef animals, hard and soft corals, reef fish species, turtles, manta rays and any number of shark species. Baa Atoll scuba diving is also famous for offering one of the largest gathering of manta rays worldwide.

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

A beautiful pinnacle just 10 minutes from Rahdhiga Island, Rahdhiga Thila is impressive from the second you swim down to 30m to look at some grey reef sharks, then moving up to the overhangs with their beautiful dripping blue, yellow and orange soft coral between 8m and 18m. Then finish the dive at 3m to 6m with some impressive table-top coral for a pleasantly relaxing safety stop.

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

Also known as 'Big Shark Channel', this is another top dive site and certainly lives up to its name. Dropping in at the south eastern corner you keep the reef on your left until you reach the drop off at the channel entrance which is approximately 30 metres deep. This site features small caves and numerous overhangs, and there is a sloping section on the left side of the channel covered in hard coral and some soft coral.

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

The high concentration of plankton present in these waters gathers a large number of filter feeders, including the large manta rays. Some swim alone, but most are in groups of three, five, eight, even fifteen, twenty advancing in single file forming long undulating ribbons. Plenty of colourful coral structures can be seen with clown fish swimming between the tectacles of orange anemones. The synchronous and harmonic movement of a school of hundreds of yellow snappers is a beautiful view and you may even spot a turtle.

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

This is the perfect site for a night dive. Typically, Nurse Sharks, Black Tips, Marble Rays and Jacks are seen here.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 15

Expect to see Napoleons, turtles, moray eels and a lot of reef fish. In the blue water pegalics can often be seen passing by. There are caves and overhangs with walls packed full of yellow, blue, pink and white soft coral.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 32

The channel is narrow and features swim-throughs, small caves and large overhangs. The drop-off at the channel entrance is covered in colourful soft corals. Titan triggerfish are common here along with grey reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, tuna and barracuda. You might be lucky enough to get a glimpse of hammerhead sharks in the most outer side of the channel. This is also where eagle rays can be spotted, along with big groupers such as the potato grouper and the black saddle coral groupers. Look out for sting rays resting on the patch of sand and turtles on the channel walls.

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

Situated in a channel between two islands its possible to encounter some larger species such as grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, mako sharks and even hammerhead sharks. There is also the chance of seeing manta rays, eagle rays, barracuda, travellies and groupers. The corners and overhangs that can be found along the site are nicely covered with blue and white soft corals.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 40

This site has a beautiful reef and gentle underwater slopes. The underwater landscape has crevices, cracks, walls, and interestingly shaped corals. As the name implies, this dive site features numerous huge manta rays that have a cleaning station here. Other large species around Lankan Manta Point include whitetip sharks, hawksbill turtles, barracudas, humphead wrasses, and moray eels. In addition, there are myriads of small colorful fish, shrimp, octopi, sweetlips, and blue tangs.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 40

This dive site is a narrow and curved reef which is situated on the northern side of the island of Dharavandhoo. You can see Napoleons, stingrays and turtles. During the South West Monsoon, manta rays can also be spotted here.

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

This site is located opposite the similarly named island & features a slope. There are a large number of cavern-like overhangs between 20 & 40m depth from which this site is named. These overhangs are densely covered in blue & yellow soft coral as well as black coral. Nurse sharks can often be found resting here. Stingrays can often be seen on the slopes & if one looks closely, there are numerous nudibranchs also to be found.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 40

From May to November, an exceptional concentration of kreel attracts hundreds of mantas for feeding and often some whale sharks also feed among them.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 20m

This is a well-known drift diving site due to the very fast currents that flow through the area but it is also known for the many sea turtles that come to the area between January and May. The site has the normal features of a Maldives site with a good healthy reef, many overhangs, and even a large cave.

The dive site is a sloping reef with a maximum depth of 30 metres and with visibility reaching 25 metres, divers can nearly make out the bottom of the ocean from the surface. The dive averages out at around 15 metres. The reef is found on Kalhahandhi Huraa, which is an island. The name Kalhahandhi translates as trevally and so divers can expect to see these fish whilst visiting the site.

The many trevallies are accompanied by many grey reef sharks, barracuda, white tip reef sharks, and black tip reef sharks. In between February and March, it is also very common to spot many manta rays in the area. About one metre below the reef, there is a set of channels that provide shelter from the current. Divers can stop there to see the many basslets, dotty backs, and fusiliers that are also seeking respite from the fast moving currents. Out into the ocean, divers will be able to see many midnight snappers, rabbitfish, unicornfish, tuna, and schools of rainbow runners.

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

This is a very interesting formation, with a wall of seafans on the outside of the main peak, and some pinncacles on the western side. There is a tunner to swimthrough cutting the reef at 16m where yellow sweepers stay. At the north side there are another two pinnacles starting at 20m, with a narrow canyon between them. The dive can be very deep and currents treacherous.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 40m

This site is in the first northern channel on the eastern reef of the Laamu atoll in Maldives. With a shallow bed, this channel, which is considered one of the most beautiful dive sites of the archipelago, hosts a large variety of species. The water entry can be done at the north or south of the mouth of the channel, according to the direction of the current. The most spectacular dive is when divers cross the channel. They will need to have a good positioning close to the reef in order to drift smoothly in the current. Then, divers can swim inside the atoll to try to encounter dolphins.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 20

Parrotfish dart in among the large table corals at Maamendhoo Giri, along with turtles munching on the coral, while angelfish and butterflyfish swim nonchalantly past. This spot makes a stunning night dive.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 20

An exciting drift dive can be had at Munnafushi Kandu. Begin on the open ocean side of this channel and make your way across the channel to encounter rays flying effortlessly on the current and sharks competing for likely prey with the large tuna.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 20