North Maldives Atolls

North Maldives Atolls Information

Learning to dive

The Northern Maldives Atolls can offer an excellent environment for beginner divers, with calm, clear waters and shallow reefs, particularly in the Baa, Raa, and Lhaviyani Atolls. These islands have resorts that cater to beginners, providing PADI and SSI certification courses. The sheltered reefs and lagoons around these atolls are ideal for novice divers to gain experience while enjoying vibrant coral gardens and spotting tropical fish.

Many dive centres in this region offer a range of training options, including Discover Scuba Diving for those taking their first breaths underwater, and the full Open Water course. While certification fees can be higher in the Maldives than other locations, it's perfect for those looking to start their underwater adventure in a truly beautiful and relaxed environment.

Qualified divers

For certified divers, the Northern Maldives Atolls offer an exciting and diverse range of dive sites. The Baa, Raa, and Lhaviyani atolls boast spectacular underwater experiences. From thrilling drift dives along steep walls to exploring vibrant coral gardens teeming with life, this region has something for everyone. Many divers opt for liveaboard trips, especially between July and September, to fully explore the best dive sites across these atolls. Liveaboards give you access to a variety of dive environments, including manta ray cleaning stations, whale shark encounters, and beautiful coral reefs.

Further afield, the Far North Atolls - Haa Alif, Haa Dhaalu, Shaviyani, and Noonu - are more remote and offer some of the most untouched dive sites in the Maldives. With fewer visitors, the marine life here is abundant, and the dive sites are pristine. These atolls are primarily accessed via special liveaboard itineraries at certain times of year, which makes them ideal for experienced divers looking for a more adventurous and exclusive experience.

House reef diving

The northern Maldives offers some exceptional house reef diving, particularly around the resorts in Baa, Raa, and Lhaviyani atolls. These easily accessible reefs are perfect for divers who want to enjoy quick, relaxed dives directly from their resort or guesthouse. The house reefs in this region are vibrant with life, including colourful coral gardens, schools of reef fish, and occasional sightings of turtles and rays.

Lhaviyani Atoll is especially known for its diverse house reefs, where you can dive among sharks, manta rays, and large schools of pelagic fish right off the shore. These reefs are ideal for both day and night diving, with resident species like moray eels, lionfish, and octopuses providing fascinating encounters.

Boat diving

Boat diving is the main way to experience the incredible variety of dive sites in the Northern Maldives Atolls. Daily boat trips are offered by resorts for a small additional charge, taking divers to more remote reefs, manta ray cleaning stations, and exciting drift dive sites. 

Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is famous for its manta ray aggregation, especially around Hanifaru Bay, which can be accessed via boat for snorkelling excursions. Similarly, Raa and Lhaviyani offer boat trips to deeper reefs and channels, where reef sharks and eagle rays glide through the nutrient-rich waters.

For those looking to explore beyond the near north, liveaboards are essential for accessing the Far North Atolls. Remote and often unvisited, the dive sites in Haa Alif, Haa Dhaalu, Shaviyani, and Noonu provide exhilarating diving experiences with pristine coral formations, untouched reefs, and plentiful marine life. Liveaboard trips in this region offer the flexibility to dive at several spectacular sites each day, ensuring you experience the full range of diving the northern atolls have to offer.

Dive sites

The Northern Maldives Atolls are home to some of the most captivating dive sites in the country. In the Near North Atolls, Baa Atoll stands out for its Hanifaru Bay, where from July to September, snorkellers can witness the incredible spectacle of manta ray and whale shark aggregations, and divers can dive outside the bay. Other dive sites, such as Dharavandhoo Thila and Maalhos House Reef, offer rich coral formations and a variety of marine life.

Lhaviyani Atoll is another highlight, known for its Kuredu Express dive site, famous for strong currents that attract reef sharks, tunas, and eagle rays. Nearby, Raa Atoll offers stunning coral gardens like Fushifaru Kandu, where divers can explore colourful coral walls teeming with tropical fish.

In the Far North Atolls, divers can explore less-travelled sites in Haa Alif and Haa Dhaalu. Sites like Maroha Kandu and Neykurendhoo Thila are virtually untouched, with pristine coral structures and encounters with pelagics, including barracudas, sharks, and manta rays. The remoteness of these dive sites makes them ideal for adventurous divers seeking an off-the-beaten-path experience.

Marine life

The Northern Maldives Atolls boast an extraordinary array of marine life, making it a haven for underwater enthusiasts. 

Around Baa and Lhaviyani, divers can expect to encounter manta rays, particularly at cleaning stations and during their seasonal gatherings. Whale sharks are also spotted in the area, and the vibrant coral reefs are home to an abundance of tropical fish, including angelfish, parrotfish, and butterflyfish.

The Far North Atolls offer equally thrilling marine encounters. Here, divers often swim alongside reef sharks, eagle rays, and barracudas in the nutrient-rich waters. The remoteness of these atolls means that the reefs are relatively untouched, with healthy coral structures and a great diversity of marine species, including turtles, octopuses, and various species of nudibranchs. Occasional sightings of hammerhead sharks have also been reported in the deeper channels of the Far North Atolls, making it an exhilarating destination for advanced divers.

Diving conditions

Diving conditions in the Northern Maldives Atolls are generally excellent throughout the year, but the best time to dive depends on your goals. Particularly around Baa atoll, the most popular time for diving is between July and September, when the manta ray aggregation occurs in Hanifaru Bay. During this period, the south-west monsoon brings plankton-rich waters, attracting large numbers of manta rays and whale sharks.

Water temperatures in the northern atolls remain warm, averaging 26-29°C (79-84°F) year-round, making it ideal for divers. Visibility is usually fantastic, ranging from 15 to 30 metres, though it can drop during the monsoon season due to plankton blooms. Strong currents are common, especially at deeper channels, providing thrilling drift dives for more experienced divers.

The Far North Atolls, being more remote, offer excellent visibility throughout most of the year. However, liveaboard trips to this region are often planned during the calmer months between January and April, when conditions are at their best, with lighter currents and calm seas. The remoteness of these atolls also means that divers experience far less traffic and pristine dive sites, making it a great option for those seeking exclusivity.

Dive Centre

The dive centre we use in the Northern Maldives Atolls is Ocean Fanatics, when staying at Reethi Beach Resort. Further information, including dive packs and courses, is detailed at Reethi Beach Resort.