Dive in North Ari Atoll

Maayaa thila is probably one of the most popular dive sites in North Ari Atoll, and is common to find 3, 4 or more dhoanis around with lots of divers around, specially in high season. It is a marine protected area that has a thila at 6m with a diameter of around 80 meters. Around the thila is a wall…

Great dive site as there is a cleaning station for sharks. The best way to do this dive is with the current. Jump in from the boat and descend as fast as possible to the end of the thila. It might be necessary to "climb" a little bit along the top of the thila. Once the current point is reached,…

On the northern side of Maalhoss there is the Maalhohu Uthuru Kandu, and in the middle this thila. The top is at 6m and in the south part there is a group of caves starting at 7m. They keep descending at a maximum of 25m. Inside lots of black coral (coloured white). This is a nice place for…

Fesdu wreck is a 30m long fishing boat, sitting on a sand slope alongside a small thila. Sealife is abundant: soft corals, glassfish, moray eels, groupers… The best dive is start at the wreck and spend some time around, even looking inside, and 10 or 15 minutes before hitting deco go to explore…

Mushimasmingili Thila is a very wide area, protected as a marine park, and the SE corner is known as The Fish Head. This was a classic shark fishing point, but not anymore since the area was protected. Usually is easy to find grey reef sharks here among other fishes. The top of the reef is 10m deep.…

On the north of Bathalaa Maaga island there is a long spur of about 20 metres wide that extends more than 500m to the north into Maagaa Kandu. It is a long slope that finish at 30m. There are smal cavities and two caves at the northern end, where visibility is better than in the inside. Here you can…

3 km to the north of Bathalaa there is ths protected marine area. A thila taht goes from 10 to more than 30m. Schooling fishes on the east side, nice corals on the sloping on the north, and sharks on ths south west. Also tunas, napoleons and on the reef some stingrays, scorpionfish and stonefish. In…

In the Halaveli region, at the nort east of Ari, there is this long reef / thila. Is a complicated dive and as is not protected, when the wind peaks or with strong currrents the sea is rough. There are caves and overhangs in both sides. Around there are always swimming tunas, napoleon fish and lots…

Also known as Maagaa Thila. Protected marine area on the north side of Orimas faru, a small thila that goes from 3 to 30m. Maagaa thila is the island on the north (there comes the name). It has a great landscape with beautiful overhangs and small cavities on the perimeter of the pinnacle. At 6m in…

Halaveli was sunk by the Halaveli Island dive school in 1991 about 1,5Km NNW of Halaveli. The ship name was Razza and was a cargo vessel. The wreck lies 28 meters deep (deck at 20m deep) . You can encouter common wreck inhabitants such as large morays and groupers; but also stingrays on the sandy…

It's located in the most north area, it is called Maavaru outside, and the only thing intersting there is the two coral blocks which are the dive site -over there I saw the big Mantas together with big eagle rays and some white tips patrolling around, but the Rays over there were breathtakingly…

Bodugah means "big rock"

This is probably one of the best and more convenient house reefs in the whole Maldives. Right on the south of Ellaidhoo you can jump from the jetty or from the beach and there is a 750m long wall dive full of caves, cavities, seafans, hard and soft coral, sponges and lots of life. The sandy bottom…

Himendhoo is a 4km wide Kandu with 3 main dive sites. The outside corner, the inside one, and Himendhoo thila, or Donkadlo Thila. That's one of the area dive sites where you can meet manta rays (usually from december to april). Don't miss the caves and overhangs between 20m and 30m.

This is the housereef of Kuramathi, where there are two wrecks. The first one is a dhoani called Tomton, 20m away from the jetty, not deep and good for beginning divers. The other one sunk in 1987 and is a 40m long frighter, resting from 10 to 18m.

Manta's cleaning station

Jump in at the corner of Rasdhoo island and cross the channel underwater till Kuramathi island with incoming current. Ideal for EANx divers.

Outer reef in front of Kuramathi

Veligandu Kandu is a shallow channel with around the depth of 10 meters.The reef slopes at 25 m and in the middle of the channel a large coralgarden formulated with nooks and crannies with myriad underwaterspecies. Manta rays are often seen swimming across the channel

On the outer north rim of Ari Atoll there is almost one huge reef that pops up to 30m in some places. At the end there is the Maavaru Kandu, a wide channel that features in the middle Ukulhas Thila. This dive is a very long and narrow pinnacle, 300m long with a flat top at 15m and sloping down to…

On ther SW of Kudafolhudhoo lies this reef. On the south is a long drift dive with sandy bottom at 25m. White tips can be seen around. The coral is not very good and if the current is strong is easy to be washed away in less than 20min. The reef top is at 6 - 8m, so is easy to finish the dive with…

Budu means "Big", and so is this thila, with 500m long. From 10 to 20m. All around the Mahiveree Dhekunu Kandu there are other interesting similar thilas, such as Myaruga Thila, o Maa Thila.

On the south west of Kudafolhudhoo, close to bodu thila and kuda thila, lies this big and nice thila. About 80m long and more than 30m deep. Reef top is at 15m and a negative descent might be needed with strong current. Practically the whole thila is undercut with terraces, overhangs and caves, but…

In the channel to the south of Madivaru there is this narrow long thila of 400m. It is also called Dhigu Thila like the one in south Male. The reef top starts at 3 - 5m and ends in the edges at 10m. There is a 18m plateau running from the west side. On the south there are caves from 22 to 26m.

Guest of the W Retreat and Spa are lucky to have a great housereef. Literally you can jump from your bungalow and in a few fin kicks stay in a great wall with lots of stuff. The reef goes to 20m and is full of hard coral, big morays, octopus, stonefish and all kinds of scorpionfish. In the sandy…

East of Vhamaafaru, very close to the small lagoon, there are three peaks creating a 150m long thila with the top at 6m, creating a perfect spot with a nice reef for a long safety stop. The thila drops at 20m on the west, and to 30 on the east. Nurse sharks can be found inside small cavities. During…

The Thila (underwater mountain which does not reach the surface) is next (gadhu) to a sandy reef (dinolhu) on the west side of theNorth Ari Atoll, with a lagoon which is also a feeding ground.The main cleaning station is on the top reef and is in about 8 meters deep and surrounded by sand. I…

It is a cleaning station for sharks. Be aware that the sighting of sharks may be dependent on monzoons and currents.

It's a Mobula cleaning station.It needs to have current from East to West, otherwise, there will be nothing on the cleaning station. It starts at 20 meters in the sand. There are some coral heads a little bit of the reef. What is pretty interesting, is, that waiting Mobulas go in a line on the back…