Diving in South Ari Atoll

South Ari Atoll in Maldives is endowed with enrapturing tropical splendor. It is one of the exciting dive locations in Maldives. It boasts with several world-class dive sites in Maldives: thilas and outer reefs are suitable for exotic diving rather than channels. South Ari Atoll entices divers with its profuse aquatic flora and fauna.

Ari Atoll (Alifu) southern area has innumerable dive sites. Dhangeti Bodu Thila, Tinfushi Thila, Kudarah Thila; Broken Rock Thila, around 100 meters long,houses fusiliers, trevallies and blue-lined snappers; Angaga Thila, and Bulhaa Lhohi Caves, are some of the thilas at southern area of Ali atoll or Alifu.

Hangngnaameedhoo Thila is 150 m long with high concentration of marine species. Dive at Hukuruelhi Faru, the fantastic manta cleaning station. Kalhuhadhihuraa Faru with its caves and overhangs. Watch bird-eye trevally, gray reef sharks, eagle reefs, manta rays and white tip reef sharks swimming in the channel, or whale sharks in the famous Maamigili. Moofushi Faru, a reef around 2 km long, has caves and overhangs breathing with life like sea fans, whip corals, sting rays, manta rays, napoleon wrasse and sharks.

Besides all these dive sites, there are still many dive sites to be discovered.

Travel to South Ari Atoll

Ari Atoll is the second westernmost atoll of the Maldives, only after Maamakunudhoo Atoll. It is oblong in shape, 89 km in length by only 31 km in breadth. It contains some 50 islands, generally small, which lie mainly along its eastern fringe. Its features are intermediate between Maalhosmadulhu and North Malé atolls.

Except for a small barrier reef in its southern end, it is shaped by a succession of large, separate oval reefs, like the large atolls in the North, with a clear rim of large faru to the east.

In the interior the general soundings are 30 to 40 fathoms (55 to 73 m), with mud and sand. In places its lagoon contains small reef-patches, but it is generally dotted with many large coral reefs, some of which remain submerged even at low tide.