Maldives with amazing coral reefs and wide variety of marine life, it is one of the best dive destinations in the world. Almost all holiday resort islands run well equipped diving centres with excellent instructors who are qualified to offer variety of dives, dive courses etc… The schools in resorts offer “introductory courses”, three lessons that show what it’s like to dive in moderate, crystal clear waters off iridescent reefs surrounded by schools of fish.

Enthusiastic divers a cruise boat exclusively for diving will give the best of the diver world. The whole Maldives has several top dive sites some of them are exclusively for diving.

For beginners obtain a professional qualification like the PADI Open Water Course, which enables the holder to obtain air tanks and dive anywhere in the world, takes about twelve dives, along with a written and practical examination.

Different dives offered by operators.

Reef Dives

Reef edges, where it slopes into deep water are the most interesting part of a reef to dive. Outer reef slopes, where the atoll meets the open sea, often have interesting terraces, over-hangs and caves, and visited by pelagic (open-sea fish).

Visibility is usually good, but surf and currents can make for a demanding dive, inner reef slopes, in the sheltered waters inside an atoll, are generally easier dives and feature coral formations and numerous smaller reef fish.

Kandus

A kandu is channel between islands or reefs on the outer edge of an atoll, or a channel between atolls. Kandu is suitable for drift dives. The current also provides an environment in which attractive soft corals thrive. Water inside an atoll is a breeding ground for plankton, and where this water flows out through a kandu into the open sea.

The rich supply of plankton attracts large fish such as manta rays and whale sharks.

Thillas

A thilla is a coral formation that rises steeply from the atoll floor and reaches to within five to 15m of the water surface – often it’s a spectacular underwater mountain which divers fly around like birds.

The top of a thilla can be rich in reef fish and hard coral, while the steep sides often have crannies, cave and overhangs which provide shelter for many small fish, while larger fish come in turn to feed the smaller fish.

Wrecks

While many ships have foundered on Maldivian reefs over the centuries, there are few accessible wrecks with historical interest. Those which have historical interest requires permission from the government to dive. The driveable wrecks are mostly outside the atolls. They are interesting for the coral and other marine life which colonises the wrecks.