Travel Like Palak Tiwari: 5 Best Places In The Maldives For Scuba Diving

Actor Palak Tiwari, who is holidaying in the Maldives, recently scuba-dived off Furaveri Island. The archipelago’s dreamy white sand beaches and excellent reefs teem with abundant marine life, making scuba diving one of the top activities to do there. Inside the atoll lagoons, rock pinnacles called thila rise up from the depths to scratch the water’s surface, while in the channels, there are swim-throughs, caverns and overhangs festooned with colourful sponges, invertebrates and gorgonians.

With a tropical climate and warm temperatures year-round, you can dive into Maldivian waters whenever you want. However, August-November is considered the best time of year to see manta rays and whale sharks, while January-April offers great visibility. If Tiwari’s scuba diving adventures are making you yearn for underwater sights, here are the top five places you should consider for diving experiences.

Maaya Thila

One of the most popular dive sites in the Maldives is the Maaya Thila, and it frequently ranks as one of the best dive sites on the planet. The thila is about 80 metres in diameter and can easily be circumnavigated in one dive—if the current is favourable—although it is not uncommon for divers to spend the entire dive in one area to digest the incredible diversity of marine life. The big cave on the north side is a visual feast with whitetips (which usually frequent the side of the reef where the current is strongest), dog-toothed tuna and great barracuda swimming alongside blue-faced angelfish, tall-fin batfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish, clown triggerfish and lionfish. Schools of trevally, grey and whitetip reef sharks, squadrons of eagle rays, and solitary guitar sharks all make appearances here. 

Hanifaru Bay

One of the Maldives’ most famous destinations, the now legendary Hanifaru Bay in the Baa Atoll delivers splendid manta ray and whale shark encounters year-on-year. Being the only biosphere reserve in the country, the Baa Atoll’s striking underwater beauty makes it one of the best places for scuba diving in the archipelago. The small bay on the reef of Hanifaru Island is where plankton blooms from July till November and attracts whale sharks for feeding. Sometimes, there are six to eight whale sharks mingling with hundreds of manta rays, a sight you will never forget.

Maamigli Reef

In the South Ari Atoll, you’re never far from a whale shark. Best known for its epic encounters with this incredible creature and located within the South Ari Marine Protected Area, the Maamigli Reef offers near-guaranteed whale shark sightings throughout the year. Lucky visitors can swim alongside them as they meander gracefully above the reef. For the best chance to see a whale shark, head out on a dive or snorkel trip organised by your resort—the guides will know where any have been seen recently.

Girifushi Thila

The Girifushi Thila is known by several names, including Rainbow Reef, due to its dazzling display of decorative corals. In fact, this site is also playfully referred to as the soft coral capital of the world. Lying in a protected channel between islands in the North Malé Atoll, the tower of boulders here have created a jumble of caves, cracks and crevices, including a 25-metre vertical swim-through known as “The Chimney.” Grey reef sharks, trevally, snappers, eagle rays, tuna and barracuda all call this thila home. 

Rasdhoo Madivaru

Rasdhoo Madivaru is a horseshoe-shaped reef featuring a complex tangle of overhangs, cracks and crevices. A dive here can turn up grey and whitetip reef sharks, manta rays, eagle rays, stingrays, and schools of barracuda, trevally and jacks. Silvertips, hammerheads, guitar sharks and dolphins feasting on garden eels can occasionally be seen here.