Northern South Malé
On the northern side of the South Male area is the Vadhoo Caves where you can explore the great assortment of marine life like unicornfish or turtles.
Explore Malé
Malé, located in the Central Atolls, is the bustling capital city of the Maldives. As the only airport in the Maldives with international flights, it is the epicentre of the archipelago. It is also one of the most densely populated cities on earth. It is located on the southern edge of North Malé, or Kaafu, Atoll. Because space is at such a premium, a nearby island called Hulhumalé has been reclaimed to provide more room.
It is the most easy-to-access part of the Maldives for tourists so it is unsurprising that there are lots of liveaboards, dive centres and dive resorts within easy reach. Most liveaboards that go and explore other atolls leave from here. It is also some of the most well established diving, as it is so close to the capital.
Places to explore
Courses and Events
Dive Activity
Diving in Malé
Diving in Malé is characterised by submerged pinnacle reefs (thilas), caves, swim throughs, channel (kandu) drift dives and even some wrecks. Almost all liveaboards leave from here, meaning you have a wide selection to choose from. If you want to dive a lot and see as many sites as possible, this may be your best option. There are several dive resorts on nearby islands if you wish to stay close to the capital. There are also plenty in the wider Kaafu Atoll if you wish to go further afield. There are a couple of dive centres on the island itself, perfect if you want to do a dive course while staying in the city with even more on Hulhumalé.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Malé
North Malé provides many healthy reefs to look for macro and reef fish in. The corals that coat many sites provide excellent macro hunting which can yield rare nudibranch, shrimp and pipefish. There are clouds of fish to enjoy; parrotfish munching on coral, hunting trevally and schools of fusiliers and jacks are present on almost every dive site and mean you’ll never be bored!
Diving in Malé can yield great sightings of pelagic life - chiefly reef sharks and manta rays. Certain dive sites like Manta Point offer the best chances of seeing them, especially during the monsoon season.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
8.4k Sightings
J
791
F
601
M
795
A
959
M
494
J
302
J
512
A
705
S
649
O
830
N
924
D
870
Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography
Green Turtle
5.4k Sightings
J
527
F
459
M
553
A
626
M
271
J
209
J
361
A
488
S
299
O
499
N
609
D
524
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 25
iStock/Juliosanjuan
Eagle Ray
4.7k Sightings
J
376
F
305
M
474
A
667
M
296
J
184
J
275
A
372
S
332
O
426
N
522
D
490
Shutterstock-Andrey Armyagov
Hawksbill Turtle
3.3k Sightings
J
334
F
293
M
340
A
380
M
172
J
152
J
299
A
254
S
199
O
262
N
315
D
327
iStock-crisod
Reef Manta Ray
2.8k Sightings
J
104
F
83
M
102
A
149
M
104
J
88
J
141
A
336
S
362
O
489
N
557
D
248
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 600
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
1.9k Sightings
J
249
F
115
M
168
A
219
M
112
J
85
J
98
A
183
S
126
O
192
N
178
D
187
Alamy/Fiona Ayerst
Tiger Shark
1.6k Sightings
J
155
F
135
M
243
A
142
M
92
J
56
J
112
A
189
S
105
O
48
N
206
D
123
iStock/HakBak1979
Bull Shark
964 Sightings
J
98
F
99
M
202
A
132
M
101
J
62
J
64
A
60
S
59
O
12
N
36
D
39
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 300
Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
Octopus
854 Sightings
J
123
F
93
M
106
A
121
M
31
J
7
J
21
A
25
S
38
O
85
N
138
D
66
AdobeStock/G Russel Childress
Great Hammerhead Shark
547 Sightings
J
38
F
33
M
82
A
62
M
36
J
15
J
62
A
65
S
43
O
28
N
37
D
46
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 27
iStock-Global_Pics
Barracuda
459 Sightings
J
42
F
45
M
41
A
65
M
28
J
25
J
18
A
46
S
42
O
23
N
47
D
37
iStock/Divepic
Giant Oceanic Manta Ray
451 Sightings
J
22
F
17
M
17
A
8
M
26
J
18
J
35
A
49
S
59
O
88
N
85
D
27
The best Months to dive in Malé
Malé enjoys constant temperatures all year round, with the water temperatures rarely dropping below 27°C/81°F. There are two distinct seasons—the rainy and the dry. During the dry season (December–April) the winds are almost nonexistent, the seas are calm, and the visibility is often 40 meters/131 feet or more. This is the best time to dive, but it is also the most expensive time.
The rainy season from June–November brings higher winds (and rougher seas as a result) with more rain, though there is plenty of sunshine as well! The winds bring in plankton, which decreases the visibility, but it does attract manta rays and whale sharks! Also, the prices go down during this season as it is less busy.
