Take look at the top 10 dive sites in North Malé Atoll Maldives. And one bonus dive site!
The Maldives is home to some of the most spectacular dive sites in the world. North Malé Atoll offers some of the best dive sites around.
From breathtaking coral reefs and shipwrecks to manta rays, sharks and turtles, North Malé Atoll is a diver’s paradise and has something for everyone.
The top 10 dive sites in North Malé Atoll Maldives
#1 Maldives Victory Wreck
The Maldives Victory Wreck is at the South of North Malé Atoll. It sank on 13th February 1981 between Malé and the Hulhule Airport Island. The 80m long cargo ship wreck depth ranges from 15 to 30+ meters. Excellent for macro and wreck lovers. Due to the current that flows through the channel, many fish surround the dive site. Coming to the North Malé Atoll and not dive the Victory is like visiting Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower.
The Maldives Victory dive site is accessible for divers staying at Kurumba, Club Med Kani, Club Med Finolhu and Meeru.
#2 Banana Reef
Banana Reef is on the Southeast side of North Malé Atoll. The reef takes its name because of its shape when viewed from the air. This dive site has been declared a Marine Protected Area. The scenery is fantastic! Divers can see sharks, barracudas, trevallies, a massive school of bannerfish, soft corals, blue-striped snappers, and more.
The Banana Reef dive site is accessible for divers staying at Kurumba, Club Med Kani, Club Med Finolhu and Meeru.
#3 Okobe Thila
Southeast in North Malé Atoll is Okobe Thila, a marine-protected dive site, is outstanding. There are amazing colorful soft corals, big schools of fish and dense schools of Bannerfish gathered outside the overhangs. Blue-lined snappers, Tunas, Napoleons and more. This dive site is necessary for experienced divers when exploring the North Malé Atoll. Don’t forget to bring a torch!
The Okobe Thila dive site is accessible for divers staying at Kurumba, Club Med Kani, Club Med Finolhu and Meeru.
#4 Lankan Manta Point
Lankan Manta Point is on the East side of North Malé Atoll. The dive site among the most famous manta ray cleaning stations in the Maldives. Between May to November, this dive site comes alive. Divers often looked overwhelmed while watching the manta rays hover to be cleaned.
Lankan Manta Point dive site is accessible for divers staying at Kurumba, Club Med Kani and Club Med Finolhu.
#5 HP Reef
East side of North Malé Atoll HP Reef is one of the best dive sites and a must for every experienced diver. The soft corals are the stars of the show at this beautiful site. In addition, divers can see eagle rays, trevallies, tunas, sharks and more.
HP Reef dive site is accessible for divers staying at Kurumba, Club Med Kani, Club Med Finolhu and Meeru.
#6 Aquarium
Aquarium is on the East side of North Malé Atoll. And the name says it all. One of the most requested dive sites by our repeater guests and it is worth repeating. The corner is packed with fish and there is always so much to see. Oriental sweetlips, snappers, eagle rays, green turtles, sharks and more.
The Aquarium dive site is accessible for divers staying at Kurumba, Club Med Kani, Club Med Finolhu and Meeru.
#7 West Rock Wreck
The West Rock Wreck is on the East side of North Malé Atoll. A small cargo freighter was sunk in 1999 and lay on a sandy plateau at 25 meters. The 30 meters long wreck is covered by corals, where you can find amazing macro life like nudibranchs, scorpionfish, frogfish, shrimps and other creatures. We do a night dive here from Meeru as well.
The West Rock Wreck dive site is accessible for divers staying at Kurumba, Club Med Kani, Club Med Finolhu and Meeru.
#8 Helengeli Thila
Helengili Thila is at the Northeast of North Malé Atoll. The amount of fish at the dive site is unbelievable when the current is outgoing. There is a good chance to see eagle rays, grey reef sharks, tunas and more. The overhang at 27 meters beckons with about a hundred gorgonian sea fans. Just amazing!
The Helengeli Thila dive site is accessible for divers staying at Eriyadu, Kagi, and Meeru.
#9 Finger Point
Finger Point dive site is on the West side of North Malé Atoll. A magnificent site for big fish. The incoming current bring grey reef sharks, white tip reef sharks to the reef and schools of eagle rays.
The Finger Point dive site is accessible for divers staying at Eriyadu, Kagi, and Meeru.
#10 Woshimas Thila
Woshimas Thila dive site is on the West side of North Malé Atoll. You’ll be awestruck by the grey reef sharks zooming effortlessly back and forth in the water. Eagle rays can also be seen flying past the reef. You will notice how overgrown the thila is with sea fans and whip corals. Schools of snapper and sweetlips also populate the reef.
Woshimas Thila dive site is accessible for divers staying at Eriyadu, Kagi, and Meeru.
#11 Bonus Dive Site – Bodu Hithi Thila
Bodu Hithi is a large thila on the western side of the North Malé Atoll. Manta rays come to feed and get cleaned between December and April when the currents shift the atoll plankton to the outlying water.
Bodu Hithi dive site is accessible for divers staying at Eriyadu, Kagi, and Meeru.
Best time to dive in North Malé Atoll?
The southwest monsoon runs from May to November with a greater chance of rain and less calm sea conditions. The average visibility this time is around 10-15 meters. Offers memorable sightings of manta rays on the eastern side of the atoll.
The northeast monsoon from December to April is dry and brings gentle breezes. As a result, visibility can be greater than 30 meters: calmer seas, good visibility and pelagic fish life.
Where to stay in North Malé Atoll?
Here is a quick list:
- Club Med Kani
- Club Med Finolhu Villas
- Eriyadu Island Resort
- Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa
- Kurumba Maldives
- Meeru Island Resort & Spa
Those looking for a larger island with lots to do will love
- Club Med Kani
- Meeru Island Resort & Spa
If you are traveling with children, check out these family-friendly tropical havens
- Kurumba Maldives
- Meeru Island Resort & Spa
Couples will fall in love with these romantic hideaways
- Club Med Finolhu Villas
- Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa
Be pampered in the lap of luxury at these chic resorts
- Club Med Finolhu Villas
- Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa
- Kurumba Maldives
If you are longing for a laid-back Maldivian vibes island
- Eriyadu Island Resort
- Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa
- Meeru Island Resort & Spa
If you dream of diving with mantas, these islands are close to manta dive sites
May to November
- Club Med Finolhu Villas
- Club Med Kani
- Kurumba Maldives
- Meeru Island Resort & Spa
January to April
- Eriyadu Island Resort
- Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa
The Euro-Divers scuba team is standing by to take you to the top 10 dive sites of North Malé Atoll!
Everything started with my Open Water Course at Koh Tao, Thailand. I’m hooked with the first breath I took underwater – this magical and peaceful world with all these different colors and creatures made me forget about everything else. It felt like an addiction.
This time made me realize that I don’t want to keep diving only as a hobby. I wanted to become a Diving Instructor and make diving my profession.
I was working as an entertainer in one of the resorts in South Male atoll. The first time I tried diving I absolutely fell in love with it, so every day off I would go diving.
I was lucky enough to meet people from Euro-Divers who helped me complete my instructor course and employment later on.
That trip changed everything. Since 2014, I visited more than 50 countries in three continents.
2019, 2020, 2021 – still in Maldives, enjoying what I love the most.
Im sonnigen Süden (Ägypten) lernte ich im Urlaub die unglaubliche Unterwasserwelt bei einem Schnuppertauchgang kennen und lieben.
Anfangs arbeitete ich im Tauchcenter im Büro, mir wurde jedoch schnell klar, dass ich die Gäste nicht nur über Wasser sondern auch unter Wasser begleiten wollte. Somit machte ich die Divemaster Ausbildung.
I studied Hotel management and ended up working for several years in different Hotels/Resorts around Italians seaside where I spend my days off diving and achieving the Dive Master rating.
I choose to stay in Oman because of its unspoiled dive site, beaches and many undiscovered dive places! We do not have mass tourism here and the country itself is spectacular besides being the safest place to live in.
Bored and burnt out of the stressful life in Holland, I quit my job as Manager Back Office & Finance and I went to Curacao for holiday. On this tropical island I took my first breaths under water with Instructor Marc, who is still my buddy in life.
Diving keeps me grounded, relaxed and connected with Mother Nature (myself). It supports me to let go, to put things into perspective and it helps me to stay focused and balanced in my position as a manager.
But diving was not at all my purpose of the journey, in fact I was not even a diver yet, I became a diver after I got passionate in freediving in Egypt in 2012 while freediving with dolphin in the wild, eager to become a snorkeling guide, I did my life guard licence and then my PADI open water!
I love freediving but scuba diving is an all other story for me, learning scuba diving make you discover part of yourself you didn’t know, you learn to control things that you would have never imagined possible, I regularly see many of my students discovering how calm they can be underwater when in life they tend to be hyperactive and then in the other hand I see calm or introverted persons becoming excited and move like a torpedo underwater 🙂 so diving might not be for everyone but it is definitely to discover!
I decided after my hospitality studies to enter this fascinating new world. I have started my career in Club Med as Guest Service and had the opportunity to travel some of the famous destinations for diving or snorkeling.
I am the perfect example of someone who was scared of diving, the only advice I could give is to believe in yourself.
But since I was young, I knew I wanted to travel the world, to go on adventures, have fun and meet people from everywhere. Unfortunately, those jobs didn’t give me the opportunity to do it so after 5 years I decided to move to Thailand.
Scuba Diving is a sport of passion.
During this time, I wanted to try something new, so I started scuba diving and I will never forget my first underwater experience. I felt nervous at first but at the same time a lot of excitement.
Some people might think that diving is a difficult sport, but there are many ways to enjoy safe diving for any age or gender.
