The Maldives has some of the best and exciting dive sites in the world and many visit the Maldives repeatedly for the sole purpose of diving. Once you dive in Maldives you will dive again and again for the sheer pleasure and excitement that is not possible any where in the world as the name goes with Maldivers the Divers paradise.
The highest level of visibility that one could expect- sometimes exceeding 50 meters - and warm temperatures throughout the year makes diving in the Maldives a delight you would want to experience over and over again.
65 million years ago the islands of the Maldives were part of a huge volcanic mountain range. When the volcanoes ceased to be active they submerged sinking at a rate slow enough that coral formations could grow on their rims. This coral growth eventually became the fringing reefs of the atolls. Recent surveys have discovered that the depth of coral on the fringing reef is as much as 2100m (6400ft), a remarkable statistic when you consider a coral massif may grow just 2mm (0.08in) annually.
As the oceanic currents eroded the atolls’ rims they created channels, and today these channels provide some extraordinary diving. The tides of the Indian Ocean flow in and out through the channels, and in so doing concentrate millions and millions of microscopic plant cells, tiny marine animals and larvae, collectively called plankton. This rich soup provides food for many of the reef’s inhabitants. In turn, creatures further up the food chain are attracted from the ocean by the prospect of a good meal, and a rich and diverse marine community builds.
Inside most of the atolls is a complex formation of reefs. A number of these reefs are circular, enclosing a shallow lagoon, others irregular and shallowly submerged. All offer interesting and usually easy diving and excellent snorkelling. Some of the best diving is on submerged reefs called thilas; usually located in the middle of a channels, these rise from the atoll floor to within 10m (33ft) of the surface.
Maldives scuba diving adventure will take you closer to underwater kingdom filled with gray reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, dolphins, tunas, mantas, snappers, groupers, parrotfish, napoleon wrasses, surgeonfish, eels, turtles, octopus, lobsters and many other species of fishes and invertebrates. Water current in diving locations transfers required nutrients for nourishing life inside the deep blue water and results in increasing the aquatic life. You will find high concentration of marine specie at a place where the tidal current is high.
Most dive sites in the Maldives can be grouped according to the geological formation of the reef and are either Channels, Farus, Thilas or Giris.
The Channel or ‘Kandu’ as it is called in Dhivehi, is the deep cut in the atoll rim that connects the waters of the atoll with the open ocean. This is usually the first dive of the day as it tends to be the deepest with some channels being narrow enough to cross from one side to the other. The channel is home to the larger species such as grey shark that feed on the smaller reef life which, in turn, feeds on the plankton being carried into the atoll by the ocean currents.
A Faru is a circular reef rising up from the ocean floor usually lying in the ocean channels.
A Giri is a small area of coral, smaller than a thila that is found inside the atoll.
A Thila is an underwater reef that has formed inside the atoll. Thilas are oblong or circular in shape with the reef top at 6-10m. Sometimes you can swim around the whole thila in one dive but, as with all diving in the Maldives, the most action will be taking place on the point of the current.
Maldives scuba diving offers a great package of unlimited adventure and pleasure.
For recording undersea images, there are many resorts offering cameras and other underwater photography equipments on rent basis. Capture the colorful snappers, barracuda, batfish, harlequin swetlips and trevally jacks parading the reefs.
Maldives is endowed with innumerous popular dive locations like Maldives Victory wreck, Banana reef, Mayaa Thila, Kuda Haa, Rasfari, HP Reef, Aquarium, Lion’s Head and many other dive sites. There are 25 marine protected areas announced by the Government of Maldives to protect the underwater species from exploitation. Scuba diving is a perfect way to explore the colorful and fascinating mysterious world beneath the deep blue water.
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