About Best of the Maldives

The Best of the Maldives does just what it says on the tin - you dive the best and most famous dive sites of the Maldives in a single week of sublime liveaboard diving across Male and Ari atolls. This is a dive holiday in the Maldives to remember that hits all the seasonal hot spots of North Male, South Male and Ari Atoll. Dive the many channels, drifts and pinnacles, encountering the manta, whalesharks and reef residents as you go. The exact order of things is left deliberately flexible to ensure that no matter what time of year your holiday to the Maldives is, the breathtaking world underwater is unveiled in all its perfection.

Scuba Travel's Best of the Maldives itinerary aims to mix up big fish manta and shark dives with scenic reefs dives, hunting out the smallest reef fish, morays and macro life that are so abundant. Due to seasonal nature of the marine life, the exact dive sites visited on a Best of the Maldives trip may vary, but are all chosen by each of our liveaboards so you see the Maldives marine life at it's most exciting. All will usually dive North Male, South Male, South Ari and North Ari dive sites, and may stop at one (or both) of Vaavuu and Rasdhoo atolls. Cleaning stations allow you to get up close and personal with massive Maldivian manta, and dives at Manta Point, Dhonkalo Thila and Madivaru provide just such opportunities. Kandhooma thila and Medu Faru are hopt spots for eagle rays. Maaya Thila is one of the best known dive sites in the Maldives and for a good reason. This pinnacle is about 30m diameter that descends to reveal sharks and fish a plenty. Night diving here is hard to beat and should not be missed. Log yet more pelagic sightings as grey reef sharks patrol the north and south ari Atoll area. Radhiga thila, Maalhos thila and Hafsa thila are just some of the stand out dives in this area. The boat will also take some time out along the route to look for whalesharks you can snorkel with - grab your fins as these gentle giants can move fast! Maamagili Beyru is one of the best places to see whalesharks on this itinerary.

With so many excellent and remarkable sites in and around North - South Male Atolls and the Ari Atolls, the Best of the Maldives is a route that can be dived time and time again. Surely no one can tire of the jaw dropping diversity and life on display. From the tiny creatures that thrill macro lovers to the elegant and inspiring big fish, there more than enough to keep you coming back for more.

The Best of the Maldives is an ideal itinerary for any first time visitor to the Maldives. Divers should be comfortable with drift diving and, unpredictable and strong currents can be expected in certain areas. Inexperienced or beginner divers may find some dives challenging and may be asked by the Cruise Director to skip dives that are not suitable for their diving experience. On some dives the recommended depth is below 18m therefore advanced or Deep Diver training is advised.

Carpe Fleet require an AOW certification. All diving is made from dhonis to give precision entry and exits points. Night diving is limited to sheltered moorings but well worth jumping in for.