Diving in the Maldives

It’s hard to overstate the wonder of the world beneath the Maldives’ waves. Its turquoise waters teem with life, from intricate coral formations to gliding manta rays, drawing in divers and snorkelers from around the world. Whether you’re a seasoned diver or just dipping your toes in, there’s an underwater experience to add adventure to your Maldives escape.

The tropical seas around the Maldives’ 26 picture-perfect atolls play host to a dizzying array of sea creatures, and the warm, calm waters mean that many - including those beautiful manta rays - stay close for much of the year. Whether bobbing in the shallows, snorkelling over a house reef, or diving deeper out to sea, you can watch reef sharks, octopuses, jellyfish, and dozens of other species making their way through the crystal-clear waters.

Most Maldives resorts occupy an entire small island, often with a house reef just offshore, so some sort of diving is almost always on offer. It’s a great destination for beginners, and for those hoping to further (or complete) a diving course they’ve started at home. Happily, the quality of diving provision is high across the board. The best weather for diving in the Maldives can be found between December and May, so there’s a good window of opportunity for getting the best glimpse of life below the glimmering surface.

Resorts in the Maldives are predominantly all-inclusive, and although diving is always an added cost, this means that you can, if you wish, focus all your time and energy on doing that and nothing else! It’s well worth taking time to pin down exactly what kind of diving experience you’re looking for. What are you hoping to encounter? What’s your current skill level? How do you see diving fitting into the rest of your holiday? We’re on hand to guide you through these questions and ensure the level of diving in your holiday is pitched perfectly.

If diving is a high priority for you, research which atoll intrigues you most and choose a resort or boat based there for easy and frequent dives. If diving is more of an added bonus, rather than your holiday focus, choose your ideal Maldives resort around your other priorities, as there will almost always be some diving on offer. Our team specialist dive master will talk you through the options and help you find your perfect base.

The castaway-calm Reethi Beach, for example, has a small onsite centre from where you can head out on guided dives. These range from trial dives and surface snorkelling for novices to PADI courses and night dives for the more experienced. At the high-end Hurawalhi Island Resort diving is possible at all levels from complete beginner to advanced open water, and you can also get involved with marine conservation at the onsite research centre. For the ultimate diving enthusiast, a few days on a dedicated live-aboard boat doing nothing but eating, sleeping and diving, is pure bliss. We can recommend a boat to suit your needs, or connect with your own favourite dive ship. At the simplest end of the scale, you can start by popping on a snorkelling mask and seeing what’s flitting around in the shallows, which can also be an excellent way for children to take their first steps into underwater wonder.