With more and more dive sites being discovered every year, Fuvahmulah’s relatively unknown diving, unique location and isolation make it one of the Maldives’ top destinations if you are feeling a little adventurous. The regular encounters with Fuvahmulah’s resident tiger sharks have made the atoll famous in recent years and you can dive with the sharks of Tiger Zoo every day. These big sharks have played an important role in the local marine environment for decades, feeding on the entrails and other fishy remains discarded by fisherman, and whilst they are in no way aggressive, the experienced guides at Fuvahmulah Dive School ensure that your encounter will be both safe, and conducted in a responsible manner.

If you are looking for other shark species, Fuvahmulah also offers close encounters with thresher sharks, a deeper water species that moves into the shallows in the dim light of early morning or dusk to visit cleaning stations on the reef.

Depending on the season, you’ll also have a great chance of encountering hammerhead sharks, silvertip sharks, whale sharks, oceanic manta rays, big schools of barracuda, yellowfin tuna, bonitos, and even Mola mola, sailfish and whales. If you are looking for big animals, you can’t get better than Fuvahmulah!

Huvadhoo Atoll is also known as Gaafu Atoll in the Maldives. Huvadhu splits more or less evenly between the inner lagoon and the outer reef. Thanks to its remote location, the atoll offers vast swathes of healthy reefs, populated by impressive table corals and staghorns, although soft corals such as sea fans can also be seen. Swirling schools of big-eye trevally are a common sight, as well as tuna, snapper, and oriental sweetlips, while several spots provide shelter for nesting sea turtles.

Whether you enjoy an exhilarating drift dive, a calm, easygoing exploration of a shallow reef, or looking for sharks in the channels – there is something for everyone. There’s a wealth of exciting dive sites waiting to be explored in this area, including colourful coral reefs, outcrops, caves, tunnels, thilas (underwater islands) and fascinating channels.

The atoll is fringed by a well-defined and almost continuous rim-reef with a deep lagoon. It is a paradise for underwater adventures with scores of healthy coral islets and still undiscovered dive sites. Many of the vibrant reefs and lagoons remain unexplored, and visitors here include stingrays, eagle rays, a large number of turtles, and a variety of sharks, including black and white tip reef sharks, nurse sharks, spinner sharks, and occasionally, hammerheads and bull sharks.

Villingili Kandu and Nilandhoo Kandu, in the atoll’s northeast, are two favourite sites for shark diving. And, as if that wasn’t enough, between January and April, liveaboards often stop in the atoll’s northeast to snorkel with whale sharks. The vessels—including ours—shine large spotlights into the water at night, attracting large plumes of plankton towards the surface. In turn, the plankton lure whale sharks, right up to the boat to feed, allowing guests to slide in and swim alongside.