DIVING

FUVAHMULAH

Fuvahmulah is a wonderfully unique island situated at the southern tip of Maldives. . It has been declared as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve due to the diverse ecosystem that supports countless marine species, sea birds and vegetation. Some are endemic to the region.

The island is 4.94 km square and is accessible by a 1 hour domestic flight from Male’. It has a population of 14,000 inhabitants and is divided into 8 wards. Being surrounded by waves on all sides gave different beaches of the island their own distinctive pebbles, both large and small. Numerous cafe’s, restaurants, hotels and guest houses provide a welcome environment for anyone wishing to visit.

Fuvahmulah is a distinctive island in the south of Maldives, declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve for its diverse ecosystem. It’s accessible by a 1-hour domestic flight from Male, with unique pebble beaches and various hospitality available.

The island is a must visit for an ocean enthusiast. The dive sites are home to a variety of rarely seen oceanic species . Encounters depend on the time of year, tide, current and visibility.

Maldives experiences two monsoons.

There are a variety of dive spots on the surrounding reefs of the island. The Southern tip of the island extends a few kilometres into the ocean. Locally known as “Farikede” is a plateau that descends into the deep ocean. The Northern corner is locally known as “Hudekede”, it is a point where currents meet and mix, making it a favorite cleaning area for many species of sharks and fish. The most popular dive site for divers visiting the island is usually the Tiger shark dive, which is located close to the entrance of the harbour.

Beginning of the year is marked with clear blue water brought by strong North Eastern currents. Visibility usually exceeds 30 meters from January to March. At the tail end of the North Eastern Monsoon, from April to May, there is an abundance of plankton and filter feeders.

June and July marks the start of South West Monsoon. Winds and current will come from Westerly direction and will persist until the end of the year. This creates excellent diving conditions on the leeward side of the island.

Diving would be great anytime of the year. It is always possible to find something special.

UNDERWATER

TIGER SHARK DIVE

Since the construction of the Harbour and the fish market in 2004, the islanders have been discarding their daily fish waste close by the waters of the harbour. This attracts large numbers of marine life including many tiger sharks which scavenge the scraps left from the fishermen.

There are over 200 individual sharks recorded and this number is growing. This is the most popular site among scuba divers who visit the island. This is mainly a stationary dive at a shallow depth of approximately 12 meters on a sandy drop off making it accessible to all levels of certified divers.

While we consider ourselves fortunate to witness the captivating presence of tiger sharks, we strive to minimize our interference and let nature unfold as naturally as possible.

Fuvahmulah island’s rich coral life supports diverse marine species, including sharks that find cleaning stations among cleaner wrasses. Abundant prey species attract a variety of predators, making it an ideal location for observing elusive species like Thresher, yellow fin tuna … all year around.

Rich coral life comes along with a diversity of marine species that are interlinked to one another. The numerous cleaner wrasses even at depths of 40m ensures that pelagic species such as Thresher Sharks, Tiger Sharks, Hammerhead Sharks and Silvertip Sharks along with many others have many spots where they can stop to get cleaned. This combined with the diversity and abundance of available prey species provide divers the opportunity to see a huge variety of predatory and pelagic species that are drawn right along the reef. Hence, the abundant observation of normally elusive species, like Threshers, Yellowfin Tuna, Great Barracuda, Giant Grouper, Wahoo and sailfish persist all throughout the year.

MARINE LIFE

Aside from the mega fauna that the island is famous for, the reef provides an ideal habitat for plethora of smaller fish, a variety of species of Parrot Fish, Trigger Fish, Hawkfish, Trevally, Emperor and Groupers can all be seen with a single glance swimming to the rhythm of the current among the rich and colourful hard corals. Huge schools of Barracuda, Skipjack Tuna, various Fusiliers, Milkfish and Mackerel Scad could be observed throughout the year. The reef also features Hawksbill Turtles, Moray Eels, Torpedo Rays, White Tip Reef Sharks.

During some months of the year, when plankton and other microbial life blooms drawing larger fish closer to the island reef. April to May every year, Oceanic Mantas and Whale Sharks are observed around the island.

There are also marine mammals that can be observed on the surface such as pods of Spinner Dolphins, Melonhead Whales, Pilot Whales and sometimes rarely seen species like the Cuvier’s Beaked Whale, the deepest diving marine mammal.