The Maldives, an island republic with more than 1,000 islands and atolls offers scuba dives amazing dive experiences. The multitude of dive sites owe their abundance of marine life to the nutrient-rich currents that feed the coral reefs.
The channels between the islands and atolls can create strong currents that besides feeding nutrients to the marine environment, offer challenging drift dives along the reef walls. Other dive sites offer underwater pinnacles and protected lagoons offer calm areas that thrive with marine life.
The Maldives is an underwater photographers paradise. Macro critters are in abundance and for those who love encounters with large pelagics, sharks, whale sharks, grouper, eagle rays and mantas, and Napoleon wrasse are found. Shark species include tigers, hammerheads, and threshers.
Visibility is usually 20-40 meters (65-130 feet) and water temperatures range between 23-26 degrees C (78-84 degrees F). Dive conditions are excellent all year but November thru May are out of the summer monsoon season. Many of the dive sites throughout the Maldives are marine protected areas.