In Depth
From any resort or liveaboard, there are at least 30 dive sites to choose from with ideal conditions for beginners to experts alike making the Huvadhoo Atoll the perfect spot for a luxury diving holiday. Many of the best dive sites are located within the atoll and are therefore well protected with minimal current so alongside excellent house reefs, it is an excellent spot to learn to dive.
Most dive sites offer the opportunity to experience stunning reef structures overflowing with marine life including usual suspects such as schools of snapper, spiralling bigeye trevally, jackfish, triggerfish, yellow boxfish, oriental sweetlips, tuna, turtles, sting rays, colourful gorgonians and sponges to name just a few. Vibrant coral gardens, swim-throughs, over-hangs, caves, thilas, walls, drop-offs and exciting channels await. For experienced divers, the channels are where it's at, with a higher chance of seeing sharks. Species include whitetip, blacktip, schooling grey reef, leopard, nurse sharks and some rarer sightings include tiger, whale shark, silky and hammerheads. It is also the only known location in the Maldives where spinner sharks have been seen – a rare species for its acrobatic leaps out of the water as part of its feeding strategy.
Located on the east of the atoll, Nilandhoo Kandu is a channel dive not to be missed and often enjoyed as a drift dive. The current is strongest at the entrance of the channel and drop-off, with the chance of seeing leopard shark, grey reef sharks, silky sharks, schooling barracuda and jack, squadrons of eagle rays, turtles resting on the sandy bottom and even the occasional tiger shark. Kooddooo channels, including Villingilli Kandu, is another popular dive site with the chance of seeing a large number schooling of grey reef sharks and occasionally hammerheads. Currents are strong at the mouth of the channel, but divers can hook on to a rock at around 30m and observe the action. On the western side of the atoll, Meradhoo Kandu has an outer reef covered in orange and yellow soft corals at 20-25m depth and out in the blue, pelagic species can be seen cruising by. Jackfish, tuna, whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays and Napolean wrasse are often seen, making this an exhilarating dive.
Beyond the Reef
A wide range of activities and excursions are on offer on a diving holiday in the Huvadhoo atoll. Dolphin cruises, nature walks, sunset fishing and island-hopping are available as well as a range of motorised and non-motorised watersports. Marine Biology programmes are offered in some resorts and some liveaboards have kayaks and paddleboards to enjoy between dives. One of the standout features of a diving holiday in the Huvadhoo atoll is how remote the atoll feels being over 400km from Male, so this in itself is something to savour when not scuba diving.
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