COMO Maalifushi, Laamu and Thaa Atolls

Scuba diving in Thaa and Laamu atolls is fantastic year-round. Resorts typically have their own dive centre, while some work closely with local dive centres nearby. With idyllic diving conditions for entry-level dive courses, these are ideal places to take your first underwater breaths.

Diving in Laamu Atoll

With only a few channels breaking the atoll’s outer reef, the tidal flows in and out of the central lagoon can be intense - attracting plenty of marine life and ensuring great visibility. Beginners and photographers can explore the stunning coral reefs within the lagoon, while more advanced divers should head to the adrenaline-pumping drift diving to be had in the northern channels. The strong currents attract jaw-dropping pelagic action, including sharks and eagle rays. Inner reefs house plenty of small macro critters and an abundance of colourful tropical fish, as well as larger favourites like sea turtles.

Fushi Kandu is the top channel dive, with whitetip reef sharks, barracuda, schools of jacks, tuna, eagle rays and napoleon wrasse. Maamendhoo Giri boasts enormous table coral formations, along with schools of colourful parrotfish, turtles and more. At Munnafushi Kandu, eagle rays glide on currents while tuna and sharks compete among unlucky schools of fish. At the southern tip of Laamu, there’s Manta Point - also known as Hithadhoo Corner  - where divers can watch manta rays put on a show at cleaning stations. The mantas are here year-round, though numbers are highest during the two mating seasons from October to November and then again from April to May. To the atoll’s west, it’s sometimes possible to see whale sharks, though this isn’t something the dive centres guarantee!

Diving in Thaa Atoll

Diving in Thaa Atoll ticks all the boxes, with sites well-known for encountering sharks, mantas, eagle rays, and turtles. But the biggest attraction here is often the unknown. Due to its immense size and relative seclusion, Thaa Atoll’s diving is still in a stage of exciting exploration, with around 30 sites already charted and new spots being discovered all the time.

Located in the atoll’s northeast, Olhugiri Kandu is a pelagic-packed channel where schooling fish attract scores of whitetip reef sharks on the hunt, as well as jacks, tuna and eagle rays waiting for their fill. Other sites such as 7-Up deliver vibrant bursts of coral and multi-coloured marine life, while the constant flow of current at Gorgonian Garden has created a thriving forest of sea fans and attracts manta rays during the season.