The Maldives is located in the Indian Ocean and stretch 900 kilometres from north to south, each island is surrounded by spectacular coral reefs and marine life. The beautiful coral reefs sprawl along the equator in the Indian Ocean like pearls making it the most picturesque sight for any tourist. And if you are interested in corals and reefs, Maldives is a heaven for you. The Maldives is truly nirvana for scuba diving holidaymakers and even marine biologists! So it is definitely a must to go scuba diving or at least snorkelling to discover the underwater Eden of the Maldives to complete your holiday here. The Maldives features a remarkable number of dive and snorkel sites of which some are ranked among the best in the world and they cater to divers of all experience levels. The Maldives is well known for the large pelagic creatures that visit the area, particularly sharks and rays. Other marine life include hammerheads, eagle rays, turtles, frogfish, triggerfish, surgeonfish, jacks, snappers, napoleon wrasse, barracudas and a whole lot more really.

The reef life is truly astounding here in the Maldives, with over 700 common fish species, there’s said to be many more yet to be discovered or classified and invertebrate species are estimated to be in their tens of thousands.

Basically there are two different seasons in the Maldives, the North East monsoon which takes place from December till March and the South West monsoon which takes place from June to October. These two periods are actually the best times to go diving in the Maldives.

During the North East monsoon which is like the summer season for Maldives usually has drier conditions and the current flows from the North East through the atolls and all the way through the South West. During this time visibility on the eastern sides of the atolls are remarkable, although it is not as good on the western sides of the atoll. If you are diving in the Maldives during this season you are likely to come across huge Manta Rays and Whale Sharks.

As for the South West monsoon, the current flows from the South West and all the way through the North East; basically it is just the opposite of the North East monsoon. The diving spots in the west are the best during this season as the visibility is clearer and the water has cooler temperatures which causes many of the shark species to swim closer to the surface. You can come across Manta Rays and Whale Sharks usually around the Eastern edge of the atolls during this season. Although sea conditions can get rough and rainfall may slightly increase during this season, the diving remains outstanding.

And it is not such a good idea to go diving between July and November as it is between the transition of the monsoons and the currents can be unpredictable and the chances of having stormy conditions are considerable higher.

And if you are going to the Maldives just to dive then going on a live board is the best answer. They give you a chance to dive in a wider range of sites and also you get to go to the best dive sites early to see much more marine life than others. Live aboard itineraries all depend on the season and weather conditions; they differ along with these changes.