North Ari and Rasdhoo. The register records more hammerhead sharks at Rasdhoo Madivaru than at any other dive site in the Maldives.
North Ari's reputation rests on four submerged reefs, and the register reads like a dive briefing because most of it was written as one. Maaya Thila is an isolated reef in the middle of the atoll, square-ish, all four sides dropping away steeply. Fish Head — Mushimasmigili — is a plateau at ten to fifteen metres with grey reef sharks at the up-current end. Orimas Thila and Karibeyru run north to south with caves down the deep side.
Rasdhoo is the one worth planning around. It is a separate little atoll off the north-east corner, and the ministry's own description says its Madivaru sea holds the most hammerheads through the year of any dive site in the Maldives where they are found at all. The reef was recognised in 2016 as an ecologically and biologically significant area under the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the surrounding water was declared protected in 2018.
There is no airport in this atoll, and that is the whole shape of a trip here.
SourcesMaldives protected areas registerMaldives Civil Aviation Authority — list of land aerodromesTrans Maldivian Airways — frequently asked questionsAA. Rasdhoo Madivaru AreaMayaa Thila
Three of the twenty Maldivian atolls in this directory have no runway at all, and this is one of them. Nothing can be built closer, so the journey out here is as short as it is going to get.
No runway in the atoll. Arrivals are by speedboat from Velana or by seaplane, so the timing of the international flight decides whether you sleep on the island you booked. Seaplanes fly between sunrise and sunset only, and the operator asks guests who want to reach the resort the same day to be in the Maldives by 15:30.
SourceMaldives Civil Aviation Authority, register updated July 2025checked 2026-09-21
5 protected areas are declared in Alifu Alifu Atoll, covering 4,183 hectares. They were declared between 1995 and 2018, 2 of them together on 21 October 1999. The register carries no declaration date for 1 of them.
a narrow thila stretching north to south down the eastern edge of the atoll. The east side slopes 30 to 25 meters with some caves down deep. The western side slopes off 20 to 25 meters and both sides are interesting with abundant fish life. The northern end of the thila is at 10 metres sloping down to 15 meters at the southern end. Whale sharks, mantas, grey reef sharks, white tip sharks, napoleon wrasses, schools of tunas and snappers
Orimas Thila is an elongated, submerged reef , the shallowest part of which is at about 5m. There is a sea anemone field at about 15m on the eastern end. On the northern side there are superb caves, overhangs and reef cracks.Underwater scenery, corals, soft corals, and sea anemones, small fishes. White-tipped shark and whale shark sometimes spotted. Turtle and Manta rays rarely found.
Maaya Thila is an isolated submerged reef lying in the centre of northern Ari Atoll. The top of the reef is at about 7m-12m. It is roughly square-shaped with all four sides dropping away steeply. There are several outlying rocks and small overhangs around the sides. Entire reef and area within 500m radius of the centre of the reef. Grey Reef sharks, Whitetip Reef sharks spotted, Stonefishes, other fishes
Fish Head is a large isolated reef , with its plateau-like top at about 10-15m. The four sides of the reef drop down steeply to the sandy atoll floor at 40-50m. Grey Reef Sharks can normally be seen at the top up-current end.
| Area | Hectares | Declared | Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA. Rasdhoo Madivaru Area | 266 | 7 October 2018 | EBSAs |
SourceMinistry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Maldiveschecked 2026-09-21