Best dive centers in Maldives

The underwater world of the Maldives is renowned for its wealth and diversity. Excellent diving sites attract many to explore life below the ocean surface.

According to PADI, there are currently over 120 five-star dive centers in the region offering a full range of PADI education programs at most local resorts.

One of the main factors to consider when choosing a dive center is its location, as not all resorts are equally well located near famous dive sites and have a luxurious house reef.

Check out our selection of dive centers located in the best diving resorts in the Maldives.

Sebastian Pena Lambarri

1. “Prodivers”

One of the largest and oldest diving operators in the Maldives. In 2018, it was named the best in the Maldives.

Prodivers operates several dive centers in the region, including a 5-star dive center located at Kuredu Resort & Spa in the Lhaviyani Atoll area.

This highly qualified center offers a full range of PADI training and specialized courses.

Here you can also master the skills of underwater photography and diving with an underwater scooter.

The center has an e-learning option that can be completed immediately before traveling to the Maldives, which will save time during the vacation.

The dive center invites those wishing to make exciting dives (including night) at the resort's house reef, where you can see a sunken ship that serves as a refuge for many fish.

In addition, there are over 60 diving locations near Kuredu, including:

• Anemone Thila is a small underwater island that is one of the most beautiful places in the atoll.
• Felivaru Kandu is a large canal, where the detachments of eagle rays and flocks of barracudas live. If the current is good it is possible to see a large number of gray reef sharks. The old anchor covered with corals also attracts divers' attention.
• The Shipyard is a unique dive site with two wrecks inlaid with colorful hard and soft corals. Sometimes sleeping stingrays are found under the rubble.

Estimated prices:

• Discover Scuba Diving - $ 275
• Scuba Diver - $ 495;
• Open Water Diver - $ 795.

The equipment is included in the price.

Kuredu Island Resort & Spa

2. Dive Center Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru

It is a 5-star dive center with a professional and multilingual team offering courses for beginners and experienced divers, as well as daily diving tours.

For children from the age of eight, the dive center offers a special Bubblemaker course, which will take the first steps in the exploration of the underwater world.

In addition to the classic PADI courses, travelers have the option of taking an all-inclusive cruise for three, four or seven nights aboard the luxurious Four Seasons Explorer private yacht through the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Baa Atoll.

The cruise includes a certain number of dives, which depends on the chosen direction of travel.

For example, a seven-day circular cruise combines a three-day cruise north and a four-day cruise south and provides an opportunity to explore a variety of underwater caves, popular whale shark habitats and the Kuda Rah Thila underwater tunnel.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru

3. Euro Divers

Euro-Divers Maldives was founded by Swiss citizens in 1972. Has an excellent reputation in the diving industry, setting high standards of safety and professionalism. The company has more than 10 dive centers at its disposal, one of which is located on the territory of Vilamendhoo Island Resort & Spa 4*.

The dive center offers a wide variety of programs and courses to help you get started diving or improve your diving skills.

Vilamendhoo has a fantastic house reef with ten entry points where turtles, reef sharks, stingrays and other underwater creatures can be spotted.

Not far from the resort there are more than 50 interesting dive spots, including the sunken ship “Kudhimaa.” To the south of the island is the Kuda Rah Thila Marine Protected Area.

Alternatively, divers can meet whale sharks in person at Whale Shark National Park and meet manta rays at Mahibadhoo Manta Point or Rangali Madivaru Manta Point.

Vilamendhoo Island Resort & Spa

4. Dive Center Down Under

This dive center is located at W Maldives 5, considered one of the best dive resorts in the archipelago. The center provides divers with the latest Scubapro equipment as well as the highest quality underwater photography equipment.

In order to guarantee maximum security, the center provides

• high-quality safety equipment, DAN first aid kits, DAN oxygen kits with two cylinders;
• mobile communication on all boats;
• personnel trained in emergency response skills;
• A fully equipped medical center with a decompression chamber, which can be reached in 45 minutes.

The resort has a breathtaking house reef where you can meet reef sharks, turtles, tuna, corals and hundreds of other marine life.

There are such famous dive spots as Maaya Thila, Fish Head, Malhos Thila, Himendhoo Thila, the sunken ship Fesdu and others right at the doorstep of the resort.

In addition, the dive center organizes daily excursions to some of the best diving spots in the Maldives, including Ari, Vaavu and North Male atolls, and offers extraordinary adventures such as:

• an overnight voyage on the twin-masted luxury yacht ESCAPE to Whale Shark Point south of Ari Atoll;
• Night trip by ESCAPE to the world famous Hammerhead Shark Point, where you can swim with sharks;
• services for organizing an underwater wedding.

The dive center has so-called limousines - individual diving boats equipped with after-diving facilities, valet parking, sun terrace and dry relaxation area.

W Maldives

5. Dive Center on Como Cocoa Island, South Male Atoll

The dive center offers a range of PADI approved diving courses as well as special Cocoa dive packages.

The island itself boasts a rich lagoon life and fascinating diving sites, including the impressive Kandooma Caves and the popular shark cleaning station at Cocoa Thila. During your trips, you can be accompanied by a marine biologist who will talk about the flora and fauna present at the dive sites.

Estimated prices:

• Discover Scuba Diving - $ 200 for the first dive, $ 150 for each additional dive;
• Scuba Diver - $ 535;
• Open Water Diver - $ 875

Como Cocoa Island

6. One & Only Reethi Rah Dive Center, North Male Atoll

The dive center offers a wide range of services from globally recognized courses to guided diving and individual adventures. This center is one of the few in the Maldives that is a member of 100% Project Aware and contributes to the conservation of the marine environment.

Here you can see the reef sharks gliding along the coastline of Reeti Rah, dive with sea turtles, swim with whale sharks in the waters of South Ari Atoll, or go to Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll for manta rays.

In the bay itself, diving is prohibited, only snorkeling is allowed. However, there are other interesting diving spots in the Baa Atoll area such as Horubadhoo Thila and Nelivaru Haa.

One&Only Reethi Rah

7. Soleni Dive Center at Soneva Fushi Resort, Baa Atoll

This dive center opened in 1995 and for three years was the only diving school in Baa Atoll. His policy has always been to offer quality over quantity.

Here, divers are surrounded by attention, and instructors can sometimes go beyond their normal duties to share their diving enthusiasm.

The dive center puts the safety of diving at the forefront, therefore the boats and the school itself are equipped

• oxygen plants;
• first aid kit;
• mobile phones;
• mineral water.

Surface markers are issued to all divers.

The dive center provides trips to many interesting and exciting dive spots, including Kuda Thila, Daravandu Tila and many others.

Soneva Fushi
F

8. Diving Center TGI Maldives in OBLU by Аtmosphere at Helengeli

The school offers diving courses from beginner to professional level. The Dive Center prides itself on using the world's best brands of diving equipment to ensure the highest quality and consistency of service.

The resort's home reef and diving spots around Helengeli Island surprise with a rich variety of marine life, colorful fish and corals.

Those wishing to discover the underwater wonders of this beautiful resort can join diving excursions and visit one of 37 dive sites nearby.

For those who prefer one-to-one lessons, private instructors and private boat charters are available upon request and at an additional cost.

Estimated prices:

• Discover Scuba Diving - $ 152
• Scuba Diver - $ 487;
• Open Water Diver - $ 721.

OBLU by Аtmosphere at Helengeli

9. Diving center Divers Baros Maldives

This 5-star diving center, which opened back in 1979, is the first EcoDive center in the Maldives to be certified by International Reef Check.

Any of the PADI-approved courses and programs can be taken here.

Alternatively, dive the incredible 300m house reef that is known as one of the best house reefs in the Maldives. The reef is just a few meters from the beach and is easily accessible from the shore. It slopes gently down to a depth of 20 meters, where there is a wide variety of corals and marine life, including blacktip sharks and turtles.

Divers are impressed by night diving, a special kind of which is Fluo Night Diving. Participants in the dive are equipped with UV lights. Some marine life absorb some of the blue light and emit a different color. This effect is called fluorescence and reveals the unusual yellows, greens, pinks and blues of the underwater world. With a protective filter installed over the diving mask, the effect is mesmerizing.

The dive center has a modern 15-meter diving boat equipped with the latest navigation system, oxygen, radio, toilet and first aid kit. There are two boat diving excursions daily, with over 30 world-class dive sites to choose from.

Estimated prices:

• Discover Scuba Diving - $ 155 for a group dive and $ 255 for a private dive. Equipment included in the price;
• Scuba Diver - $ 606 for group tuition and $ 765 for individual tuition;
• Open Water Diver - $ 830 for group tuition and $ 1,075 for individual tuition. The equipment is included in the price, but the boat is paid additionally.

Baros Maldives

10. Dive Butler Center in Amilla Fushi

Dive Butler is a pioneer in luxury diving. Dive Butler Amilla is a 5-star PADI center that offers a full range of scuba diving courses, from entry level to professional certification.

The company provides impeccable service and attention to detail with every dive.

Next to the resort's main beach is the well-known Blue hole, a unique reef formation that delights diving enthusiasts.

Amilla's strategic location in the center of the Baa Nature Reserve is ideal for diving and snorkeling all year round. Here you can literally plunge into all the diversity and abundance of marine life in the Indian Ocean and get the most out of diving.

More than 40 diving sites are available in the vicinity of Amilla Fushi, with 50 more located at some distance. However, they can be easily reached by private boat, and Dive Butler will be happy to help you with this.

Estimated prices:

• Discover Scuba Diving - $ 210
• Scuba Diver - $ 680;
• Open Water Diver - $ 930

Equipment and boat are not included in the price and are paid additionally.

Amilla Fushi