Fulidhoo Dive

Fulidhoo Dive Resort is a small community-based dive centre offering exceptional dive and ocean experiences to adventure-seeking travellers from around the world. The PADI Five Star Dive Centre offers boat dives, PADI courses, Discover Scuba Diving programs, as well as snorkelling excursions from Fulidhoo Island in Vaavu Atoll. This atoll is the Maldives’ most easterly and isn’t protected from the currents during the north-east monsoon. This helps attract sharks and mantas. There is also the possibility of seeing whale sharks. The upper parts of the channels’ outer reefs tend to have better corals.

The Maldives has, over the years, gained a reputation for being an expensive destination to dive. But since a change in the law in 2011 that now allows for the operation of tourist accommodation on local inhabited islands, this is becoming a thing of the past. Instead of having to stay at one of the expensive resort islands, at Fulidhoo, divers can live among the locals, get a sense of the real Maldives and most importantly – pay an affordable price for comfortable, 3-star accommodation.

Staying Connected

Guests can access free high speed internet via WiFi in the hotel and beach area.

There are two options for getting to Fulidhoo Dive Resort

1) Government ferry: this leaves 3x a week on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from Male Villingili Terminal at 10am, takes 3.5hours and costs USD 3.50.  It’s very comfortable, especially in calm seas. To return to Male, it departs Fulidhoo on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10.30am, getting into Male around 2pm.

2) Speedboat: there are daily (except Fridays) scheduled speedboats at 11am from Male to Fulidhoo (the timetable is subject to change, so should be booked and confirmed in advance) which cost USD 40 per person each way and the transfer takes 1hr 15mins. Payment is made directly to the speedboat. These speedboats can also collect you from the airport at 10.30am before the Male pick up. To return, the speedboat departs at 2.10pm. There is also a speedboat departing Fulidhoo at 4.40pm on Fridays, and one departing Male on Thursdays at 4pm.

Dive/Stay packages are available with Thundi Guest House, a small, intimate hotel near the dive centre. Thundi offers comfortable and well appointed rooms on beautiful Fulidhoo Island, located a few miles from the capital Male and a four-minute walk from the beach.

The dive centre is in the heart of channel diving territory in the area. Night dives are particularly popular, especially to Alimatha house reef, where divers can encounter dozens of schooling nurse sharks (apparently one of the world’s largest congregations). Being comfortable in medium-strong current is advisable for this atoll. In the channels, divers can expect to see large numbers of nurse sharks all year round, as well as abundant pelagic life.

Highlights:

• Channel dives allow you to watch all marine life passing through the atolls
• Night dives to Alimatha to see nurse sharks up close
• Hammerhead safari dives, reached via speedboat
• Access to east and west of atoll, so perfect for year-round diving

Dive Service

Fulidhoo Dive has a range of equipment available to hire. All our fins are the latest from ScubaPro, as are our BCDs, regulators, masks and snorkels. We also provide custom wetsuits from Aqualung and Uwatech dive computers from ScubaPro. The Centre is certified as a Pure Air Station by Bauer. The centre offers all PADI courses up to Dive Master, and popular PADI specialities include Underwater Photography, Deep Diver, Underwater Videographer and Night Diver.

Best time to dive

Diving in the Maldives is suitable all year round. Occurring from December to May is the Northeast Monsoon which provides calm seas and clear water in the east. These conditions are not the same in the west at this time. During this period the air temperature is generally around 29° and the water temperature is 26-29°. From June to November is the southwest monsoon where the water is clear towards the western atolls but the seas are rougher at this time and it as also generally a wetter time. The expected air temperature is 26° and water temperature is from 26-29° at this time.

Pricing for Fulidhoo Dive