Fuvahmulah, Maldives - Extreme Dive Fuvahmulah

Fuvahmulah is a small southern island in the Maldives. It is the first atoll of Maldives in the Southern Hemisphere and the nearest atoll to the equator. It literally is a Rock in the middle of the open ocean at the equator. There are two small freshwater lakes on the island, Bandaara Kilhi and Dhadimago Kilhi and several nice sandy beaches along its shores, many coconut and fruit trees which means there are a lot of “flying foxes” or giant fruit bats and of course very friendly people. There aren't any bikini beaches, alcohol is strictly forbidden, and the daily call to prayer starts well before sunrise. But those, like us who don't mind getting a bit off the beaten path will love it here with some of the warmest people and most down-to-earth experiences. We enjoyed experiencing the authentic local foods with loads of spices and flavors and even tasted the local strange pineapple relative screwpine.

For us though, the main attraction of the island of course was scuba diving with gigantic Tiger Sharks at “Tiger Zoo” that reside here year-round. There is something so thrilling to be in the water with these magnificent apex predators that are naturally curious and intense creatures. Just imagine all around you are anywhere from 3 to 12 huge 3 to 5 meter graceful teeth baring beasts. Nothing like it! And we got to do it almost every day!

When we weren't diving with Tigers, we explored the many dive sites around the island, with the most pristine sites being on the North side of the island. Tons of Green Turtles, giant trevally, yellowfin tuna, healthy reefs and incredible vis. We dove with Extreme Dive Fuvahmulah, which has a great setup and professional operation. They picked us up each morning and took us to the harbor where the boat was waiting with our dive gear already setup. Highly recommend diving with Extreme.

There is a small airport on Fuvahmulah with daily flights from the main city of Male. There is also a ferry that runs 6 days a week to the nearby Atoll of Addu, which also offers diving opportunities. On our next trip, I'd probably fly into Fuvahmulah, stay several days, then take the ferry to Addu for more diving. Then fly out from Addu back to Male.

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