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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Ari Atoll location page.
Overview
A harbour-mouth plateau at the southeast tip of Fuvahmulah, the Maldives' isolated single-island atoll, where the Indian Ocean's largest known resident tiger shark population gathers. Six to eighteen tiger sharks — many individually identified and re-sighted for years — circle a sandy ledge around 8-12 m beside a wall that drops past 60 m, close enough to fill a wide-angle frame in clear water. Divers kneel in a line behind the guide while the dive team works a bait box. The same exposed outer reefs draw pelagic thresher sharks to dawn cleaning stations and schooling scalloped hammerheads from October to April, with oceanic mantas, silvertips, and the occasional whale shark or mola passing through. Currents run hard and the swell is open-ocean.
Briefing note
Operator-led, structured shark dive: divers do a negative-entry descent to a sandy plateau around 8-12 m, line up behind the guide, and stay still while the team manages a bait box — touching, chasing, and flash are prohibited. Strong currents, surge, and open-ocean swell are normal; solid buoyancy and some pelagic experience expected. Fuvahmulah has its own recompression chamber. As a single-island atoll with no sheltering lagoon, all diving is on exposed outer reefs.
What you'll see
8 species curated- year-roundTiger shark
- seasonalPelagic thresher sharkPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr
- seasonalScalloped hammerheadPeak: Oct · Nov · Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr
- seasonalOceanic manta rayPeak: Mar · Apr · May
- year-roundSilvertip shark
- year-roundGrey reef shark
- rareWhale shark
- rareOceanic sunfish (mola)
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27–29 °C | 25–35 m | moderate |
| Feb | 27–29 °C | 25–35 m | moderate |
| Mar | 28–30 °C | 25–35 m | moderate |
| Apr | 28–30 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| May | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Jun | 27–29 °C | 15–25 m | strong |
| Jul | 27–29 °C | 15–25 m | strong |
| Aug | 27–29 °C | 15–25 m | strong |
| Sep | 27–29 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Oct | 28–30 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Nov | 28–30 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Dec | 27–29 °C | 25–35 m | moderate |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Next step
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