Diving the South Ari Atoll from Outrigger on Maafushivaru
We do love our winter chill out time in the Maldives and have been going for over 20 years but never go to the same island twice as there are so many to try. We do however seem to like the Ari Atoll especially the south part of it. We’ve been to many resorts there and Constance Moofushi and Diamonds Atharuga which we’ve stayed on are probably visible from Outrigger but every island has its own identity.
Hopefully it’ll be manta time. This trip will first outing for new dive video gear. After years using large cameras and many lights it’s time to slim things down so have joined the ranks of the action cam brigade and bought an Insta360 Ace Pro2, if reviews are to believed it is the best thing since sliced bread. Not one to put all eggs in one basket the first few dives will be with both set ups just to make sure…….. If it is as good as they say the old set up will quickly be history and on eBay.
Below is a map showing the dive sites
For anyone coming to Outrigger I would just like to say that the diving is brilliant.
The dive centre is well equipped so no need to bring anything, the staff in the dive centre, guides, instructors and the boat staff are all incredibly helpful and professional.
The dive sites are all within a 20 to 30 minute journey from the island, unless there is something specific that you want to see further away. The dive sites are all very healthy and have a great variety of sea life. There is everything from nudibranches, reef fish, mantis shrimps, lobster, all the usual hunting fish through to the bigger sharks and then onto manta.
I did 12 dives and it was a very enjoyable trip, apart from the fact that we never go to the same place twice I would come back.
11 Jan – Snorkel 1
Highlites: 3 black tip sharks
11 Jan – Dive 1 House Reef
Highlites: Big moray, lobsters, clown fish
12 Jan – Dive 2 Vilamendhoo Thila
Highlites: Turtle and stone fish
12 Jan – Dive 3 Boli Thila
Highlites: Eagle Ray feeding
14 Jan – Dive 4 Kudimaa Wreck
Highlites: Wreck diving
14 Jan – Dive 5 Kudah Raa Thila
Highlites: Stunning reef with unbelievable life especially clown fish and anemones
15 Jan – Dive 6 Rangali Medavaru Manta Point
Highlites: Only one manta but we had around 20 minutes with it
15 Jan – Dive 7 Angaga Thila
Highlites: Stunning reef with unbelievable life
17 Jan – Dive 8 Ali Thila
Highlites: None as we didn’t dive it. Did a pretty barren reef called Banana…. There were two novices on board doing a course and we were told there was a current. I forgot my rule never dive on a boat when they are doing courses…… A couple of us even asked to go straight back to resort as they were doing a small wreck that we’d done previously ….
19 Jan – Dive 9 5 Rocks and Hudu Thila
Highlites: a chilled out Marble Ray
19 Jan – Dive 10 Boken Rock
Highlites: nice swim through the fissure with a sleeping nurse shark
20 Jan – Dive 11 Rangali Medavaru Manta Point
Well what a way to finish the diving. Went back to Rangali Meda Varu to see if we could see manta. Bearing in mind we only saw one previously, but did have an extended time with it, I thought it’d be 50/50 at best. Half way through dive after seeing two large silver tip sharks getting their teeth cleaned I thought it highly unlikely, but then Mother Nature sorted it out. As we’d taken the option to stay on top of the reef we had loads of air so spent a good 25 min with the manta. Video isn’t great quality as Manta was a little far off, was facing into the sun and viz was poor.
20 Jan – Dive 12 Bodu Clementhila
Just a small Thila but lots of life, an eagle ray as soon as we dropped in then spent a bit time with turtles. Lovely end to a great diving trip.
