Emperor Leo, Maldives

The atolls of Addu, Fuvahmulah, and Huvadhu in the far south are best visited between December and March for an extraordinary shark diving and pelagic sightings experience. The furthermost corners of these atolls are, in fact, a world apart in marine life and diving experiences. The Huvadhu Atoll offers some of the deepest lagoons in the Maldives with plenty of nutrient-rich channels like Vilingilli, Koodoo, and Mareehaa. The sites attract grey reef sharks, silkies, hammerheads, and whale sharks, which often patrol the sites at night. Fuvahmulah is a remote oceanic island with exceptional visibility that has gained some reputation for encounters with tiger sharks, threshers, silkie sharks, and grey-tipped reef sharks on the southern plateaux.

Addu Atoll offers historic and natural attractions: the wreck of the HMS British Loyalty, a WWII relic, and the Manta Cleaning Station at Maa Kandu. Demon Corner, a softer dive, offers a gentle drift dive in either direction to either end or start your journey. Unique underwater landscapes with diverse marine life make the Deep South an exceptional destination for experienced divers in search of thrilling encounters

The water temperature is also quite constant throughout the year in the Maldives, at a range from 27°C to 30°C (81°F to 86°F). Central Atolls have the best average temperature between 28°C to 30°C (82°F to 86°F), while Deep South Atolls average from 27°C to 29°C (81°F to 84°F), especially during the peak diving season from December to March. The warmth of the waters ensures that divers can get by with much lighter exposure suits; a 3mm wetsuit or shorty should normally be enough

Manta rays are obviously the trump card for diving in the Maldives, and you can find them all through the year on different cleaning stations and feeding areas of the country. But the number of sightings is much larger in some places and at specific times of the year. In the Central Atolls, manta rays gather on cleaning stations around Ari Atoll from November to April during the NE monsoon. Not on all itineraries, Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll is world-famous for its aggregations of mantas from May to November. In the Deep South Atolls, oceanic mantas are commonly seen around Fuvahmulah and Addu Atolls between December and March. Plankton blooms, currents, and the selection of dive sites all impact the sighting of mantas. The dive guides and cruise directors do their best to optimize these chances during every trip

The Maldives is considered one of the best places in the world to see sharks, and it has a diversity of shark species throughout its waters. Reef sharks are common in the nutrient-rich channels of all atolls and include grey, white-tip, and black-tip reef sharks. Whale sharks appear often on daytime dives as well as nighttime ones, passing often in the South Ari Marine Protected Area and sometimes down at the Deep South Atolls. Tiger sharks are the highlight of Fuvahmulah dives and a regular appearance in the southern areas. Hammerheads, though much rarer, occasionally appear at early morning dives, in deeper waters of Huvadhu Atoll. Silky sharks are often present around channels in the Deep South, Huvadhu. Thresher sharks, though rare, but thrilling, are sometimes encountered near the deep-water plateaus of Fuvahmulah. Silvertip sharks are an elegant species that can frequently be found in the nutrient-rich channels of the southern atolls.

Stronger currents and heightened marine activity during the northeast monsoon offer very favorable conditions for shark diving. The opportunities to see a great variety of shark species cannot be paralleled anywhere else than from the southern atolls right up to the central reefs

Upon arrival, guests will have a safety briefing, be introduced to the crew, and fill out paperwork for their check dive. Cabins will be allocated and a general orientation of the boat gets everyone comfortable with the layout and facilities. Upon arrival day, the boat stays in port, and it will leave early the next morning. The first dive is done as a check dive near the port to get everyone comfortable and ready for the rest of the journey.

A final morning dive is planned on the last day of diving, allowing for an 18-hour no-fly rule prior to reaching altitude. The boat will return to port at approximately 1 p.m. and will stay moored overnight. If desired, the guests can go onto land in the afternoon, which will allow them to get a good stretch and have a quick look around if they so desire. Evening: Divers pack their equipment and settle outstanding bills in preparation for an early morning drive to the airport