Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls · Maldives · Reef · Drift · Pelagic & blue water
South Ari Atoll Marine Protected Area
One of the few places whale sharks stay all year
Photo: Jean-Paul Boerekamps · CC0
The South Ari Atoll Marine Protected Area covers 42 square kilometres of outer reef, a strip one kilometre wide running from the western reef edge at Rangali to the northern reef at Dhigurah. It is one of the only places in the world where whale sharks are resident year-round, and they draw a large number of visitors to the atoll each year. Twelve threatened vertebrate species occur inside the protected area.
Also known as South Ari MPA, Maamigili Beru, Maamigili Whale Shark Site.
Where it is and how deep
3.4758° N, 72.8365° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive at Maamigili Beru is a long drift along a thin fringing reef that runs between Holiday Island and Sun Island on the southern edge of Ari Atoll. The reef is a gentle slope down to a sandy floor at 30 m, and you go in with the tide: on an incoming current the reef sits on your right shoulder, on an outgoing one on your left. Either way you cover a long distance from entry to exit with very little finning, past moray eels, fire dartfish, anemones and the occasional whitetip reef shark on the slope.
Much of the attention stays above the reef. Boats work the length of the 42 square kilometre protected strip - a kilometre wide, from the western reef edge at Rangali to the northern reef at Dhigurah - watching the surface for a whale shark, and a sighting usually turns into a group snorkelling alongside it for as long as it stays up. If you are lucky one passes while you are on scuba. Schools of blue-stripe snapper hold facing the current, and Napoleon wrasse, turtles and the occasional manta ray come through.
Marine life and season
- Whale sharks
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
- Napoleon wrasse
- Manta rays
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls: The seas are calmest from December to May, but manta numbers peak from August to November.
Photos from South Ari Atoll Marine Protected Area
Jean-Paul Boerekamps · CC0
Jean-Paul Boerekamps · CC0
Jean-Paul Boerekamps · CC0
Questions divers ask
Are whale sharks in South Ari Atoll year-round?+
Yes. This is one of the only places in the world where whale sharks are resident all year, so there is no season to plan around. They range along the 42 square kilometre protected strip between Rangali and Dhigurah, and boats work its length rather than diving one fixed point.
How deep is the dive at Maamigili Beru?+
The reef is a gentle slope that runs down to a sandy floor at 30 m, so the profile is set by where you choose to sit on the slope. Most of the whale shark encounters happen at or near the surface rather than at depth.
Sources
- South Ari Atoll MPA — Wikipedia
- Shark tourism — Wikipedia
- Diving Sites Maldives - Ari Atoll — Dive The World
- Maamigili (OSM) — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- A whale shark glides past close to the camera, its spotted flank filling the frame. by Jean-Paul Boerekamps, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A whale shark swims over the reef, its gill slits and spot pattern visible. by Jean-Paul Boerekamps, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A whale shark swims toward the camera through open blue water. by Jean-Paul Boerekamps, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Close view of a whale shark's head and spotted pattern underwater. by Jean-Paul Boerekamps, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Where to dive with whale sharks, month by monthBig animals · 16 min read
More dive sites in Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls
Pinnacle
Ocean-facing pinnacle at the mouth of Bathala channel
Mantas at a cleaning station from December till April
Reef
A canyon cut diagonally through the middle of a channel reef
Pinnacle
South-side overhangs with gorgonian fans and black corals
Glassfish packed into the wheelhouse of a sunken trawler
Pinnacle
An estimated sixteen resident grey reef sharks
Pinnacle
A pinnacle eroded into five separate pieces, 12 m to 40 m
Grey reef sharks hunting in the blue around a tiny volcano-shaped top
Similar dives elsewhere
Manta cleaning stations at 10–15 m, with 8–9 mantas at once on a good day
Groups of eagle rays and barracuda on the incoming current
Mantas on the cleaning stations, May to October
An open-water-friendly pass with turtles and eagle rays