North Malé Atoll · Maldives · Reef
Back Faru
The standard check dive, an hour from Malé City
Area photo: Genet (Diskussion) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Back Faru is the outer-reef site on the northeast of Farukolhufushi, about an hour's boat run from Malé City. Short distance and easy conditions have made it the area's standard check dive: wannadive rates it for all divers, with an average depth of 20 m and a maximum of 30 m.
Where it is and how deep
4.2397° N, 73.5544° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site sits on the outer reef northeast of Farukolhufushi, about an hour from Malé City, and its role in local diving is settled: the short distance plus easy diving conditions make it the standard spot for a check dive. There is still substance to it — the average logged depth is 20 m and the maximum 30 m, so the shakedown can be a real dive.
Conditions are what make it forgiving. wannadive rates the site for all divers, logs a medium current of 1 to 2 knots and calls the visibility excellent at better than 30 m. It is the place to sort weighting, trim and cameras at the start of a trip before the atoll's stronger-current sites, and worth an easy dive in its own right on a clear day.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows North Malé Atoll: The dry northeast monsoon (Dec-May) is the calm season; currents from November bring pelagics to the channels. Late May to July is the weak window - most liveaboards relocate elsewhere.
Questions divers ask
Is Back Faru good for a check dive?+
Yes — that is its role locally. The short distance from Malé and easy conditions make it the standard check dive, rated for all divers, with 20 to 30 m of depth available.
Sources
- Back Faru — wannadive.net
- Diving sites Maldives North Male Atoll — Dive The World
More dive sites in North Malé Atoll
One of the first dive sites ever found in the Maldives
Reef
House-reef wall with caves, table corals and a canyon
Mantas cleaning and feeding from December to April
Reef
Stingrays and morays drawn to a fish-factory outflow
Seamount
Blue soft corals and dense fish life on a swim-through thila
Seamount
The 'fish soup' pinnacle — two thilas packed with life
Mantas on the cleaning stations, May to October
Wreck
A cargo ship lost in 1981, coral-encrusted in 35 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Coral slopes and a vertical wall between 5 m and 30 m
Canyons and overhangs from 12 to 30 m, with a shark nursery
A banana-shaped reef dived from the surface to 30 m
A granite reef whose tallest boulder breaks the surface at low tide