Indian Ocean · Maldives
Raa Atoll
Manta cleaning stations and overhang-rich thilas
Photo: Samee Shafeeg · CC BY 3.0
Raa Atoll, also known as Northern Maalhosmadulu, is a mainly uninhabited atoll in the north-west of the Maldives, and most divers stay at luxury resorts. Its thilas and farus carry overhangs, caverns and soft corals, with grey reef sharks, eagle rays and manta cleaning stations at sites such as Madi Gaa and Thiling Faru, and Fainu Corner is a drift that suits every level.
About diving in Raa Atoll
At Meedhupparu, guided boat dives go out daily in small groups, usually two dives at different spots in the morning and one in the afternoon, with single-tank and double-tank trips and night dives on request. From Heritance Aarah, around 28 dive sites lie within 10 to 60 minutes by dhoni. Many liveaboards also operate in the area.
The typical Raa dive is a thila, a submerged pinnacle with caverns and overhangs, and overhangs mark the area's other sites too. Fuggiri Wall drops straight to 35 m, and in the Labyrinth coral gardens set among the rock formations hold groupers, eels and batfish. Grey reef sharks, eagle rays and stingrays are easy to encounter at Thiling Faru, Napoleon wrasse lurk below the largest overhang at Fenfushi Giri, and the sandy reef flat at Reethi Thila holds mantis shrimp, nudibranchs and octopus.
Depth and current set the harder dives apart. Maalhos Thila, a large open-ocean pinnacle, is best suited to experienced divers because of its depths and strong currents, and at Fenfushi Giri the current can run strongly enough over the top of the giri that a reef hook helps. Milaidhoo Caves is the gentler option: its overhangs and small caves give protection from stronger currents, making it a more relaxed dive and a good choice for photographers.
Best time to dive Raa Atoll
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
| Sea surface | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Daytime high | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | 58 mm2.3 in | 27 mm1.1 in | 53 mm2.1 in | 78 mm3.1 in | 217 mm8.5 in | 149 mm5.9 in | 174 mm6.9 in | 164 mm6.5 in | 146 mm5.7 in | 185 mm7.3 in | 175 mm6.9 in | 129 mm5.1 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 58 mm2.3 in | 27 mm1.1 in | 53 mm2.1 in | 78 mm3.1 in | 217 mm8.5 in | 149 mm5.9 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 174 mm6.9 in | 164 mm6.5 in | 146 mm5.7 in | 185 mm7.3 in | 175 mm6.9 in | 129 mm5.1 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
The dry season runs from December to May, with very little wind, glassy seas and visibility around 30 m; it is also the busiest time of year. The rainy season runs from June to November, and in June the ocean can be too choppy for boats to take divers out safely. Through the rainy season the windier weather brings plankton blooms that cut the visibility but gather manta rays at the cleaning stations, and liveaboards in the Northern Atolls often put the atoll's thilas and farus on the itinerary in the northern hemisphere summer and autumn months.
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, December
Raa Atoll water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface stays between 28 and 30 °C (82–86 °F) all year. Most rain falls from May to November, peaking at about 220 mm (8.7 in) in May; January to March are the driest. Daytime highs sit around 29 °C (84 °F) all year. The coldest water here is about 27 °C (81 °F), so pack a 3 mm, or even a 2 mm, suit.
Dive types & marine life
Manta ray sightings are possible all year in Raa. Sola Corner is the seasonal manta spot, from November or December to the beginning of May. Kandholhi Thila is a reliable site for pelagics, with hunting trevallies, barracuda and tuna, and grey reef sharks and eagle rays frequently seen at its cleaner station.
- Reef
- Wall
- Drift
- Coral garden
- Night
- Manta rays
- Reef sharks
- Eagle rays
- Stingrays
- Napoleon wrasse
- Trevally & jacks
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
Best dive sites in Raa Atoll
- 1
Madi Gaa
Two manta cleaning stations, shallow at 13 m and deep at 20 m, on the north corner of Uthuru Maafaru
- 2
Thiling Faru
Reef top at 10 m sloping to 30 m, with a manta cleaning station on a sandy corner ringed by coral blocks
- 3
Fuggiri Wall
Soft-coral overhangs between 12 and 18 m on the south side of Fuggiri, below a reef top at 10 m
- 4
Reethi Thila
Thila top at 6–7 m falling to 30 m on the channel side; overhangs hide stingrays and nurse sharks
- 5
Fainu Corner
Drift for all levels: beginners pass overhangs at 10–15 m, experienced divers go to 25 m
- 6
Dheraha Thila
Thila of broken rock blocks from 18 to 30 m, for Advanced divers, ideally on Nitrox
- 7
Labyrinth
Network of tunnels and canyons formed when a massive rock fractured
Site guides
Pinnacle
A broken rock in many blocks, with everything between 18 m and 30 m
Drift
Two-tier drift: overhangs at 10-15 m for beginners, 25 m for the experienced
Wall
Straight drop from 10 m to 35 m with soft-coral overhangs at 12-18 m
Reef
Gentle coral slope with overhangs, 8 m to 20 m
Pinnacle
Round channel thila at the atoll's eastern end, 5 m down to 35 m
Overhang-cut wall to 30 m with a small thila rising from 33 m to 18 m up-current
Reef
Healthy coral and macro life on an easy reef from 2 m to 20 m
Reef
Two manta cleaning stations, at 13 m and 20 m, active December to April
Pinnacle
Overhangs on the channel side shelter stingrays and nurse sharks
Reef
Manta cleaning station on a sandy corner among coral blocks
Pinnacle
Ocean thila in the middle of a channel, from 10 m to 40 m
Pinnacle
Top reef at 1 m and a 25 m base with macro life, 8 minutes from the resort
How to get to Raa Atoll
Heritance Aarah is a 40-minute seaplane journey from Male airport, and resorts including Meedhupparu and Aarah run their own dive centres.
Photos from Raa Atoll
Samee Shafeeg · CC BY 3.0
Questions divers ask
Do divers need Advanced certification for Raa Atoll?+
Not for most of it. Many sites are shallow enough for introductory and Open Water courses, and on the Fainu Corner drift beginners stay at the upper overhangs at 10–15 m. Dheraha Thila, from 18 to 30 m, is a dive for Advanced divers, ideally with Nitrox.
Is there house reef diving in Raa Atoll?+
At some resorts. Heritance Aarah is ringed by its house reef, which faces the dive centre and is used for first Discover Scuba Diving experiences. The Meedhupparu House Reef slopes from 3–4 m to 30 m and is where night dives are made.
What should divers check before booking a resort in Raa Atoll?+
The distance to its dive centre. The atoll is over 64 km (40 miles) long, not every island has its own dive centre, and a planned centre can turn out to be a 2 hour boat ride from the resort.
Sources
- Raa Atoll Diving, Northern Atolls - Maldives — Dive The World
- Dive Center Meedhupparu – Dive with Mantas — DivePoint Maldives
- Kaito Dive Centre | Raa Atoll | PADI Dive Center — PADI
- Raa Atoll – Submaldives — Submaldives
- Raa Atoll Diving | Remote Diving Paradise in the Maldives — Divebooker
- Diving | Raa Atoll — ScubaGo
- Madi gaa — ScubaGo
- Thiling Faru — ScubaGo
- Fuggiri Wall — ScubaGo
- Dheraha Thila — ScubaGo
- Fainu Corner — ScubaGo
- Meedhupparu House Reef — ScubaGo
Photo credits
- Sandbank beach in Raa Atoll with a palm tree and a wooden dhoni boat beached on the shore by Samee Shafeeg, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White sand spit stretching into the lagoon with a small island visible on the horizon in Raa Atoll by Samee Shafeeg, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Embed
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Reef mantas gather at Fushifaru Thila's two protected cleaning stations