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Incredible Scuba Diving In Maldives With Fulidhoo Dive

Thinking about scuba diving in Maldives and not sure where to start with your Maldives planning? If you’re looking for cheap scuba diving in Maldives and prefer to go off the beaten track, then I highly recommend going with Fulidhoo Dive.

Firstly, Fulidhoo Dive is located on the beautiful local island of Fulidhoo in Maldives. It’s easy to get to from Male Airport and all you need to do is to take the local ferry or a private speed boat to get there.

And… Fulidhoo is the best local island in Maldives in our opinion as we travelled around five islands during our trip.

Anyway, we’re going to share with you why our scuba diving in Maldives experience was so amazing, you won’t find better scuba diving anywhere else in the world.


Best Scuba Diving In The World!

I’m going to start this post by telling you that scuba diving in Maldives was my best scuba diving experience with Fulidhoo Dive ever!

We actually saw something that not many would be able to say they’ve ever witnessed in their lives. We saw Fulidhoo Dive owner Ali save a turtle and a reef shark whom had both got caught up in a ghost net. It was absolutely amazing to see!


1. World Class Scuba Diving In Maldives On A Budget

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<em>Fulidhoo Island<em>

It’s no secret the Maldives hosts a load of world class diving among its 19 atolls. What may not be so well known is the fact that this doesn’t have to come with a world class price tag.

If you go a Maldives local island scuba diving centre, you’ll not only get access to dive sites covered by the resorts but you’ll get to experience some of the local culture along the way. And you’ll save so much money too!

To get a feel for the local experience, I got underwater with Fulidhoo Dive and found out what all the fuss was about.


2. You Don’t Need To Be Experienced To Dive In Maldives

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Now, I’ll say right up that I’m not an ultra dive noodle with 2,000 dives under my belt, I just enjoy it when I’m travelling. I don’t take it for granted so when I dive, for me the experience is everything.

Swimming around with 30 other people on a crowded site doesn’t float my boat, and even if the coral is mind blowing and there are fish galore, a busy dive site makes for no fun.

When checking a dive shop out, it is usually one of the first questions I ask. Thankfully Fulidhoo Dive aims to take out small groups of around 6 and max’s out at 12. Check.


3. Fulidhoo Dive Is Run By Some Of The Nicest People In The World!

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<em>Fulidhoo Dive owners Ali and Adele outside their beautiful dive shop<em>

Second on my list is the people – does the dive shop have a good vibe?

Ali the co-owner of Fulidhoo Dive is a keen conservationist and has been diving since he was just 16 years old. He knows the atoll like back of his hand, and is a goldmine of local information. He’s spent years working on the luxury resorts, namely Four Seasons, and approaches diving with the same level of service as you would expect at a resort.

Ali’s wife Adele is a British expat running Fulidhoo Dive from behind the scenes. She went well above and beyond to help us plan our trip and advised us on which other islands to visit. I’ve not seen this attention to detail from anyone before when we’ve been planning a trip.


4. Scuba Diving In Maldives Cost

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<em>A snippet of some of the abundance of fish we saw during our dives<em>

If you’re wondering about scuba diving in Maldives cost, well it’s not Thailand cheap but the experience is way, way better (coming from someone who has dived in Thailand).

The good news is that since the Maldives local islands opened up to tourism in 2008 (which didn’t kick in until a few years later), you can now get to those super special Maldivian dive sites previously reserved for the thousand dollar a night resort guests.

So… how much per dive are we talking? Well, it starts at $200 for a pack of 3 dives and gets cheaper the more you dive.

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What’s more is that if you’re staying on a Maldives local island, not only will your scuba diving be cheaper, but because accommodation on the local islands is significantly cheaper – we’re talking sub 100 dollars a night, you’ll have more to spend on diving.

I can highly recommend Thundi Guest House where we stayed right on the beach. Arif the manager will definitely look after you.

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<em><a href=httpwwwhotelscombinedcomHotelThundi Guest Househtma aid=219917 target= blank rel=noreferrer noopener>Thundi Guest House<a> Fulidhoo Island<em>

5. How Good Is The Dive Gear In Maldives?

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<em>Sourcing the right equipment for the dive<em>

The last thing I checked out is the dive gear. Is equipment in good shape, or does it look tired and run down? It’s no fun diving with kit that looks like it’s one of grandma’s hand me downs.

The good news is Fulidhoo Dive are a 5 star Padi Dive Centre which means they don’t only have great kit that’s well looked after, but offer a 5 star dive service to boot.


What’s the scuba diving in Maldives experience like with Fulidhoo Dive?

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<em>Getting up close with the sharks<em>

For me it was the sharks, a Fulidhoo Dive’s speciality. I must admit, I felt rather uneasy about diving with sharks, but I knew that a) this was an opportunity I knew I couldn’t pass up, and b) I knew Ali and his team were going to look after me and that everything would be OK.

We dived at the well-known, Miyaru Kandu, a great dive that starts with a drift along a slanted reef ledge towards a channel entrance which sees dozens of grey reef and white tip reef sharks. They patrolled the waters eagerly awaiting the current to bring a meal up from the deep. And boy, they glided past with a graceful elegance, these sharks were a real treat to watch.

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Another of the great bonuses of diving with Fulidhoo Dive is access to the resort dive sites. The nearby Alimatha House Reef night dive is famously known for its’ abundance of sharks due to the fact that the resort used to feed them. They’ve stopped now, for obvious reasons, but Tawney Nurse still turn up in large numbers.

The dive itself is quick drop down to 25 meters and short drift to the old feeding point.Luckily, Ali knew exactly where to touch down and wait for the passing parade of sharks. It was such a spectacular back drop: torches beaming up into the darkness like giant search lights and huge sharks patrolling up and down the reef; at times even coming right up to me with such a peaceful indifference.

I had never been so up close and personal with sharks before, the tawny nurse are really puppy dogs of the ocean so for me it was a really special to dive.


The Shar & Turtle Rescue On Our Dive Boat In Maldives

Then this happened… something I’ll never forget

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<em>Two sharks and a turtle all tangled up in a fishing net<em>

Perhaps one of the memorable moments of my time on Fulidhoo Island came after the dive at Miyaru Kandu in Maldives (Shark Channel).

We weren’t on the boat more than 10 mins before Ali spotted a pack of dolphins which we tracked along the channel. They led us to a turtle and two sharks caught in a stray fishing net which they were all struggling in, a sight that I’m sure not many would have witnessed before.

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<em>Ali pulled the tangled three towards the boat to set them free<em>

Ali jumped into action and dived into the water to rescue the trio. He managed to swim down and tie off the now struggling ball of sharks and turtle and dragged them towards the end of the boat.

Moments later he emerged from the water and climbed back aboard with a determined look in his eye. He pulled the netting towards the side of the boat and started trying to cut the sharks free.

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<em>Ali somehow pulled the turtle onto the boat to help save it<em>

Ali, the turtle, and the sharks were all splashing around at the end of boat while the rest of us looked on in disbelief.

Finally, Ali made the last few cuts into the net, and the sharks broke free with a huge splashing flurry. Ali turned his attention to the turtle, and with all his strength managed to pull it onto the back of the boat as it flapped around.

He cut the last of the netting away from the turtles’ fin he released back into the ocean. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief!

Hats off to Ali, his passion for protecting the ocean shone through and lit up the boat.

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<em>And hes just saved two sharks and a turtle<em>

As we headed back to our home for the week on Fulidhoo, I couldn’t believe I had not only witnessed the greatest diving experience I have ever had, but also seeing Ali save the sharks and the turtle was just a moment I won’t ever forget.


Why You Need To Go Scuba Diving In Maldives With Fulidhoo Dive

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<em>Our day snorkelling with <a href=httpwwwfulidhoodivecom>Fulidhoo Dive<a><em>

Not only am I glad to have dived with a local island, but to have dived with Fulidhoo Dive. Ali and co-owner, Adele have brought not only passion but a real sense of welcoming their guests to their home on the beautiful Fulidhoo Island.

Not only is diving half the price a resort would charge, they can organise beautiful accommodation as well so you don’t have to organise a thing. They also gave us a huge help when we were deciding on which other local Maldives islands to visit. 

Because Annie couldn’t dive due to her recent punctured lung injury, Adele and Ali took us out snorkelling and to a tiny sandbank as well which was a great personalised touch for Annie to be able to experience some underwater action.

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<em>Annie got to see some of the underwater life by snorkelling with Fulidhoo Dive<em>

If you’re looking for an authentic but mind-blowing diving experience, I can 100% recommend Fulidhoo Dive in Maldives. Now, who’s ready to meet some sharks?

Don’t Forget To Watch Our Scuba Diving In Maldives Experience Below

What’s your best diving experience? Let us know in the comments below.

Best Scuba Diving In Maldives With Fulidhoo Dive

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