Ari Atoll

The Ari Atoll route is one of the most popular liveaboard routes in the Maldives. The safari starts and finishes in Male, covering South and North Male, Rasdhoo Atoll, Vaavu, and Ari itself — western and southern sectors. Diving here is diverse: channel drifts, thila dives in the atoll’s inner waters, walls and caves of the outer reef.

The route’s main specialty is whale sharks. The western side of Ari is considered one of the best places on the planet to encounter them: the sharks come to feed on plankton and stay near the surface, allowing observation both while snorkeling and diving. Most dives on the route are accessible to intermediate-level divers, though some sites on the outer reef involve ocean currents.