As one of the best diving destinations, the Maldives is recognized for its beautiful house reefs made up of blocks of coral. A house reef is a kind of coral garden full of marine life and colourful fish flowing with the sea currents that give life to one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world. If you are looking for excellent diving sites around the Indian Ocean, you will find at least the top 10 house reefs in the Maldives.
With nearly 900 house reefs in the Maldives, you may find it daunting to plan a snorkelling and diving itinerary. Hence, we have created a list of the top 10 house reefs in the Maldives for you to arrange a fantastic holiday.
1. Anantara Kihavah – Baa Atoll
Apart from a lovely stay at Anantara Kihavah, the house reef will most likely lure you into spending most of your time. Dive into the pristine coral garden, fondly known as the Golden Wall by the locals. You may dive at your own pace or rent fins and a snorkel to take a peel below the surface to take a closer look at the beautiful marine life. Home to hundreds of colourful schools of fish, the house reef is a destination dive where you can encounter sea turtles and juvenile reef sharks amidst soft swaying corals in brilliant gold hues.
2. Baros – North Male Atoll
Baros offers a boutique resort in the Maldives with a house reef full of incredible marine life within 20 metres of your villa. You can choose from the world-class sites around Baros to discover a world of corals, sharks, colourful fish and turtles in their natural habitat, along with a couple of shipwrecks. Baros has set a standard for snorkelling and diving getaways that attract tourists worldwide. Whether you are an adventurous couple, a group of nature lovers or underwater enthusiasts, Baros offers an impressive house reef, especially for encounters with reef manta rays, especially during a new or full moon.
3. Angsana Ihuru – North Male Atoll
With its house reef, Angsana Ihuru is known for the infamous Rannamaari Wreck, 26 meters deep and 10 meters off the reef. Explore the waters with the help of a guide who leads you to the hidden gems to find a hawkbill turtle and a black fin shark amidst a milieu of colourful fish. The intimate resort of Angsana Ihuru is a perfect choice for honeymooners looking for easily accessible snorkelling from the beach to an in-house reef.
4. Ellaidhoo by Cinnamon – North Ari Atoll
With our Maldives travel packages, dive into the vibrant house reef of Ellaidhoo Maldives, located on the tiny private island of North Ari Atoll, surrounded by a picturesque lagoon and a scenic coral reef. Explore the hiding shipwrecks and other mysteries of the house reef during snorkelling, and swim around stingrays, reef sharks and even whale sharks. The natural coral paradise off the house reef is one of the best diving spots for couples and families since the hotel offers more than 50 dive sites that are open 24 hours a day.
5. Centara Grand Island Resort and Spa – South Ari Atoll
Centara Grand Maldives not only makes an ideal hideaway for couples and families but also provides excellent opportunities to discover the marine life of the Maldives underwater. You will find a gamut of colours when you snorkel around the house reef and can explore a shipwreck dive site a little away from the island. The house reef of Centara Grand Maldives offers easy access to some of the most famous dive sites in the world, where you can find black-tipped reef sharks, nurse sharks and turtles, among wide varieties of marine life.
6. Mirihi Island Resort – South Ari Atoll
Stay at one of the best resorts in the Maldives with a house reef that allows exploring the whale shark diving points. Even if you dive from one of the water villa’s sundecks, you can spot brack-tip sharks, horse-eye jacks and damsels. In 2018, Mirihi’s Project Hope began to take shape to settle and grow the coral in the reef. By 2022, the project transplanted almost 800 corals with their attached marine life in the reef.
7. Filitheyo – Faafu Atoll
Surrounded by beautiful white sandy beaches and one of the top 10 house reefs in the Maldives, the Filitheyo resort offers an excellent range of facilities and incredible diving in a house reef that’s considered one of the best in the Maldives. You can choose from more than 40 pristine dive sites that are a boat ride away, consisting of wrecks, channels and cave dives, abundant with healthy corals and vibrant fish. Discover many species of marine life, including lobsters, eels, reef fish, turtles, rays and sharks.
8. Six Senses – Laamu Atoll
Head to one of the Maldives’ finest properties committed to sustainability, community and conservation. Six Senses has one of the best house reefs for snorkelling in the Maldives, where you will find abundant turtles, corals and tropical fish species in its calm and clear waters. Here, you also have an opportunity to try the fluorescent night diving to see the reef in an entirely new light! Book our Maldives honeymoon packages and go for a couples snorkelling tour. You also get guided snorkelling tours with marine biologists who educate you about the importance of healthy reefs and marine life.
9. Amilla Fushi
Imagine finding a cave right on the house reef! A short swim from the beach and you will be in a shallow lagoon full of reef fish, sharks and hawksbill turtles in the house reefs of Amilla Fushi. If you go further down for 10 metres, sharks and rays will swim around you. You can also take a night tour with the help of an experienced guide to see the coral reefs and marine life glow with natural fluorescence at night. Explore some of the most amazing coral reefs and look for green turtles, moray eels, reef sharks, napoleon wrasse, etc., to make the most at Amilla Fushi. The locals strive to protect the reefs, so ensure that you follow the rule to cause no harm to the ecosystem.
10. Biyadhoo Island Resort
Snorkelling is the main attraction on the budget resort of Biyadhoo Island since it has an excellent house reef. Nature and the island have worked together to preserve the reef’s pristine nature. When you swim with turtles feeding on seagrass beds, you may find yourself surrounded by about 2 thousand species of marine life, including squid, lobster, sting rays and reef sharks. Discover the vibrant reef drop-off, where angelfish, octopus, starfish, clownfish, groupers and sharks live.
The house reefs make for the best snorkelling and diving sites. Book your Maldives tour packages today and check out the top 10 house reefs in the Maldives. Follow our Instagram profile to know about the latest offers and discounts.
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