In this blog post, I will share my favourite scuba diving site with the sharks at Madivaru Corner in the Maldives. This dive site is not only my favourite in the Maldives but on planet earth so far! I have worked as a diving instructor on the Canary Islands, in the Dominican Republic, in Mexico, on the Maldives and in Australia. Also, I have travelled to scuba dive in countries like Egypt, the Azores, Madeira Island, in Thailand, the Philippines, Bali and New Zealand. Nowhere did I find such as an ´all-inclusive´ diving site, because next to the sharks, there is a lot of other amazing fishlife to see at Madivaru Corner on Rasdhoo Atoll in the Maldives.
The ´all-inclusiveness´ of the diving site Madivaru Corner in the Maldives
There have been amazing scuba diving sites in other places I mentioned before, of course. You have incredible wreck dives in Coron in the Philippines, the turtle heaven at Akumal in Mexico, The Great Barrier Reef in Australia, diving with the thresher sharks and seeing the mandarin fish on Malapascua Island, or diving the amazing cenotes in Yucatan. These are just a few and not mention the dive destinations still on my list! What I like so much about Madivaru Corner dive site is obviously the amazing shark show to be seen here. But besides of scuba diving with the sharks, Madivaru offers very interesting oceanlife of the Maldives.
Madivaru Corner is famous for diving with the sharks in this part of the Maldives
Madivaru Corner is located in Rasdhoo Atoll, also called Alif Alif Atoll, in the Maldives. The chance is very big that you go scuba diving on this dive site if you do a liveaboard in the Maldives. The reason why scuba diving is so popular here is because of the number of sharks to be found around Madivaru in the Maldives. Almost always there are many sharks, like white tip sharks and grey reef sharks, swimming around here. Especially if there´s a right-hand current, diving here feels like watching sharks on ´Blue Planet´ and only this makes Madivaru Corner already a very satisfying scuba dive in the Maldives.
Here is a little video on Splashpacker YouTube channel about the scuba diving with the sharks at Madivaru Corner in the Maldives:
Other fish life than sharks to be seen scuba diving at Madivaru Corner in the Maldives
Even though the sharks here are definitely the main reason why almost every diver will be extremely enthusiastic about scuba diving at Madivaru in the Maldives, there is more! The great thing I really love about this dive spot is, that there is so much ocean life to be seen here. I remember doing this dive for the first time when I started to work in the Maldives, and only by doing this dive, I could tick off several fish species of my bucket list! And even after working as an instructor on Veligandu Island in Rashdoo Atoll on the Maldives, and diving Madivaru Corner several times a week, never ever have I been bored scuba diving here!
Other ocean creatures to see at this dive site in the Maldives: the mantis shrimp
The way you do this dive depends on the direction of the current at the time. So, I won´t describe the fish in the order of seeing them. But one very special ocean creature lives in the wall on your right at the beginning of the dive with a right shoulder current, or on your left at the end of your dive with a left shoulder current. The mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus Scyllarus)!! This colourful little specie is only about 10 cm, or about 4 inches, long and can use its appendages in the front for a hammer-like strike with the same force of a 22-calibre bullet. Don´t come too close because it easily breaks your camera lens or the glass of your dive mask! It is said that it can even break the glass of an aquarium.
Some more interesting facts about the mantis shrimp that lives at Madivaru Corner
Another interesting fact about the mantis shrimp is the fact that this impressive tiny creature has 12 photoreceptors in its bulging eyes. It can see different types of colours and research has shown that it can see ultraviolet and even polarized light, making it able to spot cancer cells! The incredible crustacean lives on earth for more than 340 million years, roughly 150 millions before the dinosaur! When I worked in this part of the Maldives, we almost always saw two of them living in little holes in the wall part, and when I returned eight years later in 2017, I still saw one there!
The leaf fish, or paper scorpionfish: an interesting sea creature living on Madivaru Corner in the Maldives
Before I worked as a scuba diving instructor on the Maldives, I never even heard about the leaf fish. And during my very first dive at Madivaru Corner, I saw two of them! The leaf fish is also called leaf scorpionfish, paper fish or paper scorpionfish. As the name already suggests, it looks like a dead leaf, or piece of paper, lying in the water. The colour can vary from green, red, pink, brown, yellow or transparent. However, the leaf scorpionfish can, like the octopus, change its colour to match her surroundings. The poisoning little paper fish does, like the mantis shrimp, often not even reach the 10 cm, or 4 inches, in length. Therefore, to spot the leaf fish, as well as the mantis shrimp, it is recommended to go scuba diving here with a dive guide who knows Madivaru Corner well and where to find those special reef inhabitants.
Big fish life, other than sharks, to be seen scuba diving on Madivaru in the Maldives
Other fish life to be seen on a regular base at Madivaru Corner are big Napoleons, or the Humphead Wrasse, trumpet fish, groups of batfish, barracuda´s, tuna, oriental sweetlips, big groups of jackfish and most of all common reef fish to be found around the Maldives. The amount of smaller fish is absolutely amazing here. That´s why the sharks like to come here, I guess.
Other types of sharks & ray species at Madivaru Corner
It´s not uncommon to see other kinds of sharks too, blacktip reef sharks are sometimes around as well and don´t be surprised to find a sleeping shark laying in the sandy part of this dive site. When scuba diving here several times a week I have spotted many species of rays too, either laying in the sand or swimming by. Very impressive and also not uncommon is a huge group of eagle rays passing by and sometimes the school of eagle rays is even mixed with devil rays.
Reef dwellers & other ocean life to be found at Madivaru Corner scuba diving site
Reef dwellers like the octopus, sepia and cuttlefish are seen on a regular base. Not very often, but also not uncommon, is to spot a turtle hanging around here. More common sea life like moray eels, scorpionfish and nudibranch or other sea slugs are to be found all over the place. Once again, it is recommended to go with a divemaster or dive instructor who knows this dive site well. Also to show you the stonefish who are living on this dive site. Lobsters can often be found between the stones in the lower part of the reef.
Next to diving with the sharks, Madivaru Corner in the Maldives can always offer a nice surprise
The location of this dive site, and the fact that it is situated not far from a channel in Rasdhoo Atoll, makes it possible for almost any ocean creature living in the Maldives to pass by here. Besides of diving with the sharks, Madivaru Corner dive site can be full of surprises. With a bit of luck, you might even spot other interesting ocean life of the Maldives. The dive site has so much to offer that I´m pretty sure I forgot to name some interesting fish life here but I hope by now you have a good idea about what to expect of this ´all-inclusive´ dive site on the Maldives. I was so lucky to be able to return eight years after working here. Still, I really hope to visit Madivaru in the Maldives again to go diving with the sharks yet another time!
Other dive sites located at Rasdhoo Island & Veligandu Island Resort in the Maldives
Next to Madivaru Corner, there are some very interesting other scuba dive sites to be found in this Atoll in the Maldives. The waters around Veligandu Island Resort and Rasdhoo Island are also famous for the early morning dive to see the hammerhead sharks, called ´Big Blue´ diving site. Although the hammerheads can not be guaranteed, with a bit of luck you can tick the hammerhead shark of your bucket list too! In the right season, from November till April, mantas can practically be guaranteed at the dive site called ´Manta Point´. There are other interesting dive sites including tila’s, the channel, little caves and there is also a shipwreck where you most certainly can spot a ghost pipefish and a frogfish.
Where to stay for a scuba diving holiday to dive Madivaru Corner on the Maldives?
In order to go scuba diving in this part of the Maldives, situated in Rasdhoo Atoll, you have several accommodation options to choose from for your diving holiday. You can choose either one of the two resort islands located close to the Madivaru Corner shark diving site. The very luxury Veligandu Island Resort is a paradise if you can afford it. I receive a small commission on your purchase through this link to booking, or you can click here to book the same resort on Agoda, and I also receive a small commission. A blog post about this dreamy paradise island resort is now also available on Splashpacker:
Veligandu Island Resort: the dream destination for a diving holiday in the Maldives
More affordable accommodation options to go scuba diving with the sharks at Madivaru Corner
A slightly more affordable option is Kuramathi Island Resort, this island is also located at Rasdhoo Atoll and close to the dive site of Madivaru Corner. I receive a small commission on your purchase through this link to Agoda, and the same if you click here to book this accommodation on booking.com. If you prefer a scuba diving holiday to Rasdhoo atoll on a budget and choose to stay in a guesthouse on a local island, you can stay on Rasdhoo Island. Click here for an overview of accommodation options on booking.com, or you can click here if you prefer Agoda. With both links, I earn a small commission on your purchase. Read my full post with practical travel information for Rasdhoo Island in the Maldives here:
Travel to Rasdhoo Atoll and excursions to Madivaru Corner in the Maldives
Like mentioned before, many liveaboards include the dive site of Madivaru Corner in their programme, but not all of them. Make sure to check before you book. Some nearby located islands, like Ukulhas for example, might offer full day diving excursions to Madivaru Corner dive site. To find your cheapest flight to the Maldives, I recommend using 12go.co, and to pre-book excursions I can recommend ´Get your Guide´. I receive a small commission on your purchase through both links. The Maldives are open for tourism and diving travel and is pretty safe in this time of the coronavirus. On top of that, they have pretty good covid-19 travel deals currently!
Last note about the underwater pics of scuba diving Madivaru Corner in this blog post
Did you like the dive photos or underwater pictures in this post? Some of them are edited a bit, but I have taken with using the Nikon Coolpix underwater camera. I recently wrote a full blog post about this camera as a dive camera, you can click here to read this post.
More to come about the Maldives on Splashpacker
I am still writing more blog posts about scuba diving and travelling to this part of the Maldives. I am soon posting a blog post about Veligandu Island Resort and have written some post about Rasdhoo Island already. If you don´t want to miss any of them, you can sign up for the mailing list below.
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Here is a little video about the manta rays in Rasdhoo Atoll: