Satellite aerial
Atoll profile
Alif AlifNorth Ari Atoll.
Dramatic thila diving, night sharks at Maaya and luxury resorts on Halaveli and Fesdu.
148properties·avg rating
Atoll profile
Alif AlifDramatic thila diving, night sharks at Maaya and luxury resorts on Halaveli and Fesdu.
Destination brief
North Ari Atoll, administratively the Alif Alif district, occupies the northern half of one of the Maldives' largest atoll systems — roughly eighty-nine kilometres long from tip to tip, with a rugged underwater topography of channels, pinnacles and overhangs that has made Ari Atoll a byword for serious diving. Reached in about twenty-five minutes by seaplane from Velana International Airport, or by a longer speedboat run, the atoll's signature site is Fish Head, known locally as Mushimasmingili Thila: a protected underwater pinnacle that rises from more than sixty metres to within ten of the surface and where resident grey reef sharks are seen on the great majority of dives. Maaya Thila, another marine reserve, is a compact thila so small it can be circled in a single dive, and it has earned particular fame for its night diving, when white-tip reef sharks hunt in packs across the reef top beside moray eels, turtles and octopus.
The Halaveli Wreck, sunk in 1990 and now settled near thirty metres beside the main reef, is best known for its residents — a community of blotched fantail rays that has made the site one of the Maldives' more unusual wreck dives. For hammerheads, the adjacent Rasdhoo atoll to the north-east is the classic early-morning drop, its proximity to open ocean giving schooling-hammerhead sightings their best odds in the country. Above the surface, the atoll's ten-plus inhabited islands sit alongside resort flagships including Constance Halaveli, Kandolhu, W Maldives on Fesdu Island and Velassaru's sister properties — a mix of ultra-luxury overwater estates and smaller, dive-led boutique islands.
Maaya Thila, a marine-protected pinnacle barely thirty metres across, is one of the few sites in the Maldives consistently rated for night diving — after sunset, white-tip reef sharks hunt the reef top in packs while moray eels and octopus feed alongside them.
Field notes
Fish Head
Mushimasmingili Thila
Maaya Thila
Halaveli Wreck
Orimas Thila
Grey reef sharks at Fish Head
Mushimasmingili Thila
Hunting white-tip reef sharks on Maaya Thila night dives
Blotched fantail rays on the Halaveli Wreck
Schooling hammerheads at nearby Rasdhoo
early morning
Fesdu Island
Accommodation Collection
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Frequently Asked
North Ari Atoll sits approximately 55-80 km from Velana International Airport (Malé). The standard transfer is Seaplane (20-30 min) or Speedboat (90 min). Your resort or guesthouse will typically arrange the transfer as part of your booking.
Year-round (whale sharks), November to April (best visibility). Whale sharks are present year-round but concentrate on the western side during the southwest monsoon (May-Oct) and the eastern side during the northeast monsoon (Nov-Apr).
We currently list 148 properties in North Ari Atoll on Resortlife. The atoll has roughly 18 resort islands in total, with options ranging from intimate guesthouses on local islands to ultra-luxury overwater resorts.
For travel trade
Contracted net rates, multilingual GROs at Velana, charter-flight coordination and 24/7 partner support.
Notable properties include Constance Halaveli, Kandolhu Maldives, W Maldives (Fesdu Island), Nika Island Resort. Which resort suits you depends on travel style — honeymoon, family, dive-focused, or budget-conscious — our specialists can match you to the right island.
Key dive sites include Fish Head (Mushimasmingili Thila), Maaya Thila, Halaveli Wreck, Orimas Thila. Highlights: Grey reef sharks at Fish Head (Mushimasmingili Thila); Hunting white-tip reef sharks on Maaya Thila night dives; Blotched fantail rays on the Halaveli Wreck. Most resorts operate PADI-certified dive centres with daily boat dives and house-reef snorkelling.
Maaya Thila, a marine-protected pinnacle barely thirty metres across, is one of the few sites in the Maldives consistently rated for night diving — after sunset, white-tip reef sharks hunt the reef top in packs while moray eels and octopus feed alongside them.