Fuvahmulah (Tiger Harbour)

Pelagic plateau / Shark encounter

Maldives · Fuvahmulah Atoll, southern Maldives

Profundidad: 5–40 mNivel: Open Water for the tiger shark site; advanced for the deep plateausAll year round; operators point to mid-February as a good time

Spotted something wrong?

Fuvahmulah is a unique island-atoll: it has no lagoon and no surrounding reef, so the drop into the open ocean begins right at the shore. Tiger Harbour, the horseshoe-shaped plateau at the harbour mouth, is dived between 5 and 10 m and is the site that has made the island famous for its tiger shark encounters. Beyond it, the plateaus and ledges to the south and east run to 40 m or more before falling away, with thresher shark cleaning stations and a constant passage of pelagics.

Depth

5–40 m

Recommended level

Open Water for the tiger shark site; advanced for the deep plateaus

Current

Variable; strong and with vertical components on the deep plateaus

Access

Boat (1 minute from the harbour)

Best time

All year round; operators point to mid-February as a good time

Ocean

Plan your dive

Best time: All year round; operators point to mid-February as a good time

UNESCO designation

Reserva de la Biosfera de la UNESCO

Did you know

La agregación de tigres tiene origen involuntario: los pescadores locales llevan décadas arrojando restos de pescado cerca del puerto y los animales aprendieron a patrullar la zona. La inmersión de tigres es somera, lo que permite tiempos de fondo largos; las mesetas profundas, en cambio, están entre las más exigentes de Maldivas por las corrientes ascendentes y descendentes.

Sources consulted: divessi.com; Divernet; Pelagic Divers Fuvahmulah; Liquid Shark Divers; Extreme Dive Fuvahmulah