Fuvahmulah Tiger Shark ID Project

We invite you into the fascinating world of tiger shark diving in Fuvahmulah. The crystal-clear waters of the Maldives provide one of the few habitats where tiger sharks thrive. Fuvahmulah gives divers the best opportunity to encounter these majestic creatures. You not only meet them up close but also play a vital role in conservation efforts. Your contributions help ensure they continue to roam the surrounding waters of Fuvahmulah. Discover more about these incredible creatures and how you can help protect some of the most amazing marine life.

Overview of the Tiger Shark ID Project

To understand more about tiger shark diving in Fuvahmulah we will first explore the Tiger Shark ID Project. It is a unique idea that allows us to understand more of the intricate world of this pelagic species. In 2016, a master student working with a local dive school decided to design his master thesis around tiger sharks. The Tiger Shark ID project gathers comprehensive, individual-level data on tiger sharks that have called the waters of Fuvahmulah home. Together with our partners, we collect data on a daily basis, maximizing the insights gained from this project.

Tiger sharks, as many other elasmobranchs species, play a vital role in preserving the ecosystem. They ensure an ecological balance within the ecosystem with important roles in the food web. Without them  the ocean and its ecosystems will collapse, which further highlights their importance in preserving this equilibrium.

What We Have Discovered from Diving With Tiger Sharks in Fuvahmulah

Tiger shark diving in Fuvahmulah is a wonderful experience, but is also having access to crucial information about their population. The project has uncovered important information about site fidelity, residency patterns, and preliminary details about pregnancies. These provides us with insights into their biology and ecology.

Simultaneously, Filippo Bocchi, our resident marine biologist and early-career shark researcher, designed a project that has illuminated their social preferences. This provides some deeper insight into the unknown facets of their hierarchy. The ongoing team effort is the result of a collaboration with worldwide renowned shark researchers from the Shark Research Centre (SCC) – Primo Micarelli and Francesca Reinero – the University of Siena (IT),  and our partner dive centres. 

Intriguingly, the Tiger Shark ID project has helped us learn more about the population accessing the Fuvahmulah Harbour. So far, we have identified approximately 236 individual tiger sharks, including 199 females and 37 males, with an average length of 2 to 4.5 meters. Most of these sharks have visited the waters of the harbor, also known as ‘Tiger Harbour.’

Stay in Touch with Us

To remain up to date with our project, you can follow our Instagram profile, SharkIDFuvahmulah. The account offers daily photo-ID updates of identified tiger sharks during dives, along with some monthly curiosities and research findings. Our partners have also established a freely-accessible shark database on their website so you can learn more about these fascinating creatures.

More projects are on the horizon from engaging schools and local communities to access this vital research. Through the power of collaboration, we can safeguard these tiger sharks and other marine animals that call the Fuvahmulah water their home.

Make a Difference and Join Our Community

If you always asked yourself how to access information regarding tiger sharks and other species in Fuvahmulah as well as help us in our research projects, here there are some ideas for you:

• Attending Marine Biologist Presentations
• Follow our ‘SharkIDFuvahmulah‘ Instagram page
• Equipment Donation (unused GoPros, batteries, housing, memory cards, etc…)

Additionally, if you want to help the local community on the island and improve your diving abilities when diving with sharks you can:

• Sign up for the Tiger Shark Specialty Course 
• Eco-friendly solutions to help a better management of wastes on the island (ex. take home plastic containers – shampoo and body wash – and all other pieces of trash that can be better managed in your country)
• Organise beach clean-ups with your peers/team

Support local conservation initiatives (donating to the home water filter project, purchasing PDF merchandise as proceeds go towards the home water filter project)

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the purpose of identifying tiger sharks in Fuvahmulah?

The main purpose of identifying tiger sharks in Fuvahmulah is to gauge and attempt to track the number of individuals that are around the island. Since the start of the research, there have been 236 individuals identified and could possibly be one of the healthiest tiger shark populations in the world.

2. How do you identify tiger sharks?

There are seven main points used to identify tiger sharks. We do this by taking photos and videos of tiger sharks present during the dive. We then compare these seven main points against the database of identifying patterns and/or marks that have been collected over the years.

3. Why is it important to ID Fuvahmulah’s tiger sharks?

It is important for us to ID the tiger sharks in Fuvahmulah as we are able to learn more about their population to better help protect them and the environment that they are in.

4. Who can help contribute to the Fuvahmulah tiger shark ID project?

Anyone can contribute to the Fuvahmulah tiger shark ID project. Divers that are shark diving in Fuvahmulah are able to share photos or videos of tiger sharks with our Marine Biologist to help build the Fuvahmulah tiger shark database, visitors to Fuvahmulah can ensure to dispose plastic waste properly or take home any plastics that they brought with them, attend our weekly tiger shark presentation, donating equipment or funds to expand our research and water filter projects.

The post Tiger Shark Diving in Fuvahmulah – The Tiger Shark ID Project appeared first on Pelagic Divers Fuvahmulah.

One of the many reasons divers have an amazing dive experience is the opportunity to encounter various pelagic species. Safe and responsible interactions with these marine life creates everlasting memories. Not only that but it also develops a better understanding of these magnificent creatures too.

Fuvahmulah has been gaining popularity as the place for tiger shark diving. The island is home to one of the healthiest populations of tiger sharks, with researchers identifying over 240 individuals. Tiger shark diving in Fuvahmulah is safe in general. However, we are also diving into their environment and territory.It is important to realize that every activity carries some risk, including diving. Tiger sharks, as apex predators, are naturally curious, so divers must always respect them in their domain.

Trained Tiger Shark Diving Fuvahmulah Team

First and foremost, all our dive guides hold a minimum certification of dive masters. Professional shark safety experts, Ocean Ramsey & Juan Oliphant of One Ocean Diving, have trained both our instructors and dive guides. Our team reads, identifies, and monitors each shark’s behaviour during each dive. Keeping this in mind, the team developed signals to communicate with each other and the boat crew on the surface. That way the team stays ready to take precautionary measures if needed.

Fuvahmulah Shark Diving Safety Procedures and Protocols

Our team follows a set of shark diving safety procedures based on our collective dive experience and principles.

1. We require all divers, regardless of certification, to do a check dive as their first dive with us.
2. We require divers to be certified before permitting them to join a tiger shark dive.
3. Dives are a maximum of 12 divers per boat.
4. We dive with a ratio of 1 guide to 4 divers. Should there be less than 12 divers per boat, we still maintain a minimum of 3 dive guides.
5. Prior a diver’s first tiger shark dive, it is mandatory to go through our in-depth tiger shark safety diving briefing.
6. The tiger shark safety briefing covers topics such as:

• History of tiger sharks in Fuvahmulah
• Co-existence of tiger sharks with the local community and fishermen
• Dive plan
• What to expect from the tiger sharks
• Tiger sharks’ behaviour
• How divers should behave – do’s and don’ts
• Resident tiger sharks and other marine life
• Emergency protocols
• Conservation efforts

7. Dive guides will cancel a tiger shark dive if they find that the sea conditions or water visibility are not optimal or if the tiger sharks’ behavior is more agitated than normal.
8. After a diver’s first tiger shark dive with us, we conduct a debrief to discuss the sharks’ behavior and the diver’s actions. We also highlight any issues or areas for improvement for the next dive.
9. If a diver ignores instructions or continuous reminders on how to behave during a tiger shark dive, our guides will disqualify them from further participation in tiger shark dives.
10. If a diver disregards instructions from our guides and jeopardizes the safety of other divers, our guides will immediately end the tiger shark dive.
11. It is mandatory that all our guides carry a tourniquet with them during all dives. We have trained all our guides on how to handle emergency situations.

Briefing on Tiger Shark Dive Plan

Prior to each tiger shark dive, our guides conduct a dive plan briefing on the boat. We share a step-by-step process with divers to ensure everyone is clear and understands how the dives will proceed.

The dive plan:

• Although Tiger Harbour lies at the mouth of the harbour, divers will jump into the water at the reef next to the harbour, not the main dive site, for safety reasons.
• Upon reaching the dive site, our dive guides will check the water for any nearby sharks from the boat.
• The first person that will jump into the water will be the dive guide.
• Tiger shark dive is done with a negative entry dive as we do not want divers staying at the surface that may cause splashing and noise, mimicking an injured prey, which may attract tiger sharks.
• Once all the divers are in the water, the group will move as a whole to the main dive site.
• During this time, there will be one lead guide ahead of the group, minimum one guide in the middle, and minimum one guide at the end.
• We arrange divers in a row at a designated area, where at least two guides stay with them.
• The lead guide will then move to the middle of the dive site in order to signal the boat crew to drop the fish heads.
• After the allocated tiger shark dive time has ended, the lead guide will signal to end the dive and indicate the direction that divers need to move to.
• Again, there will be one lead guide ahead, minimum one guide in the middle, and minimum one guide at the end to head back to the reef to do the safety stop.
• Once the safety stop is completed, divers will follow two guides to the surface and back onto the boat. One guide will remain at six meters to ensure sharks do not approach from below. This guide will be the last to exit the water.

Allocated Tiger Shark Dive Times

To make certain that Tiger Harbour is not overcrowded and safety compromised, every dive center is allocated a specific 30-minute time slot each day. It is important that divers are on time for tiger shark dives and respect each dive center’s scheduled timings. Divers are informed in advance of timings to be on the boat for tiger shark dives. Should divers be late, the dive will proceed without them.

Tiger Shark Safety Diver Course

We strive to not only provide the best shark diving experience but also an educational one. Divers bring home not only great shark diving memories but also a better knowledge about sharks and our marine life. We strongly advocate that the more we are able to share knowledge about sharks, the better we are able to understand these highly misunderstood apex predators.

With these reasons, Pelagic Divers Fuvahmulah has created a tiger shark speciality dive course and has been offering this since November 2022. The course is for Advanced Open Water and above certified divers that are interested in learning more about diving safely with tiger sharks. The course allows our instructors to share and educate divers on the details of Fuvahmulah tiger shark behaviour, identify resident tiger sharks, how to observe and interact safely and sustainably with the tiger sharks.

Education and Awareness of Tiger Sharks

It is always the unknown that causes fear and misconceptions. We strongly believe that the more we are able to share and expand our knowledge, the deeper an understanding we will have.

As such, we have a marine biologist as part of our team that is tasked in collecting data of the tiger sharks in Fuvahmulah and to expand the current tiger shark identification project. To date, we have collectively identified just over 240 individuals from one dive site. We have also deployed new non-intrusive techniques to identify tiger sharks to observe their individual behaviour. As a result, we are learning more about our resident tiger sharks and are even more attuned to when they have a change in their ways.

We host a weekly tiger shark presentation that is open to anyone on the island. The objective of this is to provide a space for us and guests to share more about tiger sharks. The presentation is conducted by our marine biologist which provides guests an opportunity to share or ask questions that they may have about sharks.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Is Fuvahmulah tiger shark diving safe?

In general, Fuvahmulah tiger shark diving is safe. As with any scuba diving, each dive has its own risk. Divers need to remember to always follow the instructions for the dive guides above and in the water. It is also important to always respect the environment and the marine life that you are diving with, especially with sharks.

2. Have there been shark attacks in Fuvahmulah?

There have not been any shark attacks in Fuvahmulah. We follow a strict list of shark diving safety procedures to ensure a safe dive as possible.

3. Can anyone go and dive with tiger sharks in Fuvahmulah?

We only take certified divers to scuba dive with tiger sharks in Fuvahmulah. If a non-certified diver is interested in doing a tiger shark dive with us, we are able to first do an Open Water course with them. After successfully completing the course, we will then take the diver for tiger shark dives.

4. Do you hand feed the tiger sharks in Fuvahmulah?

We do not hand feed tiger sharks in Fuvahmulah. However, the dives are baited, but it is important to note that this practice has been done for generations of fishermen in Fuvahmulah. Prior to the construction of the harbour and fish market, fishermen used to clean their catch of the day and discard any fish parts into the water. Tiger sharks knew to gather around these fishing boats to then eat these fish wastes.

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Best Fuvahmulah Dive Sites

Fuvahmulah has some of the best dive sites in Maldives for pelagic scuba diving. Here’s a quick guide to the top Fuvahmulah diving sites that we take our divers to experience the best of Maldives shark diving.

TIGER HARBOUR (East)

Dive Type:

Easy, OW diver

Depth:

Top: 6 – 10 meters | Mid: 12 – 15 meters | Slopes into the blue

Pelagic Species:

Tiger Sharks, Silver Tips

Marine Fish:

Giant Trevallies, Rainbow Runners, Barracudas, Jack Fish, Flounders,

Moray Eels, Leaf Fish & Lion Fish

Coral Life:

6 meters: mainly sand and rock being the harbour entrance   

10 – 35 meters: a wall with sand ridges, with little or no coral life

FARIKEDE (South)

Protected marine area

Dive Type:

Strong currents, AOW diver

Depth:

Top reef: 10 -15 meters | Slopes into a plateau at a depth of 35 – 60+ meters

Pelagic:

Silver Tips, White Tips, Gray Reef Sharks, Pelagic Threshers & Tiger Sharks

Seasonal – Oceanic Mantas, Hammerhead Sharks, Whale Sharks,

Oceanic White Tips & Mola Molas

Marine Fish:

Giant Trevallies, Barracudas, Skipjack Tunas, Dogtooth Tunas,

Groupers, Snappers & Yellow Fin Tunas

Coral Life:

8/10

THUNDI (North)

Dive Type:

Drift, Strong Currents, Vortexes, AOW diver

Depth:

Top reef: 5 – 7 meters | Mid: 18 – 30 meters | Slopes into the blue

Pelagic:

Pelagic Threshers (cleaning station)

Seasonal – Oceanic Mantas, Sand Tiger Sharks, Mola Mola,

Hammerhead Sharks & Whale Sharks

Marine Fish:

Giant Trevallies, Barracudas, Groupers & Snappers

Coral Life:

7/10

RASGE FANNO (East)

Dive Type:

Easy, OW diver

Depth:

Top reef: 5 – 7 meters | Mid: 18 – 30 meters | Slopes into the blue

Pelagic:

Pelagic Threshers

Seasonal – Oceanic Mantas

Marine Fish:

Giant Trevallies, Barracudas, Groupers, Snappers, Schools of Bat Fish & Reef Sharks

Coral Life:

8/10

BILHIFEYSHI (South East)

Dive Type:

Drift, OW diver

Depth:

Top reef: 5 – 7 meters | Mid: 18 – 30 meters | Slopes into the blue

Pelagic:

Pelagic Threshers

The post Fuvahmulah Dive Sites – Fast Facts appeared first on Pelagic Divers Fuvahmulah.

In recent years, Fuvahmulah island has been gaining popularity in being the place for tiger shark diving. Fuvahmulah has guaranteed tiger shark sightings everyday and throughout the year. The diving community in Fuvahmulah has successfully identified over 200 individuals. For this reason, this probably makes Fuvahmulah island having one of the healthiest tiger shark population in the world. In addition, Fuvahmulah has a unique topography that produces distinctive ocean current patterns around the island. This makes it an ideal cleaning station and nursery for an array of marine life, including tiger sharks.

Tiger sharks are considered the second most dangerous shark after the great white. Despite this, there has not been any record of shark attack attacks in Maldives. Tiger sharks are naturally curious and may be drawn to divers. As long as divers remain respectful of these macro predators and the ocean, it is an amazing Fuvahmulah shark diving experience.

Fuvahmulah – Shark Diving Safety Briefing

Based on our collective diving experiences and principles, we operate on a 1:4 guide to diver ratio. We have a maximum of 12 diving guests per dive boat. This is to provide a safer Maldives shark diving experience for our guests. To best prepare each diver before their first tiger shark dive with us, we conduct an in-depth safety briefing. Our Fuvahmulah shark diving safety briefing covers topics such as the relationship of tiger sharks with the island and the dive plan. The safety briefing also includes what to expect from the tiger sharks, diver behaviour during the dive, our resident tiger sharks and more.

International shark diving safety experts have trained all our instructors and guides. They are always on alert during dives to monitor the sharks’ behaviour and take precautionary measures, if needed. There has been zero shark incidents at Pelagic Divers Fuvahmulah. As with any encounter with nature and wildlife, we strongly advice to always follow instructions from our guides at all times to maintain safety.

Visit our blog article Tiger Shark Diving in Fuvahmulah to read more.

Follow us on Instagram for amazing videos and photos.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is tiger shark diving in Maldives safe?

Yes, in general tiger shark diving in Maldives is safe. Here is Fuvahmulah, we have not had an incident and we stick to our safety procedures. It is always important to remember that there is still a risk of diving with sharks as we are entering their environment and territory. Divers are required to always remain respectful and follow instructions from our shark safety guides at all times.

2. Can anyone go tiger shark diving in Maldives?

No, we do not let anyone go tiger shark diving in Maldives. We require divers to be at minimum a certified Open Water Diver. All divers are also required to dive with a professional dive center and we also advice divers to dive with professionally trained shark diving safety team.

3. What safety procedures do you have to go tiger shark diving in Maldives?

We follow a list of safety procedures for divers to go tiger shark diving in Maldives. This includes but not limited to – our guide to diver ratio being a minimum of 1 guide to 4 divers, divers need to be a minimum Open Water Diver certified and it is mandatory for all divers, regardless of dive certification, to attend our tiger shark safety dive briefing before their first tiger shark dive with us. Our dive team is also professionally trained by shark safety experts.

The post Fuvahmulah Tiger Shark Diving In Maldives, Is It Safe? appeared first on Pelagic Divers Fuvahmulah.

Amazing Shark Diving in Maldives

Diving enthusiasts from all corners of the world regard the Maldives as a renowned diving destination for its vibrant marine life and pristine coral reefs across the country. As with tourism, diving has long been concentrated in the central atolls of the Maldives. Fuvahmulah is located in the south of the Maldives, just above the equator, offers a one-of-a-kind diving experience in Fuvahmulah. An adventure awaits enthusiastic divers keen on exploring the uncharted reefs of Fuvahmulah.

Fuvahmulah, also known as the Shark Island of Maldives, is possibly ranking as one of the best shark diving destinations in the world. The island’s unique underwater topography has a submerged reef extending deep towards the ocean floor. As a result, this makes the island and its surrounding waters home to a rare combination of pelagic life. Fuvahmulah is a scuba diving haven for oceanic mega fauna like threshers, oceanic mantas and whale sharks. Additionally, divers may come upon gigantic schools of fish that are less commonly seen elsewhere in the country. The island, however, is most famous for its resident tiger sharks and divers are able to observe them everyday, throughout the year.

Why Fuvamulah Has Maldives Best Shark Diving

Fuvahmulah is the only one island atoll in Maldives and distant from other landmasses with its unique geography. This distinct feature of Fuvahmulah island brings nutrient rich ocean currents. As a result, a diverse range of pelagic species has an ideal environment for a cleaning station and nursery. Among the vibrant and luscious coral reefs, divers can encounter rays, sharks, and turtles. Once in a while, the surprise such as a mola mola, makes an appearance at the same Fuvahmulah dive site. Because of its rich tapestry of pelagic species on display throughout the year, Fuvahmulah is comparable to the Galapagos and Cocos Island.

Experience the Best Pelagic and Shark Diving in Maldives

There are common sightings of seven types of rare sharks in Fuvahmulah. Unfortunately, they are also among listed as vulnerable or critically endangered. Tiger Harbour is the name of our popular Fuvahmulah dive site. With tiger shark sightings all through the year, it is a guarantee that divers will encounter our resident tiger sharks. The elusive thresher sharks are usually in deeper waters but will come to shallow waters to the cleaning stations. This gives divers one of the best opportunities in the world to catch a glimpse of these shy creatures.

Particularly in the right conditions, you can encounter in awe schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks in the currents. Fuvahmulah is also in the path of migrating whale sharks, the magnificent gentle giants of the ocean. Silver and white tip sharks, grey reef sharks are other shark species that complete the rich ecosystem in these waters. Throughout the year at the cleaning stations, sightings of the Black Oceanic Mantas while scuba diving in Fuvahmulah. Not only that but also during the mating seasons of March to May. Because of their vast congregation, it may be the best diving destination in the world for Black Oceanic Manta. Depending on the season, there are great chances of seeing schools of barracuda, yellowfin tuna, mola mola, sailfish and whales.

Read more on when is the best season to dive in Fuvahmulah.

Follow us on Instagram for amazing videos and photos.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What kind of sharks can I see when shark diving in Fuvahmulah?

There are seven types of sharks that divers can see when diving in Fuvahmulah – tiger sharks, oceanic thresher sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, silver tip sharks, white tip sharks and grey reef sharks.

2. When is the best time to go shark diving in Fuvahmulah?

Between January and April is the best time to go shark diving in Fuvahmulah because of water visibility of up to 50-60 meters. Diving in Fuvahmulah the rest of the year is still good but water visibility may only be up to 20-30 meters.

3. Can I go shark diving in Fuvahmulah with the basic Open Water Diver certification?

Yes, divers can go shark diving in Fuvahmulah with the basic Open Water Diver certification. However, we usually recommend that divers have their Advanced Open Water Diver certification that allows them to dive up to 30 meters in Maldives. That way divers are able to enjoy the dives better as the majority of the pelagic sightings are in deeper water in Fuvahmulah. If a diver would like to do their Advanced Open Water Diver certification, we can customize the dive & stay package to include the course as well.

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Our Scuba Diving Guide Ratio

Based on our collective diving experiences and principles, we operate on a 1:4 guide to diver ratio. We also limit to a maximum of 12 diving guests on our dive boat. This is to ensure a safe diving experience in Fuvahmulah for our guests.

Fuvahmulah Diving With Locals

Pelagic Divers Fuvahmulah is a dive center with all local owners and directors, 100% locally owned. Not only that but we have an all-Maldivian team of dive guides and instructors as well.

Highly Experienced Dive Team

Our team of guides are all certified Instructors and Dive Masters with over 40 years of collective dive experience. Majority of our guides are from Fuvahmulah island itself.

Small Group Dives

Because we organise a maximum of 12 guest divers per boat, we are providing each guest more focus. This results in a better-personalised experiences especially when shark diving in Fuvahmulah.

Fuvahmulah Shark Diving Safety Trained

Shark diving safety experts, Ocean Ramsey & Juan Oliphant of One Ocean Diving, have trained our instructors and guides. The team is always on alert during dives to identify and monitor the sharks’ behaviour. With this in mind, the team is ready to take precautionary measures if needed.

Read more on the safety of tiger shark diving.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do you do group diving in Fuvahmulah?

Yes, we do group diving in Fuvahmulah but we keep to small groups.

2. How many divers do you have in the boat when diving in Fuvahmulah?

We have 12 guest divers on a boat when diving in Fuvahmulah. This does not include our dive guides.

3. How many dive guides do you have when diving in Fuvahmulah?

We have a maximum of 1 dive guide to 4 guest divers when diving in Fuvahmulah. This not only helps to ensure a safer dive but also gives divers a more personalized dive experience.

The post Why Dive With Pelagic Divers Fuvahmulah appeared first on Pelagic Divers Fuvahmulah.

Co-Existing with Tiger Sharks

My late great-grandfather used to tell me many stories about the various huge sharks they saw around the island. One of the stories I remember very clearly is how they would catch whale sharks by jumping into the water. They would then cut the gills to put the rope through the mouth and tow the sharks back to shore. The entire village would then come to help pull the shark onto the beach. They hunted whale sharks this way, over 120 years ago, to obtain oil from the shark liver. When applied to the boats, the oil protects the wood and makes them last longer.

When speaking with fishermen and the elders, it’s clear that tiger sharks have been around Fuvahmulah, perhaps from the beginning. I’ve encountered tiger sharks since I was a kid when we would go catch lobsters at night or octopus by day.

Shark Diving in Fuvahmulah At Tiger Harbour

In 2003, our harbour was built and opened, as was the fish market. Initially, the fishermen would throw fish waste from the daily catch inside the waters of the harbour. Soon after, the tiger sharks started coming inside the harbour where the boats are parked. My first encounter of them in the harbour was around 2015, while I was fishing.

In 2017, the local council forbade fishermen from throwing fish waste inside the harbour. New regulation required them to discard fish waste outside of the harbour. It was then a local dive centre took the initiative to start throwing fish waste at the harbour entrance instead. As a result, many tiger sharks started to gather in one place and tiger shark diving in Fuvahmulah began. Initially named Tiger Zoo, this popular Fuvahmulah dive site is now called Tiger Harbour.

The harbour entrance is about 10 meters deep with a drop off that goes down to 65 meters. When visibility is good, it’s beautiful to see these amazing tiger sharks coming up from the depths to 10 meters. Sometimes over 15 tiger sharks gather at a time and you can lay at the sandy area to watch them. Tiger shark sightings are all year round in Fuvahmulah.

Read more on safe diving with tiger sharks.

Follow us on Instagram for amazing videos and photos.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is tiger shark diving in Fuvahmulah safe?

Yes, tiger shark diving in Fuvahmulah is generally safe. As with any other scuba diving activity, there are risks especially since we are entering into the sharks’ environment and territory. Therefore, it is important to remember that we should always remain respectful of these apex predators and to follow instructions from our dive team. We also recommend that divers go shark diving with a professionally shark safety dive team.

2. How many tiger sharks are there in Fuvahmulah?

To date, dive centers have identified 248 individuals from one dive site, Tiger Harbour. There are many more other tiger sharks that are around the other Fuvamulah dive sites and in the blue. On a typical dive at Tiger Harbour, there are usually 6 to 8 tiger sharks and can be up to 15 or 18 tiger sharks.

3. Do I need to be a certified diver to go tiger shark diving in Fuvahmulah?

Yes, divers need to have the minimum Open Water Diver certification before we take them to go tiger shark diving in Fuvahmulah. If divers are not certified, they have the option to do the dive course with us.

The post Tiger Shark Diving in Fuvahmulah appeared first on Pelagic Divers Fuvahmulah.

Fuvahmulah diving with tiger sharks

Tiger Sharks (all year around, 100% guarantee)
One of the main attractions which makes Fuvahmulah such a worldwide sought after site for the diving community are tiger sharks. Regardless of currents, season, time or weather conditions, you’ll be able to see our resident tiger sharks everyday.

Thresher shark diving in Maldives

Thresher Sharks (all year around)
Fuvahmulah house reef has many cleaning stations where thresher sharks as well as other sharks come to clean themselves. Some stations are about 40 meters deep. However, in Fuvahmulah when conditions are right, thresher sharks come up to cleaning stations at 12-15 meters. This occurrence is generally during the high tide, and we occasionally see them jumping out of the water as well. The chances of seeing threshers any time of the year is very high.

Diving in Maldives with whale sharks

Whale Sharks (January to May)
Sightings of whale sharks in Fuvahmulah is possible all year round. However, chances of seeing them is higher between January to May. We will often see adult females about 10 to 12 meters with whale shark pups during this period as well.

Hammerhead shark diving in Fuvahmulah

Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (October to April)
The highest probability to see schools of scalloped hammerheads in Fuvahmulah is between October and April. The optimal conditions are in the new moon and full moon with the right current.

Maldives shark diving in Fuvahmulah

Silver Tip Shark (all year around)
Silver tip sharks are my favourite sharks. Throughout the year we encounter schools around the island, especially in the tiger harbour. Sometimes we see hundreds of them feeding with tiger sharks.

Fuvahmulah dive sites, Oceanic Mantas

Oceanic Manta Rays (March to May)
The black oceanic manta (Manta Morph) are one of the more elusive pelagic species in the Indian Ocean. Despite that, divers are able to encounter these majestic creatures in Fuvahmulah. As a matter of fact, 90% of black oceanic manta sightings in the Maldives are in Fuvahmulah. It is in the last few years, schools of oceanic mantas make their way to Fuvahmulah to mate, clean and feed between March to May. There is a lot to learn regarding their behaviour and sightings around the island but definitely, this is the best place in the world to see them.

Other pelagic scuba diving in Maldives

Grey reef and white tip reef sharks (all year around)
Both hundreds of grey reef and white tip reef sharks cruise around the island all year around. We see them almost everyday. Nevertheless, one of the most remarkable things that you can see are baby white tips sleeping inside little reef overhangs.

Therefore the best season to visit Fuvahmulah is between January to April simply because of all the pelagic species you can dive with and the best visibility you will experience.

Follow us on Instagram for amazing videos and photos.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When is the best season to come diving in Fuvahmulah?

The best season to come diving in Fuvahmulah is generally from January to April as that is the period with the best water visibility of up to 60 meters.

2. Is it the rainy season if I come scuba diving in Maldives during the middle of the year?

It is not the typical rainy season if divers come scuba diving in Maldives during the middle of the year. Like other tropical countries, there may be some rain that passes by but diving will still continue.

3. What is the best time to visit Fuvahmulah for tiger shark diving?

Tiger sharks are sighted all year round so any time is the best time to visit Fuvahmulah for tiger shark diving. Encounters with thresher sharks are best between October to December but they can also be sightings throughout the year. Schooling scalloped hammerhead sharks are also between October to December as the thermocline is at a shallower depth. Whale sharks and oceanic mantas usually come through Fuvahmulah between January and April.

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