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Join us in 2025
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Overview
diving shark island
Fuvahmulah, Maldives
6 Days
7 Nights
Up to
15 dives
8 guests
Sharks
guaranteed
Private vessel and guides
FUVAHMULAH
A HIDDEN PARADISE
Rising from the blue waters of the equator, Fuvahmulah is a one-island atoll in the Deep South of the Maldives. Owing to its location on the Chagos-Laccadive volcanic ridge, the island's exposure to oceanic swell and deep surrounding waters have created the perfect conditions for expansive reef systems and rare pelagic marine megafauna to thrive. The island boasts numerous dive locations, including a vast oceanic plateau at a depth of 50m to the south, and pristine coral reefs which allow divers to look down into waters reaching over 1000m in depth - all this just a few meters away from the island's rolling white-sand beaches.
into the blue
SHARK ISLAND
No island in the Maldives compares to Fuvahmulah in regards to its abundance in marine life and megafauna. Known as 'Shark Island' among locals and the 'Galapagos of the Indian Ocean' among international visitors, Fuvahmulah is home to a large variety of shark species, including the world's largest resident population of tiger sharks (almost 200 individuals), as well as passing migrations of oceanic manta rays. Mammals such as pilot whales, melon headed whales and dolphins also make guest appearances in the deep blue waters of the island.
in the presence of TIGER SHARKS
The Species That Inspired A Movement
It was the misunderstanding of Tiger Sharks that inspired the core values of Protect What You Love. Now, for the first time, we are honoured to be able to bring you closer than ever before to these incredible creatures in one of the planet's shark capitals.
Experience uniquely intimate encounters with our team of experienced shark guides and scientists and learn more about shark behaviour, the history of sharks in the Maldives, and why the Fuvahmulah Shark Project was recently established to conduct scientific research on the globally important (and rare!) shark populations in Fuvahmulah.
three dive site categories
Minimum dive certification required: Open Water. Minimum 10 dives.
Comfort at
Maa Thundi
After adventure-filled days exploring the waters of Fuvahmulah, we will relax in the comfort and luxury of Maa Thundi. A 4-star boutique hotel with a rooftop swimming pool, Maa Thundi is located next to a beautiful beach at the top of Fuvahmulah Island. Singles and couples will all be given their own private rooms accompanied with en suite bathrooms and air conditioning. Each room has a contemporary spacious design with modern amenities and guests will have access to room service and free wifi.
LOVE, LEARN & PROTECT
CONSERVATION & SCIENCE
We promise to strengthen your love and admiration for not only the marine life you are witnessing, but also the ecosystems they rely on to survive. We will use our evenings to dive deeper into the scientific world of sharks and understand the life of these magnificent predators with conservation scientists. Learn more about shark biology, how to measure conservation impact, the threats faced by our world's apex predators and how to best support citizen science initiatives.
Together we will commit to the protection and longevity of Fuvamulah. As part of your trip, you are actively contributing to sustainability projects on the island with a donation per guest going to exciting projects that you will learn about and witness first hand while visiting.
shark island dive
overview
Your Guide
Tom Cannon
Tom is a wildlife photographer, international expedition leader and the Co-Founder of Protect What You Love. He dedicates his life to promoting the conservation of wild places and protecting the wildlife that call them home. Through his experience of working and living on the Ningaloo Reef for over 7 years, he has developed a strong understanding of the behaviour of marine life, particularly sharks. Tom is passionate about sharing his admiration and knowledge with everyone that he can and believes strongly that providing life-changing experiences will ultimately strengthen the conservation community we need to protect our wildlife.
Want to join us in 2025?
Complete our application form (below) and we'll be in contact with more details. Speak soon!
APPLY HERE
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FUVAHMULAH Experience FAQs
Yes, this experience will involve several scuba dives each day.
However, we will have access to a boat and will plan our diving based on the conditions and wildlife sightings in the area.
Some days we may opt not to scuba dive until later in the day if we feel it is more appropriate to free-dive/snorkel in certain situations. This may occur if we spot or are informed of faster-moving megafauna that are on the surface and in order to increase our chances/quality of interaction we may opt to save our scuba diving until later.
At a minimum, we require you to be a qualified Open Water diver with 10+ dives.
You are required to be confident in your diving ability, especially when diving with megafauna such as sharks.
Advanced certification is preferred.
All scuba diving gear will be provided. Excluding a Dive computer, so you must bring your own.
Freediving fins and weight belts will not be provided and we suggest you bring your own if you have them.
Weights will be provided.
Water temperature is between 27C-32C Degrees. If you tend to run cold we suggest bringing your own wetsuit.
The fully inclusive cost of the trip is $4600 AUD per person.
This includes a ~$350 AUD donation to conservation projects on the island.
Weather is unpredictable. However, we have chosen to run this trip in the best season for ocean going adventures in the Maldives.
If the weather is very bad, and we deem it unsafe to dive, there are many activities we can do to enjoy our time.
We can visit the local Fuvahmulah mud baths, complete shark science seminars and run photography & editing workshops. Or if you want to relax, there are cafes and stunning beaches to visit. Swimming is almost always possible even when raining (water is 30 degrees Celsius!).
The boat is a traditional flat-top Maldivan dhoni, with a great sundeck up on the roof!
The boat doesn't have a restroom but the island is small so we are never more than 15 minutes away from land and a toilet! There is also a local cafe at the harbour that has restroom facilities we can use.
Absolutely! This is what this trip is all about! We aim to give you all an experience that you would not receive as an ‘everyday tourist’. We are so fortunate to have scientists joining us on the Experience to provide us with detailed knowledge on the environment and wildlife that we are experiencing.
Yes. The hotel and each of the rooms has WiFi access!
Couples will be together in private rooms and singles will have their own private room too!
Good question...not much!
International flights/travel to Male Airport are not included but domestic flights from Male to Fuvahmulah are covered and arranged by us.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all provided. However soft drinks, snacks and local purchases in between will not be.
All gear is provided for scuba dives exc. dive computer. (See "Will any dive gear be provided?").
Upon booking you must arrange international flights to land at Male International Airport on or before the day your trip begins. We will provide the time by which you should arrive in Male as well as flight recommendations. Please consult with us before booking.
We strongly recommend taking up travel insurance to cover you from unforeseen circumstances that may affect your trip.
Protect What You Love was founded on the Ningaloo Reef by a collective of wildlife enthusiasts to raise awareness and help protect the planet's vulnerable and most misunderstood wildlife and habitats. We felt that someone needed to help, so we did.
We connected with Jono through mutual interests and set about creating an inspiring Experience that raises money for conservation in the Maldives!