Addu Atoll (Seenu Atoll) is the southern most Maldives Atoll and south of the equator or Southern Hemisphere, where the diving diving includes ship wrecks, drift dives and reef dives.
Addu Atoll is roughly 56km/35m south west of Fuvahmulah Atoll, which is also south of the equator and another popular dive site.
Heart-shaped Addu Atoll (Seenu Atoll) is the southern most atoll of the Maldives, which is south of the equator in the Southern Hemisphere. The best dive sites include Addu Manta point for year-round manta rays, the chance to see whale sharks and tiger sharks and HMS British Loyalty WWII wreck dive.
I thought it would be easier for you to read about diving Addu Atoll Maldives in a list, as follows:
Dive type: heathly reef dives, pinnacles, wreck diving, channel dives, drift dives with mild drift to strong currents.
Adu Atoll measures 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) from east to west, and 14 kilometres (8.75 miles) north to south.
Addu City is the second-largest city in the Maldives.
Addu Atoll alternative name is Seenu Atoll.
Addu Atoll, has four channels or “Kandus”; Gan Kandu, Viligili Kandu, Maa Kandu & Kuda Kandu.
Addu Atoll is south of the equator in the Southern Hemmisphere.
Dive depths range from 10m (33f) to 40m/131f).
Dive sites include Addu Manta Point for year-round mantas at Maa Kandu, HMS British Loyalty WWII wreck (The Maldives’ largest wreck), Shark Point or “Shark Hotel” (North-eastern edge of Addu Atoll, at Humhuleedhoo Island), Turtle Point, Kuda Kandu channel dive, Maa Kandu channel dive.
You are likely to see a large variety of marine life on Addu Atoll dive sites, which include manta rays, turtles, spotted eagle rays, grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, silvertip reef sharks, tiger sharks. hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, dolphins, lionfish, parot fish.
Known as “Maldives Deep South Diving“.
Addu Atoll used to be a British Air Force base.
If it’s tiger sharks you want to dive with, you may like to visit Tiger Zoo or Tiger Harbor dive site on Fuvahmulah Island in Fuvahmulah Atoll, where you’re almost guaranteed a tiger shark experience. I have written this article for this dive here: Tiger Zoo or Tiger Harbor Dive.
Where is Addu Atoll?
Addu Atoll is the southernmost atoll of The Maldives, and is the only Maldives atoll south of the equator in the Southern Hemisphere. Addu Atoll is 546 kilometres (341 miles) south of Malé on South Male Atoll.
You will see from the above image where Addu Atoll sits, which is jusy south of the equator in the Southern Hemisphere. The following Google map will give you Addu Atoll’s precise location in relation to the rest of the Maldives.
Addu Atoll dive liveaboards – Ocean One Liveaboard – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
Addu Atoll dive liveaboards
This table of dive liveaboards that include diving Addu Atoll Maldives in their itinerary are in customer review order, with the best reviewed liveaboard at the top of the list.
Total Records Found: 23, showing 7 per page
Customer Review
Discover Liveaboard
Customer Reviews
Price Per Day
”Great dives around the classic central atolls route. Saw everything and more than we expected!” The local dive guides knew the sites very well and done very well to keep us diving away from other boats (some popular sites could see up to 8 boats diving). We saw a whale shark at Dhangetti, manta rays at two cleaning stations, guitar, reef, black and white tips and nurse sharks on other dive sites as well as a tiger shark out in the blue at fish tabk. The nurse shark dive at alimatha was insanely good. The nurse sharks also stayed at the back of the boat all night whilst we ate dinner and into the next morning and you could jump in and snorkel if you liked. We dives with 100’s of stingrays, bull rays and even came across a mobula during a safety stop. For me the bbq and football on the uninhabited island meerufenfushi was magical, watching the sunset and then the sky fill with stars and watching shooting stars rain down as we took the zodiak back to the boat. Would like to see the boat lessen its environmental impact. They’re a bit behind some of the more expensive boats in terms of measures in place to offset customers impact. There is apetite for it from all divers. Overall a fantastic trip, the variety meant it was more an adventure than just a dive trip and I couldn’t have asked for more in that respect.” Recommended for: Dive guides, dive sites, friendly crew.
”The best liveaboard in the Maldives! This was by far the best liveaboard and dive holiday I’ve ever been on (previously been on Leo in the Maldives and another liveaboard in the Philippines, and also diving in Indonesia, Oman, Sicily, and Iceland). The main reason for this was definitely the incredible atmosphere created by all the staff, who were so friendly and made it such a wonderful week!
The boat itself is very comfortable, the food is great, and the dives were spectacular. The cabins on lower deck are beautiful wooden rooms, with powerful showers that always have hot water. The bed is made up several times a day, and the air con keeps the room cool. The food is really tasty and there is lots of it, and it is served on the table, instead of buffet style, which is much nicer.
There are 3 shaded sun decks with loungers and bean bags, and there is always loads of chilled filtered water to drink. The dive tender is really large and the boat staff are so helpful – they always helped me carry my tank in and out of the boat since I had a back operation. The dives themselves were brilliant, and the briefings were always thorough and well explained. The dive guides are great – ours was Shamoon, and he was amazing!
Always so friendly, fun, and helpful. The GM, Alex, was on the boat the week we were there and he was so kind, friendly, and fun! Some other amazing experiences were drinking from coconuts on a beach while listening to music with the staff and guests. Snorkelling at the back of the boat with a whale shark and dolphins who stayed all night and who we had to ourselves!
Watching a pod of pilot whales from the boat – the captain followed them for us for half an hour so we could get a better look! This was one of the best holidays I’ve been on, and I will definitely be booking Eco Blue next time I’m in the Maldives! It surpassed my expectations on every count. Thank you so much!” Recommended for: Dive guides, staff, food.
”Great dives and value! The diving was more advanced than I expected (I only have 30 logged dives) and the food was better. We had a great time. Do note that the seas and currents can be pretty rough in the Maldives (depending on the time of the year). But I would definitely recommend the Maldives and the Carpe Diem to my diving friends!” Recommended for: Great diving, food and value for money.
”A great trip all round. Cabins very comfortable, with A/c and a TV in each one. We changed our diving itinerary on day 1 on advice of the cruise directors given conditions and we were very much rewarded, with great diving as well as a whale shark and mantas. Would very much recommend this trip and the trip directors Albert and Sophie were fantastic. Food was varied, plentiful and delicious all trip.” Recommended for: Food was far in excess of what was expected, trip crew were great and the diving was excellent.
”Very nice cabin and great dive sites an guide! The dive sites are awesome and the crew is well organized. Diving at night with nurse sharks was great again and we could see a lot of other sharks and Mantas. The cabins are very nice with much place and everything is well orgnized.” Recommended for: The dive sites the cabins and much place on liveaboard.
”Thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. The Manta and Shark dives. The uncrowded and relaxed atmosphere around the large dining table, that seated everyone together for lunch and evening meals. Many interesting conversations, with interesting people.” Recommended for: 1. Sea Spirit being smaller boat, with smaller compliment of divers, meant no crowded dive sites, 2. I enjoyed the diverse choice of dive sites. 3. The attentive staff and crew,
Addu Manta Point is one of the most popular dive sites in Addu Atoll due to reliable sightings of manta rays, making it a favourite dive site of every diver. Manta rays are year-round residents of Addu Manta Point.
Addu Manta Point is a manta ray cleaning station in Maa Kandu, which makes it a reliable spot to see oceanic mantas for a few of hours a day.
Addu Manta Point dive liveaboards – Blue Force One liveaboard – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
Addu Manta Point dive liveaboards
This table of dive liveaboards that include Addu Manta Point dives in their itinerary are in customer review order, with the best reviewed liveaboard at the top of the list.
Total Records Found: 18, showing 7 per page
Customer Review
Discover Liveaboard
Customer Reviews
Price Per Day
”First liveaboard…definitely won’t be the last! Without a doubt, the diving experiences were the best ever! Night dives with manta rays and nurse sharks…. and so much underwater life in general! Our dive guides worked hard to get us to see as much as possible and the crew were always friendly and helpful. On board was great too. Relaxing in the tub or on the loungers between dives was a treat, as were the super comfy sofas! The food was excellent – such a great spread every meal time! Thoroughly enjoyed the week. Very sad that it’s now over!” Recommended for: Friendly crew and dive guides, food, chill out areas.
”Always beyond our best expectations. In our trip in Sachika boat, everything went perfect but the weather. Giacomo and the dive masters were the best: kind, helpful, and very professional. They take care of every small problem with a smile, making us feel at home from the first day The ship is in peak condition, so clean, and taken care off that it looks new. Much better than pictures, where usually is the contrary. Cabin was big and clean, with plenty space and an comfortable individual bathroom, also carefully cleaned. And food, food was amazing. Every meal was a buffet with plenty of choices, although since all were delicious, you usually end up eating much more than anticipated. Overall, when I come back to Maldives, I’ll definitely will be back with Giacomo and his crew. Thank you very much for the best diving week of our lives.” Recommended for: Divemasters, cabin, Food.
”Excellent boat and staff with fantastic diving – you can’t go wrong here. This is a very well run dive operation with a fantastic pair of dive managers, Gabriel and Maria. They both really look after you and the experience level of the guiding I received was second to none. (Gabriel is both full cave and tech certified and very experienced). Gabriel the DM and boat manager went way above and beyond to make sure we got in the water at the right time and location to see everything we wanted to. Highly recommend this boat and crew, it was the best liveaboard I’ve done yet.” Recommended for: The dive guide, the condition of the boat, the food.
”Fantastic Diving, Boat & Crew. Manta Rays on many dives, including a night dive Sharks, White Tip & Grey reef shark and Nurse Sharks Sting rays, Eagle Rays. Snorkelling with Whale Shark. Soleil 2 is a large, spacious and very well equipped boat Crew & Guides were very friendly, helpful & knowledgeable Food and service was superb.” Recommended for: Large spacious Cabin, Fantastic Diving, Good Guides.
”Amazing experience. We were incredibly impressed by the setup on this liveaboard. The dive boat is spacious and supports 20 people comfortably. We were part of a dive group of 5 and the smallest on our boat was 4 and most was 6. They have 11.5L, 13.5L tanks (free) and 15L for those who need it at a premium. The gear provided was well maintained. Our standard room was spacious and clean with a good en suite. The communal areas of the boat are also spacious and there was coffee and snacks available at all times. Food was great and they even regularly caught fresh fish off the edge of the boat which was eaten the same day for dinner. This was my first, however, my colleagues said how this would spoil future liveaboards. I definitely recommend this option. For transparency, we got in early and paid around $2100 and found it to be good value for money.” Recommended for: Mantas, Whalesharks and spacious rooms.
”Epic Trip! Every dive delivered amazing experiences and encounters thanks to Gabriel, Maria, Ali and Rich. The boat crew was friendly, entertaining and enjoyable to socialize with. Manta Ray night dive was a dream alongside encounters with variety of sharks and rays. Dive guides were most professional, safe and led a phenomenal adventure. Would dive with this boat and crew again!!” Recommended for: 4 dives/day, crew hospitality and care, vast area covered at sea.
”Outstanding and unforgettable! Variety of dives are excellent on Central Atolls tour…mix of deep channels with strong currents and pelagics, sheltered reefs with vibrant corals and large schools of reef fish, stingray/shark feeding dives (insane!), manta night dive, wall dives, drift dives, and snorkelling with a whale shark to top it off. Truly amazing. Trips between dives to gorgeous island and a picture perfect sandbank plus a beach bbq party which the crew make very special. Early starts every day but then dives spaced out so plenty of sunbathing and relaxing time on surface intervals. Healthiest food I’ve ever had on a holiday! Good variety and all tasty. Daily room service and super attentive staff. Highly proficient dive staff. I had a junior suite and it was HUGE! I also went as a solo traveller expecting to share and ended up having it to myself. TV in room had screen cast not that I used it much… was never bored. Lived like a King! Multiple seating areas spread all over boat, could always find somewhere for solo time. I definitely recommend this boat and would go again in a heartbeat. Teseo dive director is kind, patient, works really hard to give you an amazing trip. Perfect person for the job and like a fish in the water! My ONLY criticism is the rental fins. They’re very flimsy and do not deliver powerful kicks. For most dives, fine, but there are strong currents on some and I was really having to exert myself to keep close to the group and my buddy. Not fun. I’m in OK fitness, deeply regretted not buying and bringing a good pair. If you do the south Atolls tour this is even more important, apparently that’s mostly channel dives. I did the Central Atolls tour 13-20 January 2024. Doesn’t affect my strong recommendation for this boat though.” Recommended for: Variety of dives, level of service from staff, comfort on board.
The HMS British Loyalty WWII wreck is 134 metres long and sits at a depth of 33 metres (108feet), but its shallowest depth is at 16 metres (52 feet). She is lying on hger portside after being scuttled in 1946 after it had been torpedo during WWII be a German U-Boat.
HMS British Loyalty was a 6,993 ton motor tanker that was built in 1928 and was sunk on 9 March 1944 during World War II.
The propeller of HMS British Loyalty is at a depth of between 23m/75f and 28m/92f. The propeller originally had 4 blades that were 2m/6.5f long. The wreck can be penatrated during your dive.
British Loyalty wreck dive overview:
Location: Addu Atoll south Maldives.
Type of dive: Wreck dive, wreck penatration dive.
Sunk: German U-boat torpedoed the vessel in 1944 during World War II, but it was suck in 1946 when the British withdrawal from the Maldives.
Entry: Dive boat/dive liveaboard.
Known for: Plenty of coral growth and marine life, including sharks, eagle ray, manta rays, moray eels, parot fish, angelfish, butterfly fish, clownfish, sweetlips, surgeonfish, triggerfish, nudibranch and sea turtles.
HMS British Loyalty wreck dive liveaboards – Top Class Cruising – Sachika liveaboard – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
HMS British Loyalty wreck dive liveaboards
This table of dive liveaboards that include HMS British Loyalty wreck dives in their itinerary are in customer review order, with the best reviewed liveaboard at the top of the list.
Total Records Found: 11, showing 7 per page
Customer Review
Discover Liveaboard
Customer Reviews
Price Per Day
”Always beyond our best expectations. In our trip in Sachika boat, everything went perfect but the weather. Giacomo and the dive masters were the best: kind, helpful, and very professional. They take care of every small problem with a smile, making us feel at home from the first day The ship is in peak condition, so clean, and taken care off that it looks new. Much better than pictures, where usually is the contrary. Cabin was big and clean, with plenty space and an comfortable individual bathroom, also carefully cleaned. And food, food was amazing. Every meal was a buffet with plenty of choices, although since all were delicious, you usually end up eating much more than anticipated. Overall, when I come back to Maldives, I’ll definitely will be back with Giacomo and his crew. Thank you very much for the best diving week of our lives.” Recommended for: Divemasters, cabin, Food.
”Excellent boat and staff with fantastic diving – you can’t go wrong here. This is a very well run dive operation with a fantastic pair of dive managers, Gabriel and Maria. They both really look after you and the experience level of the guiding I received was second to none. (Gabriel is both full cave and tech certified and very experienced). Gabriel the DM and boat manager went way above and beyond to make sure we got in the water at the right time and location to see everything we wanted to. Highly recommend this boat and crew, it was the best liveaboard I’ve done yet.” Recommended for: The dive guide, the condition of the boat, the food.
”Fantastic Diving, Boat & Crew. Manta Rays on many dives, including a night dive Sharks, White Tip & Grey reef shark and Nurse Sharks Sting rays, Eagle Rays. Snorkelling with Whale Shark. Soleil 2 is a large, spacious and very well equipped boat Crew & Guides were very friendly, helpful & knowledgeable Food and service was superb.” Recommended for: Large spacious Cabin, Fantastic Diving, Good Guides.
”Epic Trip! Every dive delivered amazing experiences and encounters thanks to Gabriel, Maria, Ali and Rich. The boat crew was friendly, entertaining and enjoyable to socialize with. Manta Ray night dive was a dream alongside encounters with variety of sharks and rays. Dive guides were most professional, safe and led a phenomenal adventure. Would dive with this boat and crew again!!” Recommended for: 4 dives/day, crew hospitality and care, vast area covered at sea.
”Outstanding and unforgettable! Variety of dives are excellent on Central Atolls tour…mix of deep channels with strong currents and pelagics, sheltered reefs with vibrant corals and large schools of reef fish, stingray/shark feeding dives (insane!), manta night dive, wall dives, drift dives, and snorkelling with a whale shark to top it off. Truly amazing. Trips between dives to gorgeous island and a picture perfect sandbank plus a beach bbq party which the crew make very special. Early starts every day but then dives spaced out so plenty of sunbathing and relaxing time on surface intervals. Healthiest food I’ve ever had on a holiday! Good variety and all tasty. Daily room service and super attentive staff. Highly proficient dive staff. I had a junior suite and it was HUGE! I also went as a solo traveller expecting to share and ended up having it to myself. TV in room had screen cast not that I used it much… was never bored. Lived like a King! Multiple seating areas spread all over boat, could always find somewhere for solo time. I definitely recommend this boat and would go again in a heartbeat. Teseo dive director is kind, patient, works really hard to give you an amazing trip. Perfect person for the job and like a fish in the water! My ONLY criticism is the rental fins. They’re very flimsy and do not deliver powerful kicks. For most dives, fine, but there are strong currents on some and I was really having to exert myself to keep close to the group and my buddy. Not fun. I’m in OK fitness, deeply regretted not buying and bringing a good pair. If you do the south Atolls tour this is even more important, apparently that’s mostly channel dives. I did the Central Atolls tour 13-20 January 2024. Doesn’t affect my strong recommendation for this boat though.” Recommended for: Variety of dives, level of service from staff, comfort on board.
”Truly amazing above and below the water. Truly amazing from start to finish. We seen 7 species of sharks including the infamous whale shark. We had manta cleaning stations, 4 giant mantas on our first dive, donut couldn’t have started any better. The whole trip kept delivering and there is not one thing we would change. The crewe and the guides were fantastic. Food was also amazing and plentiful. I would recommend this trip to everybody. 100% satisfied zone more.. we had been so lucky. Big thank you to Stina our guide must of all, for the incredible guidance. A must do for every diver.” Recommended for: Underwater life, the staff and the people we met.
”Outstanding liveabord experience. The Whaleshark dive is right at the top, not only did it fulfill a tick on our bucket list, it was an experience of 30 odd minutes that normally only lasts 3 or 4. All dives for us offered something different and this is what we came to do – loved every minute. Diving always makes you hungry. The food on board was excellent at every mealtime and we were very well looked after. Diving makes you tired and our cabin was a comfortable, spacious and welcome retreat with perfect view.” Recommended for: The Diving and it’s very organised set-up, food and cabin comfort, friendliness of the staff and crew.
Kuda Kandu, Maldives, 3th dive Dec 2, 2016 19 dive of week one – Diving on the Carpe Vita, in Kuda Kandu, A drift dive, with a wide variety of marine life, but the was a strong current, which carried us over a distance with little effort.
When is the best time to dive in Addu Atoll?
The best time to dive Addu Atoll is from January to April for the best weather and sea conditions. From May the monsoons change, where June, July & August are the wettest months. September to November dives have reduced visibility, but more filter feeders like manta rays and whale sharks.
The sea temperature remains faily constant in the Maldives from season to season and is 26-29°C/79-84°F throughout the year.
I hope you enjoyed this article about diving Addu Atoll Maldives (Seenu Atoll)
I’d love to hear from you. Tell us about your adventures of diving and snorkeling, in the comments below. Please also share your photos. Either from your underwater cameras or videos from your waterproof Gopro’s!
If this article hasn’t answered all of your questions. If you have more questions either about snorkeling or scuba diving (or specifically about diving Addu Atoll Maldives), please comment below with your questions.
There will also be many more articles about scuba diving (and snorkeling) for you to read and learn about these fabulous sports.
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Article written by Russell Bowyer who has been a scuba diver since diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in 1989. After his first dive he trained as a BSAC diver in the UK. He attained his Diver Leader certification with BSAC. He then went on to become a scuba diving instructor, teaching others how to dive and was voted as Diving Officer and Treasurer for the Saffron Walden BSAC club too. Russell has dived all over the world, including the UK, on liveaboards in the Red Sea, the Caribbean, South Africa and the USA. Russell is experienced in all dive types, including drift diving, deep dives that involved decompression stops and recreational dives too.
