Veligandu is renowned as a top romantic hotel in Asia and the Maldives. Besides the seclusion on a charming tropical palm fringe isle with its own sandbank, long beach encircling the island and turquoise lagoon, the waters around Veligandu is well-loved by the guests for diving and snorkelling.
Blessed with two house reefs of its own with frequent turtle sightings, Veligandu offers over 15 guided dive excursions with the resort’s dive operator Ocean Dive & Sports Centre for divers and snorkelers of every skill level.
Veligandu is a year-round dive destination and offers dive enthusiastic the pleasure of witnessing a variety of marine creatures, soft and hard corals.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Whale Sharks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hammerhead Sharks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Manta Rays | High | High | High | High | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | High | High | High |
| Eagle Rays | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sting Rays | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Silvertip Sharks | High | High | High | High | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | High | High | High |
| Grey Reef Sharks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| White Tip Reef Sharks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Blacktip Reef Sharks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nurse Sharks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dogtooth Tuna | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Napoleon Wrasses | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hawksbill Turtles | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Green Turtles | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Night Diving | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ideal for new divers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Guests of Veligandu have ease of access to a range of dive sites from the famed Madivaru Corner in the south of Rasdhoo Atoll where the currents attract pelagic fish in large numbers, such as sharks, rays, tunas, jacks and Napoleons. Also, small ocean creatures can be found here, like the resident leaf scorpionfishes.
| Dive Site | Distance by boat |
| Veligandu East | 5 minutes |
| Madivaru Beyru | 15 minutes |
| Madivaru Corner | 15 minutes |
| Big Blue | 15 minutes |
| Madivaru Thila | 15 minutes |
| Rasdhoo Reef | 20 minutes |
| Kuramathi Thila | 20 minutes |
| Holhi Faru | 20 minutes |
| Three Palms | 25 minutes |
| Bodu Gaa | 25 minutes |
| Caves | 40 minutes |
| Bodu Miyaru Faru | 30 minutes |
| Miyaru Faru | 25 minutes |
| Beyru Kandu | 12 minutes |
| North Channel | 10 minutes |
| Veligandu North | 8 minutes |
| Veligandu Beyru | 5 minutes |
| Veligandu House Reef West | 0 minutes |
Advance divers enjoy the weekly early morning dive to the Hammerhead Shark Point – Big Blue, where advanced divers with luck, have the chance to spot Hammerheads in the deep blue water at 30m depth. Weekly excursions are also arranged to spot the elusive and gentle giants, the whale sharks.
The Ocean Dive Centre in Veligandu is one of the Maldives’ most experienced dive operators and as a PADI 5 Star Centre, they offer the full range of PADI courses catering to all experience levels – from beginner to professionals. Guests can also enjoy speciality courses such as underwater digital photography, DPV (Diver Propulsion Vehicle), night diving and underwater naturalist during your Maldives vacation.
The beautiful house reefs provide an underwater garden for leisurely divers, snorkelers and for underwater photographers.
As explained by Nicola (Nic) Stratmann, Dive Manager of Ocean Dive & Sports Centre in Veligandu;
“Veligandu Island is very fortunate to have two house reef sites which are located at different ends of the island. The first house reef option is located directly in front of the dive centre facing west, towards the inside of the atoll. You can especially see the juvenile blacktip reef sharks having a stroll on the reef as well as an abundance of different types of coral, with the most colourful reef fish all around.
The second house reef is located on the south-east side of Veligandu Island, facing the outside edge of the atoll. This site is the perfect place to go snorkelling if you want to spot turtles! Of course, here you can also find all other fish and coral types seen at the west side. Please be aware of the current here, as it can get a bit stronger due to the location of the reef. For scuba diving purposes we only access the south-east side by boat, but for snorkelers it is just a 5-10 minutes swim off the beach.
All dive activities are guided dives.”
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