Nakai Alimatha Diving Center

Nakai Alimatha Diving Center runs diving and snorkelling from inside NAKAI Alimathà Resort, on Alimatha Island in Vaavu (Felidhoo) Atoll. The draw is on the doorstep: the house reef, known locally as Alimatha Jetty, holds a resident population of tawny nurse sharks, visible on snorkels, night snorkels and every house-reef dive, and the night dive here has built a reputation as one of the most fascinating in the Maldives. Boat trips run daily, morning and afternoon, into Felidhoo Atoll's named channels. Miyaru Kandu, five minutes out by boat, is treated by the centre as an experienced-diver, strong-current site, with a wonderful overhang known for sharks and other pelagic fish. Full-day trips add Fotteyo Kandu, valued for its overhangs and multicoloured soft coral, with an occasional, never guaranteed, hammerhead sighting. The centre is a PADI 5 Star IDC Resort with six PADI instructors on staff, running the recreational course ladder, guided dives, nitrox fills and equipment rental alongside its snorkelling programme, with instruction in English, Spanish and Italian. Diving is priced per booking, arranged directly with the centre. It suits divers who want a dependable, close-range shark encounter at the house reef alongside a genuinely serious current-swept channel dive a short ride away, provided they are comfortable confirming both the certification level Miyaru Kandu calls for and the cost before they travel.

Divers consistently name the house reef as the reason to choose Alimatha: tawny nurse sharks show up whether you are snorkelling by day, snorkelling after dark or diving, described as a near-certain sighting, not a rare bonus. The night dive on the house reef draws particular praise, helped by calm, current-free conditions that make it accessible across a wide range of experience levels. Fotteyo Kandu is the serious counterpoint, prized for its ledges and colour, with some chance, never a sure thing, of a passing hammerhead. Reviews point to a dive operation layered onto a busy resort: diving itself draws little complaint, while a handful of reviews raise noise and crowding around the resort's wider entertainment programme, a pattern about the stay, not the diving.