Marine Center Vabbinfaru-Ihuru - North Malé Atoll
The team at Marine Center Vabbinfaru-Ihuru are the kind of patient, knowledgeable instructors we always hope to find. We love their dual-island setup, splitting operations between Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and Dhawa Ihuru, just a quick boat ride apart. It feels like you’re getting two house reefs for the price of one, and both are excellent for easy, relaxed diving straight off the beach. Their house reef at Ihuru, particularly, is a personal favourite. We’ve spent hours there, exploring the intact thila, watching a constant parade of reef sharks, turtles, and eagle rays glide past. The hard coral formations are really impressive, and if you go early, just after sunrise, you might even catch a glimpse of nurse sharks still lingering after their night hunt. They’re PADI 5 Star, so they're solid for courses, but we think their real strength lies in guiding divers who want to avoid the crowds. You often get a whole site to yourselves. We’d suggest opting for a night dive on either house reef; it’s a completely different world after dark, with hunting morays and sleeping parrotfish tucked into the coral.
- Location
- North Malé Atoll, Maldives, Indian Ocean & East Africa
- Coordinates
- 4.305886, 73.416400
- Phone
- +960 664-3502
- [email protected]
- Website
- https://www.dhawa.com/maldives/dhawa-ihuru
- Certification Agencies
- ["PADI"]
- Courses
- PADI 5 Star Dive Resort [padi:798202]
- Address
- Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, North Male Atoll, Maldives
Dive Sites Near Marine Center Vabbinfaru-Ihuru
Marine Center Vabbinfaru-Ihuru provides access to 15 dive sites in North Malé Atoll.
- 5 Palms, Thulusdhoo - 18m
- Abaandance Faru - 21m (reef)
- Ahmedbe Thila - 24m (pinnacle)
- Airport Beyru - 25m
- Akirifushi - 5-20m (reef)
- Akirifushi Kandu - 25m (drift)
- Ali Giri (pinnacle)
- Amin Faru - 21m (reef)
- Amingiri Sandbank Reef - 17m (reef)
- Amra - 26m
- Anemone Thila - 19m (pinnacle)
- Anniela Thila - 20m (pinnacle)
- Asdhoo Wreck - 21m (wreck)
- Asdu House Reef (reef)
- Back Faru
Other Dive Centres in North Malé Atoll
- Agua Zone
- Amba Dive Maldives - ["PADI"]
- Amphibuzz Dive
- ATD Conte Max and Duke of York - ["PADI"]
- Best Dives Centara Mirage Lagoon - ["PADI"]
- Best Dives Olhahali - ["PADI"]
- Coast Guard Diving Centre - SSI
- Coco Dive Bodu Hithi - ["PADI"]
- Coconut Cove Pvt Ltd
- Dive Butler Fari Kandu - ["PADI"]
Best Time to Dive in North Malé Atoll
The warmest water temperatures in North Malé Atoll occur in April, averaging 30.9°C. The coolest conditions are in January at 28.6°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 28.6°C
- February: 28.9°C
- March: 29.8°C
- April: 30.9°C
- May: 30.1°C
- June: 29.6°C
- July: 29.6°C
- August: 29.6°C
- September: 29.4°C
- October: 29.2°C
- November: 29.3°C
- December: 29.0°C
Marine Life in North Malé Atoll
Home to 101 recorded species including 42 reef fish, 41 hard corals, 5 sea snails & nudibranchs, 4 seagrass & algae, 3 sharks & rays, 2 sea cucumbers.
Notable Marine Life
- Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) - Reef Fish
- Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) - Sharks & Rays
- Staghorn coral (Acropora valida) - Hard Corals
- Blue Shark (Prionace glauca) - Sharks & Rays
- Staghorn coral (Acropora austera) - Hard Corals
- Staghorn coral (Acropora secale) - Hard Corals
- Table coral (Acropora clathrata) - Hard Corals
- Staghorn coral (Acropora lutkeni) - Hard Corals
- Staghorn coral (Acropora nasuta) - Hard Corals
- Staghorn coral (Acropora aculeus) - Hard Corals
Recommended Packing List for North Malé Atoll
Based on average water temperature of 29.5°C, currents 10 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 30°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories