Lily Beach Prodivers

South Ari Atoll, Maldives

The team at Lily Beach Prodivers are the kind of people you want looking after you in the water. We’ve always found their operation in South Ari Atoll to be incredibly well-run, professional without ever feeling stuffy, and genuinely friendly. For us, they really shine when it comes to guiding divers through the atoll’s famous channels and thilas. If you're looking to consistently tick off bigger pelagics, or just want to feel genuinely looked after from your first briefing to your last safety stop, this is a solid choice. They’re a PADI 5 Star centre, so you’re covered for pretty much any course you’d want to tackle, from your Open Water up to more advanced specialties. But really, it’s all about the diving itself here. We love their early morning departures for specific sites, getting you there before the crowds. Expect to be dropped onto a gentle current, drifting past grey reef sharks patrolling the drop-off, or finding yourself surrounded by schooling bannerfish on a shallow pinnacle. Our favourite memory is a particularly calm day on Kudarah Thila, watching a dozen white-tip reef sharks circling above the coral blocks, completely unbothered by our presence. Ask their guides about the best time for manta encounters; they know those cleaning stations like the back of their hand.