Best snorkeling in the Maldives for underwater photography

Filitheyo Island Resort - North Nilandhoo Atoll - The Maldives

Highly recommended as a holiday destination generally and especially for snorkeling photography

In North Nilande Atoll (South of Male) - 35 minutes by sea plane from Male airport.   Now, that is fun.

Filitheyo is by Maldivian standards not a small atoll - but is still only 900 metres long and 500 metres wide.   A week was about right.
Accommodation mid-range, totally fine with nice 'ethnic' appearance and feel.

Food - buffet, plus some cooked 'while you wait', a wide variety and very good.   Two bars, both offering a two-hour, 'happy hour'.

The Filitheyo resort.


Fish are the main attraction versus the coral/ sponges - excellent number and variety of fish.
Reef access points have been introduced.

Access is quite easy.   Walk across the island from the restaurant/ bar area to area shown on the map below as 'good snorkelling'.

Current - direction varies, off the North beach.

Check the current, walk to your chosen end and wander in at signposted access point.   If current looks strong just wait a bit for it to weaken.
The best snorkelling area is a nice, extensive, house reef where visibility is usually good.
Christmas tree worms
Near exits 7 and 8 (map below), from a nice snorkeling depth of just a few metres there is a drop-off from which larger fish appear.

Very worthwhile half-day snorkel excursion by boat.  Covers three good drift dives over near-surface atolls with excellent visibility.

These group excursions don't suit photography.   `You can get left behind when the boat departs because you've dawdled while taking photographs!   I saw a very close call.

Link to Filitheyo Island Resort.

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Very good here - fish varied and quite prolific.

Hang around a few outcrops and the fish start coming to you.
No beach at this side
advised not to go in here
strong currents apparently.
Map of Filtheyo
Reasonably deep beyond villas
so didn't entice us to explore.
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Mainly sandy area....

Not a patch on the opposite side
busy with swimmers and boats.

detailed map of Filitheyo

Gallery below showing some of the fish and critters you are likely to encounter at Filitheyo.



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(captions below needn't be read as you will have seen them with the gallery pictures - repeated below so are visible to Google/ search engines)

captions to Filitheyo 'fish and critters' gallery pictures

captions to Filitheyo 'seascape' gallery pictures


captions to the Filitheyo Island resort gallery pictures