Sharm El Sheik ticks most boxes
visibility usually very good
access easy, just wander in off beach good coral and fish
choose resort carefully - some resorts might be less good than the sea

Filitheyo ticks all the boxes
visibility very good
access easy - wander in off beach
like swimming in an aquarium - fish are fantastic
corals okay/ good
small resort so 5 days suited us

Hembadhu - Ticks all the boxes
visibility usually good but can be spoilt if windy - clears quickly
access easy - wander in off beach
well-defined choice areas - very good fish - in the right areas is like swimming in an aquarium
corals better than Filitheyo
very small resort so 5 days suited

Ticks none of the boxes

approx 30 mins boat ride from Male town - picture shows a typical beach on this island - very shallow for hundreds of metres, almost too shallow to swim in most places

dark patches are seaweed concealing small, sharp rocks - so footwear needed

the designated snorkelling area was adjacent to the main landing pier a few hundred years to the left of this shot - was not a very large area, (maybe 200m x 300m), maybe 4-5m at its deepest

I didn’t try it as when I enquired, they said to come back in two hours when the current had abated - I never went back - especially as warning signs of the currents abound

another guest said it was “OK, but it didn’t take long to explore the whole thing and there weren’t that many fish

Ticks none of the boxes
warning signs re currents abound took a short group boat trip to official snorkelling spot - poor visibility, very few fish but corals OK (pic on left)
buildings not very ethnic
main beach in lifeless bay with poor visibility

many free diving locations with easy access - often separated by only a short, easy drive
a flat island - scenically a bit boring above the water
busy and built-up on the western side in particular - not an island retreat but you wont get bored here
good choice of accommodation, bars, restaurants etc.

a beautiful, mountainous island made untidy
very few good free dive spots
which are separated by lengthy, often tortuous drives (but very scenic)
even the best spots offer often less, but nothing over, Grand Cayman where...
- access is far easier and...
- sites tend to be separated by
short, easy drives