Villa Nautica
Villa Nautica
North Male' Atoll Maldives
North Malé Atoll is where tourism and diving began in the Maldives. The dive sites range from channel crossing drifts to Manta Points and wreck diving, and we extend our range to South Malé Atoll as well. Whether you’re taking your first plunge or looking to push your skills further, we’ve got you covered.
diveOceanus Villa Nautica
North Malé Atoll holds a significant position as the birthplace of tourism in the Maldives, dating back to 1972.
The atoll presents a diverse array of dive sites catering to scuba enthusiasts. From long reefs for exhilarating drift dives amidst currents, to vast channels, submerged reefs, the atoll offers multiple variations for dives, including wreck diving at The Maldives Victory.
Both Green and Hawksbill turtles grace divers with their presence regularly. Seasonal currents enrich the area with abundant plankton, attracting majestic Manta rays to feed and seek nourishment around our outer reefs.
- House reef diving & lagoon for training dives
- Daily scheduled boat dives.
- Speed boat on request
- Scuba & Freedive courses
- ScubaPro T1 BCDs
- ScubaPro Mk2 Evo Regulators
- Suunto dive computers
- 3mm wetsuit shorty
- Mask, snorkels & fins
- Aluminum Tanks DIN/INT Air & Nitrox
- Freediving equipment
Our most popular courses
Bubble Maker Dives offer an unforgettable
one-on-one underwater experience designed for children aged 8 to 9 years olds. Led by certified instructors, these engaging sessions introduce young explorers to the exhilaration of scuba diving within a safe and controlled environment.Filled with activities, games, and exciting underwater challenges including fish and coral discovery, Bubble Maker Dives nurture a lifelong passion for marine exploration in the youngest of adventurers.Bubble Maker Dives serve as the foundational layer for children in their scuba diving exploration, providing an impactful underwater journey.
Open Water Diver course is your passport to the incredible underwater world. This comprehensive certification program teaches you the essential knowledge and skills needed to become a confident and independent scuba diver.
Under the guidance of certified instructors, you’ll learn dive theory, practice critical skills in confined water, and complete a series of open water dives. By the end of the course, you’ll be certified to dive up to 18 meters (60 feet) deep, and your license is for life, allowing you to explore underwater wonders anywhere in the world. Whether you’re a beginner with no prior experience or an aspiring diver, the PADI Open Water Diver course is your gateway to thrilling underwater adventures and a lifelong love for diving.
Discover Scuba Diving offers a captivating introduction to the underwater world without committing to a full scuba diving course.
Guided by certified instructors, participants learn essential skills and safety procedures, making it perfect for beginners and the curious. It’s a thrilling first step into underwater adventure.
Skills are practiced in shallow waters, and maximum dive depth with an instructor is 12 meters. No swimming skills required.
The Advanced Open Water Diver course is your next step into the exciting world of scuba diving. Unlike traditional classroom courses, this program is designed to be fun and engaging. It doesn’t involve quizzes or exams; instead, it focuses on gaining practical experience and expanding your underwater skills. Under the guidance of certified instructors, you’ll complete five adventure dives, including a deep dive training to 30 meters and a navigation dive. Additionally, you have the opportunity to choose and try one dive from specialty options like Nitrox, night diving, or wreck diving.
The Advanced Open Water certification not only broadens your diving horizons but also enhances your skills, making you a more skilled and knowledgeable diver.
Scuba Diver Certification provides a convenient gateway to the world of scuba diving, tailored for individuals with time constraints.
Led by certified instructors, you’ll gain dive theory knowledge, practice essential skills in shallow waters, and complete two supervised dives up to 12 meters deep.
Although less extensive than the Open Water Diver course, this certification allows diving under supervision and offers the option to upgrade to a full open water course, providing additional skill training and dives for future holidays.
The Enriched Air Nitrox Diver course is a specialized certification that opens up new possibilities in scuba diving. This course teaches you how to dive with enriched air nitrox, which contains a higher oxygen content than regular air.
Enriched air allows for longer no-decompression dive times, providing more opportunities to explore underwater wonders.
Throughout the course, you’ll learn how to analyze, plan, and execute nitrox dives safely. You will also discover the benefits of diving with Enriched Air Nitrox, while utilizing a complete air profile to ensure safer dives.
In summary, diving with nitrox is comparable to having an airbag in a car – it enhances safety.
View all of our dive sites on Google Earth
In the Maldives, two monsoons, Iruvai and Hulhangu, impact each atoll differently, influencing diving and snorkeling with changes in currents and visibility. These seasons also affect marine life sightings at Villa Nautica
Iruvai begins in early December, ending by March to early April, bringing rough weather during the transition. Visibility in North and South Male’ improves to crystal clear conditions, with fresh currents attracting pelagic fishes and more sharks in channels.
April signals the start of the Hulhangu Monsoon, with rough weather during its transition. This season sees the migration of Manta rays to Lankan Manta Point, where they come to groom and feed. Despite visibility dropping to 20 meters, fish life thrives during this period.
Lankan Manta Point is our very own reef, reachable by a 10-minute boat ride. The top reef begins at a depth of 8 meters and gradually slopes down to the bottom at leveled depths of 30 meters. This site is suitable for both beginners and advanced divers.
The experience at this dive site starts at the top, where you can descend in a controlled manner and start drifting southwards. Pelagic fishes like Giant Trevally and Tuna can be seen in the blue. The main reef is rich in marine life, with Hawksbill turtles and eagle rays commonly sighted. During the months of April to November, when plankton starts to drift, Manta rays begin their annual migrations. They can be seen visiting the Mushroom Coral on this site, where they come to groom and feed.
Banana Reef is a Marine Protected Area, located a 15-minute boat ride from Villa Nautica. It is suitable for beginners, with a small drifting current, and more suited for Open Water and Advanced certified divers. The top of the reef reaches 10-15 meters on the northeastern side, where parts of the reef collapsed centuries ago, creating overhangs and mass coral blocks with swim-throughs covered mostly in soft coral, accessible from 15-20 meters onwards. Nitrox 32% is recommended for extended bottom time or to reduce nitrogen levels.
The dive site also features a massive overhang, known as the “washing machine,” where the top reaches 10 meters and drops towards the bottom to 26 meters onwards. The fish life is very rich, with schools of blue-line snappers, Barracuda, and Dogtooth tuna, making it a haven for photographers.
Nassimo Thila, designated as a Marine Protected Site, is located within the atoll, just a 10-minute boat trip from Villa Nautica. The very top of this oval-shaped thila ranges from 10 to 15 meters on average. This dive site is suitable for advanced divers, with the favorable depth range being 20 to 26 meters.
The best dive conditions are with a favorable outgoing current, not too strong but not too weak either. In this case, the entry is made in the blue, and divers would drift towards the thila on the northwest side, where at 15 meters, a series of overhangs begin. Just a few meters away are massive coral pinnacles teeming with life. Tuna and Giant Trevally can often be seen hunting here, and it’s always a delight to spend a few minutes drifting around the five massive coral pinnacles adorned with soft corals in shades of blue and yellow. Depths drop here to 26-30 meters.
If you’re diving on air, you may begin to shallow your dive from the last block onwards. If the current is slow, you can ascend to shallower waters for more bottom time and continue to enjoy the overhangs at 15-18 meters depth.
If you’re on a Nitrox profile, continue from the last block towards the overhangs and 25 meters, which stretches almost to the mid-section of the thila. From there, you can ascend to shallow waters of 15-10 meters to complete your safety stop while drifting into the blue.
The dive site, Tiger Point, is situated approximately 15 minutes away from Villa Nautica. It is located within the inner reef of Hulumale. The topography of this reef begins at a depth of 2 meters at its highest point and gradually slopes down to approximately 20 meters, leading to a sandy bottom resembling dunes. Beyond this sandy area, the slope extends to greater depths of 30+ meters.
This dive site stands out as possibly the only one in the world where, on certain occasions, you can witness the presence of six distinct shark species during a single dive, alongside Giant Guitarfish and three species of stingrays. While it’s not guaranteed to spot every species in one dive, there’s an 80% probability of encountering the following:
Almost all shark species worldwide are either endangered or threatened due to exploitation, such as shark finning or shark meat processing. In the Maldives, all shark species are protected under the Fisheries Law Act.
The Spinner shark (Carcharhinus brevipinna) is listed as Vulnerable.
The Lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) is listed as Vulnerable.
Nurse sharks (Nebrius ferrugineus) are listed as Vulnerable.
The Great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) is Critically Endangered under criteria.
The Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is Near Threatened.
The Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) is listed as Vulnerable.
Other species commonly encountered at Tiger Point include the Giant Guitarfish (Rhynchobatus djiddensis), Cowtail Stingray (Pastinachus sephen), Black Blotched Stingray (Taeniura meyeni), and Porcupine ray (Urogymnus asperrimus).
The dive site is for advanced certifications onwards.
Protected Marine Site
The M.V. Maldives Victory sank on Friday the 13th in 1981, carrying a diverse cargo ranging from toothpicks to cars and household items. It settled upright but slightly tilted to the right after hitting a reef near Male’ International Airport. Despite efforts to save the ship, it sank to a depth of 45 meters. The wreck is 110 meters long and rests on the seabed at a depth of approximately 30 meters. While open cargo holds offer possible areas to enter, entry to the bridge and other areas is restricted. Choice of Nitrox mix 32% is advised for this dive.
The salvage operation of the M.V. Maldives Victory was efficient, involving local and expatriate divers. The wreck was transformed into an environmentally safe artificial reef, attracting divers worldwide since 1981. Diving on the wreck offers an intense experience, with limited bottom time due to challenging conditions. Despite this, it’s renowned for its diverse marine life, including barracuda, tuna, and colorful corals, making night dives particularly captivating.
Basic
Freediver course
The Basic Freediver course serves as a foundational segment within the broader Freediver course. It is designed to impart fundamental principles, breath-hold techniques, and optimal body positioning in a controlled pool or confined water environment.
Skills & Perspectives
The academic segment involves self-paced study through Freediver eLearning, complemented by hands-on training in confined water.
To enroll, participants must meet the minimum age requirement of 12 years.
- Goals
- Achieve a static apnea duration of 90 seconds.
- Accomplish a 25-meter (80 feet) underwater swim.
- Dynamic apnea.
- Technique used for the swim: Dynamic apnea.
Freediver
Course
Learn the art of freediving with our comprehensive course designed to master breath-hold techniques, encompassing static and dynamic apnea in confined water. Our aim is to help you achieve a 90-second static apnea and cover a distance of 25 meters using dynamic apnea. You’ll also delve into free immersion and constant weight freedives in open water, striving to reach a depth of 10 meters. Throughout the course, you’ll learn essential buddy procedures for safe diving practices. Participants will have the flexibility to engage in independent study through eLearning or class sessions.
To enroll, participants must be at least 15 years old.
- Goals
- Master breath-hold techniques static and dynamic apnea.
- Achieve a 90-second static apnea duration.
- Cover a distance of 25 meters using dynamic apnea.
- Reach a depth of 10 meters during constant weight freedives.
Manta Snorkeling
From late June to November, diveOceanus organizes seasonal Manta Snorkeling trips, offering the best opportunities to encounter manta rays. These trips, which include equipment and, head out to the South Malé Atoll, where seasonal gatherings of manta rays occur for feeding and grooming.
Manta rays are gentle giants. With a wingspan of approximately 670 cm, these harmless creatures do not possess a sting and are non-threatening. They feed on plankton and often approach snorkelers within arm’s reach. On some days, the manta rays can be seen gliding close to the surface while feeding, while on other days, they may be observed circling around coral heads at depths of up to 10 meters.
It is crucial to maintain a respectful distance and never touch the rays. Snorkelers should swim slowly and quietly to avoid disturbing these graceful animals.
These trips typically last about 2.5 hours round-trip.
- Villa Nautica
- Villa Nautica Paradise Island
- Lankanfinolhu North Malé Atoll
- 08420 Rep. of Maldives