Protected areas of the Maldives: marine parks and dive sites

Protected areas are declared by the government under the Environment Protection and Preservation Act of 1993 (Law 4/93). Each site has its own decree and, for the larger ones, its own regulation. Rules differ from place to place, but the core idea is the same: the reef stays as it is, and people visit without taking anything away.

In most protected marine sites, these are off limits:

• Fishing, apart from any exceptions set out for that site
• Anchoring on the reef (boats use moorings or drift)
• Mining or removing coral, sand or rock
• Collecting shells, coral or live animals
• Dumping waste or anything that damages the reef

Diving, snorkelling and boat trips are generally allowed. A few places go further: Hanifaru Bay is snorkel only.

Protection sits on top of national rules that apply everywhere. All rays and sharks are protected (with one narrow licensed deep-water exception for gulper sharks, outside the atolls), turtles cannot be caught, and feeding sharks, rays and whale sharks is illegal. Our guide to coral reefs of the Maldives explains why these rules matter for the reef itself.

Who looks after them

The Environmental Protection Agency kept the official register for many years. It was abolished in August 2025 and its work moved to the Ministry of Tourism and Environment. Some sites also have local management, such as the Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve office, whose rangers oversee Hanifaru Bay.

Official totals have differed slightly between statements as new sites are added, but the number has grown from a handful in the 1990s to dozens today, spread across most atolls. The government has also said it plans to create more biosphere reserves, with work under way in Lhaviyani and Laamu atolls.

Not every protected area is a dive site. The list includes:

• Marine protected areas: thilas (underwater pinnacles), reefs, channels and lagoons
• Wetlands and mangroves: lakes, marshes and mangrove-fringed ponds on larger islands (see mangroves and wetlands of the Maldives)
• Islands and sandbanks: some uninhabited islands, valued for birds, turtles or plants

The first marine protected areas were declared in 1995 under a single decree, at sites already popular with divers. Many are still among the most dived places in the country.

Sites from that 1995 batch, as listed in the official register, include:

• Banana Reef (Gaathu Giri), North Malé Atoll: caves, overhangs and gullies along its outer face
• HP Reef (Girifushi Thila), North Malé Atoll: a pinnacle in the channel near Himmafushi
• Lion’s Head, North Malé Atoll
• Hans Hass Place (Gulhi Falhu), South Malé Atoll: named after the Austrian diving pioneer
• Maaya Thila, North Ari Atoll
• Fish Head (Mushimasmingili Thila), North Ari Atoll

Later additions in North Malé Atoll include Bodu Hithi Thila and Okobe Thila.

Banana Reef, HP Reef and Lion’s Head are all reachable on longer boat trips from local islands in North Malé Atoll. From Dhiffushi, on the eastern rim of the atoll, they are a half-day outing; see Banana Reef, HP Reef and Lion’s Head for how islanders run these trips.

Hanifaru Bay is a small, shallow reef bay in Baa Atoll, and probably the most famous protected area in the country. In the southwest monsoon, plankton is pushed into the bay, and manta rays gather to feed in large numbers, sometimes with whale sharks. Peak season is around July to October.

The bay was declared a protected area on 5 June 2009 and the protection was extended on 5 June 2011, according to the government’s protected-areas list. Its management plan came into force a few years later, and the rules are among the strictest in the Maldives:

• Snorkelling only; scuba diving inside the bay is banned
• Visits are limited in numbers and time, and managed by rangers
• No touching, chasing or blocking the mantas, and no motorised scooters
• A visitor fee is charged per visit, collected by the reserve

Fees and limits have changed over the years, so check before you go. Our guide to manta rays in the Maldives covers how to behave in the water.

The southern tip of Ari Atoll is one of the few places in the world where whale sharks can be found all year. Most are young males that cruise the outer reef. The area was first protected in 2009, and in July 2019 the government designated a larger South Ari Marine Park covering about 5,140 hectares.

The biggest threat here is boats: many of the sharks carry propeller scars. Expect a crew briefing before you get in:

• Keep a few metres away from the shark, especially the tail
• Never touch, ride or block it
• No flash photography
• Keep to small groups in the water

Read swimming with whale sharks in the Maldives for the full code of conduct.

A UNESCO biosphere reserve is not a no-go zone. It is an area where conservation, research and everyday life work side by side, usually with a strictly protected core, a buffer zone and a zone where people live and fish.

Baa Atoll (2011)

Baa Atoll became the country’s first biosphere reserve in 2011. UNESCO lists it at around 144,000 hectares, almost all of it sea, with 75 islands, 13 of them inhabited. It holds roughly 250 coral species and around 1,200 reef and reef-associated fish species, as well as turtles, mantas and whale sharks. Hanifaru Bay sits within it.

Addu Atoll and Fuvahmulah (2020)

In October 2020, UNESCO added Addu Atoll and Fuvahmulah, both in the far south, to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

• Addu includes protected wetlands and mangrove areas on Hithadhoo and Hulhudhoo, and the Kudakandu area of the lagoon, where fishing and taking coral are banned.
• Fuvahmulah is a single-island atoll with freshwater lakes, marshes and woodland, which makes it unusual in the Maldives. Its waters are known for tiger sharks; see sharks in the Maldives.

You do not need a permit to dive or snorkel at most protected sites; your dive centre will know what applies. A few habits make a big difference:

• Don’t touch anything. Coral is a living animal and breaks easily. Keep fins off the reef and stay neutrally buoyant.
• Take nothing. Not shells, coral, sand or dead animals. Many marine products also need a permit to leave the country, and customs can confiscate them.
• Don’t feed fish or wildlife. Feeding sharks, rays and whale sharks is illegal.
• Use moorings. If you are on a private boat trip, ask whether the crew uses a mooring or drifts rather than anchoring.
• Pay site fees where they apply. Hanifaru Bay charges one; most protected dive sites do not have a separate fee.
• Report damage. If you see fishing, anchoring or coral breaking at a protected site, tell your guide or the island council.

The 30-metre limit for recreational diving applies in protected areas too. For planning your dives, see our guide to diving in the Maldives, and for wider habits, responsible travel in the Maldives.

Not every special reef is formally protected, and island communities often look after their own house reefs. On Dhiffushi, guides on the eastern rim of North Malé Atoll set the same expectations as in protected sites: no touching, no feeding, no collecting. Our guide to diving and snorkelling from Dhiffushi lists the nearby sites.