The capital's dive school, ten minutes from Malé
Since 2003 the Divers Lodge on Vilimalé has taught thousands of people to dive, from first-time holiday divers to the Maldivians who now guide them. Hop on the ferry, walk five minutes to the beach and you are on the reef.
A real dive school on a real island
Divers Lodge Maldives is a PADI 5 Star Dive Resort and Instructor Development Centre on Vilimalé, the green island ward of Malé city. The shop sits a short walk from the ferry jetty, with the beach and house reef right behind it.
Owner and PADI IDC Staff Instructor Fayyaz Ibrahim and his crew run boat dives to the wrecks, thilas and manta points of North and South Malé Atoll, shore dives on the house reef and every PADI course from Discover Scuba to Assistant Instructor. Guests mention well-kept gear, patient instructors and prices that are hard to beat around Malé.
Jumhooree Magu · Vilimalé
A family that taught the Maldives to dive
Diving runs in the family. When most Maldivians had never seen a scuba tank, Fayyaz's father and uncle were already working underwater. Today the Lodge trains the next generation, including many of the Maldivian divemasters you will meet on boats across the country.
- The first professionalIbrahim MoosaThe first certified professional diver in the Maldives, and Fayyaz's father.
- The first instructorYoosuf MoosaThe first certified dive instructor in the Maldives, and Fayyaz's uncle.
- TodayFayyaz IbrahimPADI IDC Staff Instructor and founder of Divers Lodge Maldives in 2003.
From the beach to the Victory wreck
Boat dives leave every morning for the sites of North and South Malé Atoll, and the house reef is a short walk from the shop for training and easy shore dives. Snorkellers and families are welcome too.
Boat dives around Malé
The Maldive Victory wreck, Banana Reef, Lankan Manta Point and the channels of South Malé, with a guide who knows each site's tides.
Discover Scuba
A two-hour first breath underwater in the calm lagoon with an instructor at your side. Start your Open Water within a month and get a discount.
PADI courses
Open Water to Assistant Instructor in our own classroom, with confined water in the lagoon and open-water dives on the reefs around Malé.
Snorkel & sandbank trips
Boat trips to manta and turtle spots, a picnic on a sandbank, or a fishing trip at sunset. Good fun for non-diving friends and kids.
One school, every step of the way
As a PADI Instructor Development Centre we can take you from your very first breath underwater all the way to teaching others. Courses are all-inclusive, with theory in our classroom and dives in the lagoon and on the reefs.
Discover Scuba
About 2 hoursTry diving with no commitment. Discount on Open Water if you continue within a month.
Ask about dates →Open Water
5–7 daysYour first licence, to 18 m anywhere in the world. Theory, lagoon sessions and four open-water dives.
Ask about dates →Advanced
3–5 daysFive adventure dives including a boat dive, a night dive and a wreck dive on the Maldive Victory.
Ask about dates →Rescue & EFR
Ask for scheduleEmergency First Response and Rescue Diver: learn to prevent and handle problems, for yourself and your buddy.
Ask about dates →Divemaster
ProfessionalYour first professional level. Train alongside our crew on real boat dives and courses.
Ask about dates →Assistant Instructor
IDC CentreStart teaching with a PADI IDC Staff Instructor who has trained divers since 2003.
Ask about dates →
Wrecks, thilas & a manta point
Vilimalé sits between North and South Malé Atoll, so the classics of both are a short boat ride away. These are the sites we dive most, with depths, currents and what to look for.
Banana Reef, HP Reef, Nassimo Thila, Embudu Kandu, Guraidhoo Kandu and Kandooma Thila are protected marine areas: no touching, no gloves, no collecting. Boat times from Vilimalé are approximate and depend on the sea.
Gear up, walk down, drop in
A morning on Vilimalé: kitting up outside the shop, a briefing by the tank rack, a short walk to the beach and a honeycomb grouper on the reef.
Who you might meet down there
Mantas at Lankan, turtles and stingrays on the house reef, dolphins and the odd whale shark on the boat ride. Tap any photo to see it larger.
Diving all year, mantas in the wet season
The dry north-east monsoon from December to April brings calm seas and the clearest water. From May to November the south-west monsoon is windier and wetter, and the plankton it brings draws reef mantas to Lankan Manta Point, with the peak from August to November.
- Water
- 27–30 °CWarm all year round.
- Visibility
- 15–30 mClearest from December to April, greener in manta season.
- Wetsuit
- 3 mmA shorty is enough for most divers.
- Currents
- TidalStrong in the channels and on the thilas, gentle on the house reef.
No speedboat, no seaplane, just a ferry
Vilimalé is part of Malé city, a quiet green island with sandy streets, a beach and no cars to speak of. That makes the Lodge one of the easiest places in the Maldives to dive: perfect for a stopover, a short trip or a full course while you stay in Malé.
Fly to Malé
Velana International Airport · MLEDirect flights from Europe, the Gulf and Asia. Send us your arrival time and we will help you plan the first dive.
Taxi into Malé
About 15 min over the bridgeTake a taxi or bus across the Sinamalé Bridge to the Vilimalé ferry terminal on the west side of Malé.
Ferry to Vilimalé
10 min · every 10 minutesThe public ferry runs all day. Ask us for the latest timetable on Fridays and holidays.
Walk to the Lodge
5 min · Jumhooree MaguHead across the island towards the west beach. The green shop with the PADI flag is just before the sand.
Ferry in the morning, wreck before lunch
- Meet at the shopCheck-in, paperwork and gear fitting. The crew loads tanks onto the trolley.
- Out on the dhoniA short ride to the site of the day, chosen for the tide and your level.
- Briefing and first diveA clear whiteboard briefing, then down the line to the wreck or along the reef.
- Second dive or snorkelA shallower reef for the second tank, with mantas, turtles or dolphins if we are lucky.
- House reef or classroomA relaxed shore dive from the beach, or theory and lagoon sessions for students.
Bring a bucket, get a coffee. Our sign outside the shop says it all: bring a bucket of trash from the beach and the coffee is on us. The Villingili coral restoration site is just up the shore.
“One of the kindest and most informative people you will meet”
I had two excellent dives with Divers Lodge Maldives, the competent owner Fayyaz and his crew. One wreck dive and one drift dive.
Super friendly crew, well maintained gear and a great knowledge of the area that allowed us to find a bunch of different animals.
Great (unbeatable) prices, compared to others around Male.
Led by a highly respected Chief Instructor with decades of experience in the Maldives diving industry.
One of the kindest and most informative people you will meet is Fayaaz.
Only 10 minutes by ferry and there's a ferry every 10 minutes.
Message the Lodge on WhatsApp
Tell us your dates, your level and what you want to do. We reply with a plan, today's prices and the best sites for the season.
- +960 778 4264
- @diverslodgemaldives
- Shop
- V. Farimaa Hiyaa, 216 Jumhooree Magu, Vilimalé 21020, Maldives
- Open
- Sat–Thu 08:30–17:00 · Fri 07:00–11:00 & 14:00–17:30
Good to know: bring your certification card and logbook, and dive insurance that covers evacuation. Courses include all equipment. Viber and phone calls work on the same number.