Far South – North and South Huvadhoo, Foammulah and Addu Gan Atolls “The Equatorial Zone”

Separating the southern atolls from the far south, is the 1½ degree channel – this 60 mile expanse of open ocean is sufficient separation for the far southern atolls to almost feel like a different country. The infrastructure of Huvadhoo Atoll has recently been improved and there is now a tarmac runway with daily flights linking it to the capital of Male. The atoll has only recently been open to tourism and there are a few resort islands planned, so this vast atoll remains one of the most remote places on our planet blue. There are hundreds of uninhabited islands that fringe the atoll with literally thousands of beautiful coconut trees. The reefs are in pristine condition and the corals here are truly colourful, robust and magnificent. The reefs are packed with fish life of every species and the many narrow channels that break the outer rim of this atoll makes for spectacular drift diving. The shark populations are very impressive and the diving is truly frontier and both beautiful and exhilarating. The Equator lies in open ocean only 13 miles off the southern tip.

Gan Atoll is the southern most atoll of the Maldives lying 40 miles south of the Equator. This was home to the British airbase and is today a thriving community. The infrastructure left behind by the British occupation has always given Gan a huge advantage over the other atolls. Here the islands have been linked by causeways and one can drive a car for some 30 kilometers! The runway is now fully operational and capable of taking large jet aircraft. Equator Village is an established tourist resort and the nearby island of Viligili is being developed by the hotel chain Shangri La. The central lagoon of Addu has some good diving – the highlight is the 6,000 tonne wreck of the British “Loyalty” – a liberty ship that was left to flounder by the British after their evacuation. The vessel remains intact and upright at a depth of 35m. The northern reefs of Addu Atoll have a number of small channels and represent great dive spots. There is a superb manta point, grey reef sharks are commonly seen and fish life is abundant.

En route to Gan one passes by the single island of Foammulak – a pinnacle of a volcano rising some 3,500m from the sea bed. This large island is home to a community of fishermen and is a really interesting place to visit. It is a difficult island to approach due to the treacherous reefs and the limited anchorage, but while on passage to Gan one can stop here and make some exploratory dives on the outer reef. The fishermen report common sightings of tiger shark and the great hammerhead. Certainly the reefs are bound with grey reef and white tip sharks and tonnes of pelagic life.

For our Far South trips we base our liveaboard MV Sea Queen in the southern atolls, flying passengers down from Male to Huvadhoo or Gan to join the vessel. The cruise is generally one-way, from either Huvadhoo to Gan or in reverse, exploring all the wonderful reefs and atolls in between. Please call our Sales Team for advice and help planning your trip. This is an extremely remote part of the world – one of the last diving frontiers.

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