The Nautilus liveaboard focuses on Central Atolls but adds in some Southern Atolls trips early each year.

The final itinerary is, of course, always dependent upon weather, sea conditions and where the best animal sightings are at any particular time of year

CENTRAL ATOLLS:  your itinerary will include a selection of the most popular central atolls and dive sites.  You can read the highlights below.

• North Ari Atoll: find caves & overhangs here are home to home to a variety of fish … from dog-toothed tuna, napoleons, trevallies and barracuda to parrotfish, butterflyfish, blue face angelfish, batfish and lionfish. You’ll encounter grey reef sharks and white-tip sharks … while on the top of the reef, countless fusiliers dart around and those lovely, ever-present-in-the-Maldives blue-stripped snappers move in waves. Lovely soft corals and gorgonian fans add color … and there’s a nice little wreck …. a fishing trawler with coral growth and loads of fish and critters to add interest.
• South Ari Atoll: popular for its population of whale sharks. In season you’re likely to have the opportunity to snorkel with one or more. But, whale sharks aren’t all there is. You’ll find caves and overhangs, more sharks … plus fusiliers, angelfish, tuna & jacks, large sea fans, soft corals and an abundance of other marine life.
• North Male Atoll: one of the finest sites in the Maldives for sighting those majestic mantas. A cleaning station here can be very busy between May and December, with cleaner wrasse anxious to get to work on their oversized friends as they sail in. It’s a bit like a busy barber shop!
• South Male Atoll: a challenging thila dive here offers some lovely corals and schools of pelagic fish … plus eagle rays and sharks. Another small wreck features some good macro options.
• Vaavu (Felidhe): there’s a popular channel dive here with nurse sharks as well as black tip and white tip reef sharks. A possible night dive at a jetty offers up loads of nurse sharks & sting rays. Another dive, loved by photographers in particular, is alive with soft corals in lovely hues and includes a nice variety of reef fish.
• Rasdhoo Atoll: a popular reef dive which is usually also very sharky if you’re there early in the day … although the hammerheads tend to be around most of the time. Big schools of pelagic fish are commons as well as the ever-present snappers, fusiliers & batfish.

SOUTHERN ATOLLS:  This is big fish & shark territory. You can expect eagle rays & manta rays & massive schools of pelagic fish … but more than anything, expect sharks:  whitetip reef sharks, gray reef sharks. silky sharks, nurse sharks and even tiger sharks …  Some Southern Atolls trips will require domestic flights & depending on the itinerary you choose will visit 1 or more of the following.

• Vaavu (Felidhe): there’s a popular channel dive here with nurse sharks as well as black tip and white tip reef sharks. A possible night dive at a jetty offers up loads of nurse sharks & sting rays. Another dive, loved by photographers in particular, is alive with soft corals in lovely hues and includes a nice variety of reef fish.
  
• Laamu: with fewer channels, you’ll generally have less current, less plankton in the water and better viz. You get some nice hard & soft corals and some interesting critters hiding out within the corals, all of which is a plus for photographers. On the other hand, big animal lovers, don’t despair as you’ll have a couple of good channels with the usual cast of characters, including tuna & trevally, barracuda, grey reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, threshers and hammerheads. And, yes, typically a bit of manta action, too.
• Thaa Atoll: known for both mantas and eagle rays and plenty of pelagic fish, there’s also a nice channel dive which often includes a few sharks, including occasionally some silvertips.
• Foammulah: if you’re looking for sharky dives, you need look no further. Tiger sharks, thresher sharks, hammerheads and silky sharks can be found in this region … plus oceanic mantas. The currents can be wild, so, it’s strictly for advanced divers. If you’re in that category, this is thrilling stuff! There’s also a beautiful wall dive with more of the same characters and schools of pelagic fish.