Fuvahmulah

Fuvahmulah is unusual in the Maldives on several counts: it is a single island that forms an atoll on its own, it has two freshwater lakes, which almost no Maldivian island does, and it has a beach of rounded stones rather than sand. Offshore, tiger sharks gather at a site by the harbour in numbers and are present all year, which has made the island a specialist diving destination with a reputation for large pelagic species.

History

The name joins fuvah, the areca nut, with Mulah, probably the island's original name; old charts called it Fua Mulaku, or Poue Molluque on French maps, and its people speak their own dialect of Dhivehi (Wikipedia, Fuvahmulah).

What's there

• The tiger sharks - the year-round aggregation at the site off the harbour.
• The freshwater lakes - the two bodies of fresh water, almost unique in the country.
• The stone beach - the rounded pebble shore instead of sand.
• The single-island atoll - an island that constitutes an atoll on its own.

When to go

Year round; tiger sharks are present in all seasons. Diving conditions vary with the monsoon. Flights run daily from Malé.

Things to know

Tiger shark dives are baited, which is contested, and they are for experienced divers only. The island is a domestic community, not a resort, with local rules. Currents around the island are strong.

Nearby

Addu Atoll is southwest, and Malé is far north.

Key facts