Huvadhoo Atoll

Huvadhoo in the far south is among the largest coral atolls in the world by area, with a lagoon deep enough and wide enough that the far side is below the horizon from the near one, and it holds well over two hundred islands of which only a fraction are inhabited. The Equatorial Channel to its south is one of the deep passages that cut the Maldives chain, and the diving on the outer reefs is among the least worked in the country.

History

In the 14th century Ibn Battuta wrote that the Maldives lacked grain except in the province of Souweid, Huvadhu, which grew a kind of millet, and the atoll has been divided into northern and southern districts since the 1970s (Wikipedia, Huvadhu Atoll).

Highlights

• The atoll scale - among the largest coral atolls anywhere, with the far rim below the horizon.
• The outer reefs - dive sites far less worked than those near Malé.
• The Equatorial Channel - the deep passage cutting the chain south of the atoll.
• The uninhabited islands - the great majority of the atoll's two hundred and more islands.

When to go

November to April is the dry season and calmest. Diving on the outer reefs depends on the monsoon direction. Flights run to two airports in the atoll.

Before you go

The atoll is enormous and moving around it means long boat journeys. Guesthouse infrastructure is thin outside a few islands. Weather affects which side of the atoll is diveable.

Nearby

Gadhdhoo is in the atoll, and Fuvahmulah is southeast.

Key facts