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A dive with sharks or rays is an exhilarating experience and something that scuba divers visiting the Maldives have at the top of their wish list of things to see. There are many species of shark cruising the reefs of the Lhaviyani Atoll and the dive sites close to Kuredu Resort will not disappoint, even the shoreline has great shark and ray spotting opportunities.

A stroll along the jetty at night can bring sightings of nurse sharks gathering around the lights to feed. In the lagoon and along the shoreline baby black tip reef sharks can be seen, often practising their hunting skills and sometimes so shallow that their dorsal fin breaks the surface of the water. Juvenile rays can be seen in the shallows too, the north side of the island is somewhat of a shark and ray nursery. Venturing onto the house reef can bring sightings of stingrays patrolling the sandy bottom looking for their next meal and for the most exhilarating of encounters with sharks and rays, divers should head to the channels where schooling grey reef sharks and squadrons of eagle rays can be seen hanging effortlessly in the current.

Sharks and Rays belong to the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes, the cartilaginous or non-bony fishes. Apart from their lack of bony skeleton, they have fascinating senses and skin that has been the influence for ‘go faster’ swimsuits. For years they have were feared as man-eating monsters but the often misunderstood sharks and rays are essential to the health of our oceans, and divers who are interested in finding out more about them can join the PADI Distinctive Specialty, the Maldivian Shark & Ray Diver course where they will learn a lot about shark and ray behaviour and take part in a dive at one of the shark diving hotspots nearby.