Whale Sharks in South Ari Atoll: Where to Find Them, How the Trips Work and the Rules in the Water

Updated October 2026

Whale sharks are seen in South Ari Atoll in every month of the year, along the southern edge of the atoll inside the South Ari Marine Protected Area. Most of them are young males, most trips are snorkelling trips from a boat, and research has found no peak season, so the sea conditions matter more than the month. A sighting is likely on a calm day but never certain, which makes the length of the stay the real decision.

Why South Ari has whale sharks all year

An atoll is a ring of coral reef with islands scattered around it. Ari Atoll lies west of Malé, and its southern half, South Ari, is where the whale sharks gather. The Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme, a research group that began studying them in 2006, describes South Ari as one of a few sites in the world where whale sharks can be met year-round.

The sharks here are mostly juvenile males. Researchers believe the area works as a secondary nursery, a place where young sharks spend the years before they mature, and once a shark passes about eight metres long it is no longer seen here. Many come back again and again. One shark, logged by the researchers as WS071, has been recorded in the protected area more than 380 times in 14 years.

The sharks gather in shallow water close to a reef slope, and just outside the protected area the sea is more than 1,000 metres deep. The research suggests the sharks feed down in the deep water and come up to the warm surface layer to warm up again, which is why they are so often found cruising near the top of the water. Only a small share of the encounters researchers record are sharks feeding at the surface.

The whale shark is listed as Endangered by the IUCN, the global body that assesses how threatened a species is.

Where to find them: the South Ari Marine Protected Area

The South Ari Marine Protected Area, usually shortened to SAMPA, was declared on 5 June 2009. Its boundary follows the reefs from the atoll's south-western rim to the northern tip of Dhigurah's reef, and reaches one kilometre out to sea from the reef crest, the shallowest line of the reef where it meets the open ocean. The Ministry of Tourism and Environment describes it as the largest protected area in the Maldives.

The local islands of Dhigurah, Maamigili, Dhiddhoo and Fenfushi face it. Maamigili Beyru, the outer reef off Maamigili, lies inside it and is one of the stretches where the sharks are seen. Dhangethi, another local island with whale shark trips, is a short boat ride away.

The trips work the outer reef, the ocean-facing edge of the atoll. Manta rays visit cleaning stations inside the protected area too.

The sharks do not stay in one spot. The research programme has found that they move around the atoll with the monsoons.

How a whale shark trip works

Most trips go out in the morning. The boat runs along the reef edge while the crew watch the water from on deck, and when a shark is found the swimmers slip in quietly and snorkel alongside.

There are two ways onto the same reef. Resorts in South Ari offer trips to their own guests from the island. Guest houses and dive centres on the local islands of Dhigurah, Dhangethi and Maamigili run trips too, and because those islands are on or close to the protected area, the ride out is short.

Either way, the boat must be registered with the authorities to take people snorkelling or diving in the protected area. The guide must have passed the protected area's own guide exam, hold a current first aid qualification and be a qualified snorkelling guide or rescue diver. One guide may look after up to six guests.

The water off the reef edge is open and deep, and the shark is moving, so these trips suit people who can swim and are at ease in the sea. Weather decides the day: when the sea is rough, trips are called off.

Most people meet whale sharks on snorkel. Scuba diving is allowed in the protected area, but only with the rangers' permission: divers tell them when and where they plan to dive, and dive zones are kept apart from the snorkelling zones. A whale shark met on a dive is a chance encounter. Divers keep the same distances, do not chase it, and report the sighting to the rangers afterwards. For anyone who has never dived, the guide to diving for beginners explains try dives and courses from PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, the training body behind the dive courses most visitors take.

The rules in the water

The rules come from the protected area's management plan, published by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and amended in 2025. Certified guides are examined on them, and every swimmer is expected to keep them.

• Keep at least 3 metres from the shark's head and body, and at least 4 metres from its tail.
• Approach slowly and from the side. Never cross in front of it or block its way.
• Anyone who finds a whale shark below them keeps at least 20 metres away, so it can rise.
• Never touch or ride a whale shark, or try to.
• No underwater flash photography anywhere in the protected area.
• No feeding, and no motorised scooters or other powered swimming aids near the sharks.
• Get in without splashing, and keep noise down in the water.

The boats have rules of their own. Around each shark is a contact zone with a 250-metre radius, and no more than six boats, a ranger boat among them, may be inside it at once. Boats are limited to 10 knots anywhere in the protected area, 5 knots inside the contact zone and 2 knots within 50 metres of a shark, and they must stay at least 15 metres from it. No more than 60 people, guides included, may be in the water at once, and when other boats are waiting their turn, each group has 15 minutes.

Researchers have recorded boat strikes among the injuries to these sharks, and the plan requires propeller guards on every boat taking people snorkelling or diving in the protected area. The deadline to fit them has already been pushed back twice, so asking whether the boat has one, and whether the guide holds the protected area certification, is a fair question before any trip.

What to expect, and what not to

On a good morning, expect a young whale shark cruising just below the surface along the reef, unhurried and close enough to see clearly from a few metres away. Expect other boats too. The protected area is busy, and the rules on boat numbers and time in the water exist because crowding is a real problem.

A study of sightings between 2013 and 2016 found that the more people there were in the area on a given day, the fewer sharks were seen, and researchers have recorded more injuries caused by people as tourism has grown.

Do not expect a guarantee. Sightings are likely rather than certain, and a rough sea can cancel the trip altogether. Do not expect large adults either: the sharks here are juveniles, and the big ones are not seen in South Ari. And do not expect to touch one.

Photographs help the research. The research programme identifies individual sharks from photographs and asks visitors to send in their encounter photos.

Season and conditions

There is no whale shark season in South Ari. Two studies by the research programme found no seasonal pattern in the number of sharks, and they are seen in every month.

What changes through the year is the sea. In the drier north-east monsoon, roughly December to April, seas are generally calmer, the water clearer and the boat trips easier to run. In the wetter south-west monsoon, roughly May to November, wind and rain make the rides rougher and lower the visibility underwater, and trips are more often called off for weather. The guide to the best time to visit the Maldives sets out the whole year, and the guide to the Maldives in the green season covers the wetter months.

Whale sharks turn up elsewhere too. In Baa Atoll they visit Hanifaru Bay during the south-west monsoon, when plankton collects in the bay and the manta rays gather to feed, but there they are visitors and the mantas are the main event. Diving is not allowed inside Hanifaru Bay. The guide to marine life by atoll and season covers it.

Choosing where to stay

The first choice is between a resort island and a local island, an inhabited island where Maldivians live, with guest houses rather than resorts. Both reach the same reef.

On the resort side, LUX* South Ari Atoll sits beside the protected area and runs its own whale shark trip on a dhoni, the traditional Maldivian wooden boat, led by the resort's marine biology team. The trip takes up to 18 guests, who must be able to swim, weather can call it off, and the resort recommends booking it before travelling. A house reef is the coral reef you can swim to from the resort itself, and the one here is thin, so snorkelling between trips is by boat. The seaplane takes about 25 minutes. Seaplanes in the Maldives fly in daylight only, so an evening landing at Velana International Airport means a night in Malé before reaching the island.

Villa Park Sun Island, a large, busy island on the same stretch, is reached by a domestic flight to Maamigili and a five-minute boat, and a whale shark trip is offered to its guests. For days between trips, a strong house reef helps, and Nova Maldives, 25 minutes by seaplane, has one. The guide to South Ari Atoll resorts for whale shark trips compares eight resorts on their reefs, transfers and trips.

On the local island side, Dhigurah has the long beach and a sandbank at its southern tip, and the protected area ends at the northern tip of its reef. Dhangethi is a small village close by. Maamigili is the practical base, with the atoll's domestic airport on the island and the whale shark reef next to it. Local islands serve no alcohol, and outside the designated bikini beach shoulders and knees should be covered, men as well as women. The Dhigurah island guide, the Dhangethi island guide and the Maamigili island guide cover getting there and the guest houses.

Whichever island it is, stay long enough for more than one attempt. A single morning can be rough or simply unlucky.

Who this suits

South Ari suits anyone who wants to swim with whale sharks without planning the trip around a season: couples, families with children who swim well, and divers who want big animals and good reefs on one stay. It suits travellers on a short trip with one morning to spare much less well, and it is the wrong choice for anyone who needs a guaranteed sighting. Give it a few mornings and keep the distances: the sharks are there in every month, and patience is what decides the encounter.

Common questions

Can you see whale sharks in the Maldives all year?

Yes, in South Ari Atoll. The South Ari Marine Protected Area, along the southern edge of the atoll, is one of a few places in the world where whale sharks are seen year-round. Most are young males using the area to feed and grow, and most encounters are on snorkel from a boat along the outer reef.

What is the best month to see whale sharks in South Ari?

There is no best month for the sharks themselves: research has found no seasonal peak in their numbers. What changes is the sea. The drier north-east monsoon, roughly December to April, brings calmer seas and clearer water, while the wetter south-west monsoon, roughly May to November, brings rougher boat rides and more cancelled trips.

Is a whale shark sighting guaranteed in the Maldives?

No. Sightings in South Ari are likely on a calm day but never certain, and rough weather can cancel a trip altogether. The sharks also move around the atoll with the monsoons. Staying long enough for two or three attempts is the simplest way to improve the odds of an encounter.

How close can you swim to a whale shark in the Maldives?

Under the protected area's rules, keep at least 3 metres from the head and body and 4 metres from the tail. Approach slowly from the side, never cross in front of the shark, and never touch or ride it. Underwater flash photography is banned throughout the South Ari Marine Protected Area, and feeding the sharks is prohibited.

Can you scuba dive with whale sharks in South Ari?

Yes, though most encounters are on snorkel. Diving in the protected area needs the rangers' permission, in zones kept apart from snorkelling. A whale shark met on a dive is a chance sighting: keep the same distances as snorkellers, stay 20 metres away when below it, do not chase it, and report it afterwards.

Is it better to stay on a local island or a resort for whale sharks?

Both reach the same reef. Local islands such as Dhigurah, Dhangethi and Maamigili are on or close to the protected area, with guest houses, a short ride out and no alcohol. Resorts in South Ari offer trips to their own guests and add a resort island's comforts. The house reef is worth checking for the days in between.