DIVING SITE
WITH DIVE BUTLER INTERNATIONAL AT AMILLA MALDIVES RESORT AND RESIDENCES
“Our primary intention is to make a positive impact on the
world around us: on individuals and/or the environment. We do
this by providing Life-Enriching Experiences”
CHECK IN
CHECK IN
Check in for all scuba diving related activities may be completed between 08:00 and 17:00 daily. Our mulitlingual team is available to assist with any questions that you might have, and is always happy to advise on all relevant procedures for signing up. To assist with check-in for certified divers, we kindly request that you bring your diving certification, logbook and any relevant diving medical with you.
If you’ve forgotten your diving certification, and the qualification is held with PADI, we will be able to check your credentials online. If your certification is from another organisation, we will either need to see a photocopy of the card itself, or a scanned copy of your license. Please kindly note that we need to receive this confirmation prior to any guided dive activities to ensure your safety.
Our multilingual instructors can teach in the following languages; English, Japanese, Dhivehi, German, French, Chinese, Portuguese and Russian. Check availability prior to booking
ENTRY LEVEL DIVING COURSES
Our entry-level PADI Scuba Diving courses are available in the above languages, prior to booking we recommend you check availability. All scuba diving related courses require participants to complete a medical statement, confirming they are fit to dive. If a yes is answered to any of the medical questions, kindly note that a medical certificate stating you are fit to dive is mandatory prior to participating in any scuba diving activities for your safety. The minimum age for all scuba diving related activities is 5 years old, and divers under 18 must have a parent or guardian sign and complete the relevant forms. See the menu for prices.
DISCOVER SCUBA DIVING (APPROX. 2HRS)
+This is the perfect introductory session for those who have never tried scuba diving before. This discovery
session includes a basic theory session with an instructor, followed by a shallow dive in the lagoon. For
those that are confident and complete the requirements in the lagoon, we will follow up with a dive on
the spectacular house reef. If you find that you’ve taken to diving like a ‘fish to water’, subsequent dives
can be arranged. The maximum depth for the house reef and subsequent dives is 12metres.
When? Every morning, and afternoon (24hrs pre-booking required)
PADI SCUBA DIVER (2 DIVES, APPROX. 2-3 DAYS)
+This course represents the first internationally recognised diving certification from PADI. The course is
split across 3 acadmeic sessions, an associated 3 confined water dives and 2 open water dives. Upon
completion of the course you will be issued with a certification that allows you dive alongside a dive
professional to a maximum depth of 12metres.
When? Upon Request
PADI OPEN WATER (4 DIVES, APPROX 3-4 DAYS)
+The full Open Water course consists of 5 academic sessions, an associated 5 confined water dives and 4
open water dives. This builds the fundamentals of scuba diving. The goal of the dives and academic study
is to ensure you learn to dive in a safe and controlled environment. Upon completion of the course, you
will be issued with a certification that allows you to dive to a maximum depth of 18metres.
When? Upon Request
CONTINUING EDUCATION
+PADI offers a wide range of options for divers seeking to pursue specialist interests in diving. Advanced
courses that we offer include Advanced/Adventure, Nitrox 32, Rescue, Emergency First Response among
other specialties such as Night, Deep, Navigation, Underwater Photography/Videography, Naturalist, Fish
Identification, Boat, Drift and more. If you have a specific interest, please come and speak to our qualified
team at the Dive Centre.
When? Upon Request
CERTIFIED DIVERS
Baa Atoll is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, offering an amazing diversity of fish life and coral formations for certified divers to enjoy. With over 40 dive sites available in the vicinity of Amilla, and another 50 accessible at a further distance on a private boat basis, we have plenty of options enabling you to make the most of your diving experience with us.
For a more personalised service, please contact a member of our team for the full range of options available.
ORIENTATION DIVE
+Following check-in, our qualified team of instructors will schedule your Orientation Dive, which is
compulsory in the Maldives. This dive gives us the chance to help you ease back into the water,
particularly if it has been some time since your last dive. This dive will cover a few essential safety skills,
such as mask cleaning, regulator recovery and clearing, buoyancy control and a review of emergency
handling skills.
When? Upon Request
DIVE BOAT TRIPS
+Our daily dive schedule consists of a two-tank dive trip in the morning, offering you the chance to visit
two dive sites before lunch. In the afternoon, we run a single dive boat excursion.
Our custom-builst dive boats (Dhoni) are fitted with a toilet, shower and a sundeck for your comfort and
convenience. For your personal safety, all of our boats are equipped with a radio, mobile phone, life
jackets, first aid kits and emergency oxygen.
PRIVATE INSTRUCTOR/BOAT CHARTERS
+In addition to the regular schedule of activities, you may personalise your experience with us by
requesting a private guide. If you would prefer the added luxury of being the only divers on a dive site, we
can also arrange for a private charter of one of our dive Dhonis or speedboats.
When? Upon Request
NIGHT DIVES
+Night dives are conducted at various dive sites around Amilla Maldives Resort and Residences, giving you the opportunity to
experience the reef under different conditions. As night falls, an array of nocturnal flora and fauna
emerges, transforming the landscape of the reef. Please enquire at the Dive Centre if you are interested in
doing a night dive with us.
When? Upon Request
NITROX DIVING
+Dive Butler Amilla offers Nitrox diving for those who are certified.
When? Upon Request
Enchance your experience: Every course and dive are available on a private basis. Additional fees apply
DIVE SITES
DIVE SITES
We access Baa Atoll’s amazing dive sites by dhoni (traditional boat) but speedboats are also available for private trips further afield.
The following dive sites are our favourites but this list is by no means exhaustive as there are many more, including some ‘secret’ spots we love. Times given below relate to how many minutes it takes to reach them by dhoni.
DIVE SITES NEAR AMILLA MALDIVES RESORT AND RESIDENCES
BLUE HOLE
- Distance: 2-5mins
- Certification Level: DSD to Advanced and above
- Highlights: Swimthrough, stingrays, blacktip reef sharks, moray eels, lionfish The reef starts at around 1m with the top of the Blue Hole sitting at around 6m, with a small exit at 12m and the bottom of this ‘underwater chimney’ exit at around 22m
MILAIDHOO CAVES
- Distance: 5-10mins
- Certification Level: DSD to Advanced and above
- Highlights: Caves, Napoleons, Turtles The top reef sits at around 3m sloping down to a sandy bottom up to 40m with many small caves and overhangs along the reef wall
DHEGA THILA
- Distance: 8-20mins
- Certification Level: Advanced and above
- Highlights: Rock formations, fan corals, nurse sharks, stingrays, schooling fishes With the top of this Thila at 13m and a canyon at 24m this advanced level dive site slopes down to 30m with interesting rock formations
DHIGU THILA
- Distance: 7-20mins
- Certification Level: DSD to Advanced and above
- Highlights: Overhangs, healthy corals, groupers, eagle rays, manta rays during the season, grey reef sharks, stingrays This long thin Thila starts at 9m down to 30m and along the edge you can find many caves and overhangs
DHONFANU THILA
- Distance: 7-15mins
- Certification Level: OW to Advanced and above
- Highlights: Grey reef sharks, Napoleons, stingrays, eagle rays, swimthrough The top of this Thila sits at 9m down to 35m, with some caves to explore and the swimthrough starts at 25m
DHARAVANDHOO THILA
- Distance: 10-25mins
- Certification Level: OW to Advanced and above
- Highlights: Coral formations, soft corals, nurse sharks, stingrays, eagle rays, manta rays during the season, tunas, jack fish The shallowest part of this Thila is 6m going down to 30m, there are caves at different depths and an abundance of marine life
NELIVARU THILA
- Distance: 15-40mins
- Certification Level: OW and above
- Highlights: Rock formations, fan corals, nurse sharks, stingrays, manta rays during the season, schooling fishes Starting at 5m this Thila is a hotspot for manta rays during the season, but throughout the year there is a vast assortment of marine life to see
DHIGALI THILA
- Distance: 15-40mins
- Certification Level: OW and above
- Highlights: Canyons, black coral bushes, school- ing fishes, stingrays, eagle rays The top of this Thila is at 10m down to 30m with canyons and caves to explore
AIDHOO CORNER
- Distance: 8-20mins
- Certification Level: DSD to Advanced and above
- Highlights: Overhangs, soft corals, groupers, snappers, eagle rays The shallow top reef sits at 3-5m sloping down to 40m+ this corner dive on Aidhoo island has soft coral, groups of snappers and overhangs