Gnaviyani

Gnaviyani is unusual twice over. It consists of a single island — Fuvahmulah — with no lagoon and no surrounding reef ring, which makes it the odd one out in a country built of atolls. And it sits alone in the Equatorial Channel, roughly halfway between the main chain and Addu.

That isolation is why the diving is what it is. Deep water comes close to shore, and the pelagic species that follow it come with it. Fuvahmulah has become known for tiger sharks in particular, seen there year-round rather than seasonally.

The island has its own airport, which is the only sensible way in.