Bandos Maldives

Bandos Maldives sits on a lush coral island in North Malé Atoll, ringed by turquoise lagoons and white-sand beaches and just a short hop from the airport. It is one of the Maldives' established island resorts — and for divers, the real draw lies a few fin-kicks offshore: one of the country's most impressive house reefs, reachable straight from the beach.

From here, 40+ dive sites across North Malé Atoll are within reach, suitable for all experience levels. The atoll is known for sharks and manta rays, with turtles, vibrant reef fish, macro life and a few nearby wrecks rounding out the diving; mantas appear in season. A 4★ operation with on-site boat diving and its own hyperbaric chamber for added safety, Bandos packages 24 dives into a stay.

Staying here

Accommodation runs from garden and beachfront rooms to over-water and pool villas — eight room types in all, under thatched roofs in a relaxed island style and served half board. Four restaurants and three sunset-facing bars cover the dining, and between dives there is night fishing, dolphin cruises, island hopping and the Orchid Spa. The dive centre is backed by a training pool, classroom, retail shop and rental gear, with staff speaking English, French, German, Japanese and Russian.