Dhigurah Island

Whale Shark Snorkelling: Whale sharks may be spotted all throughout the year towards the southern part of Ari Atoll region, and are frequently spotted near Dhigurah Island. Thus, those willing to add some adventure to their experience may try snorkelling with the whale sharks in the Indian Ocean.

House Reef Snorkelling: Dhigurah Island’s diverse underwater flora and fauna may be explored by going for House Reef Snorkelling session a few kilometres away from the island. During snorkelling, coral reefs stretching over kilometres of distance may be easily spotted along with marine animals such as eagle rays, black & white tip–reef sharks, eels, turtles etc. 

Manta Snorkelling: Go for snorkelling sessions in the Indian Ocean to swim with the reef mantas of Dhigurah Island. Present in different sizes, mantas having a wingspan of up to 3.5 meters may be spotted while snorkelling. Here, it should be noted that Manta Snorkelling sessions are organized depending upon their hatching season. Thus, one needs to check with the local operators about this activity prior to visiting the place. 

Sandbank Picnicking: Small picnics or private dinners may be organized at the small stretch of sandbank present on the southern end of Dhigurah Island. With shallow waters present between the island and the sandbank, one may actually walk up to the sandbank, and enjoy devouring them under the bright sunshine! 

Dolphin Spotting: Primarily, bottlenose dolphins and spinner dolphins are found frequently in the waters surrounding Dhigurah Island. During the snorkelling or diving sessions, one may observe dolphins swimming in pods of size varying from five to fifteen dolphins. Those who are lucky may even get a chance to witness the superpod having 50 to over 100 dolphins! Even the pilot whales may be spotted along with the dolphin pods near Dhigurah. 

Fishing and Fish Barbeque: Those willing to go for fishing may do so by grouping along with the local inhabitants of Dhigurah Island. After making attempts to catch fishes such as snapper fish, barracuda, grouper fish etc., the same may be feasted upon in the evening at the fish barbeques organized on Dhigurah’s sandbank or the boats!

The best time to visit Dhigurah is during the months of January to September. During these months, the weather is quite pleasant. Not only this, whale sharks and manta rays may also be spotted easily near the island during these months.

Consumption of alcohol or any related products is strictly prohibited on Dhigurah as per Maldives’ law, so it is advised to avoid carrying any alcoholic drinks from the mainland during the trip. There is also a penalty of USD 100 per person for the same.

Dhigurah is situated 96 Km towards the south-east of Male at the southern end of Ari Atoll. To travel to and from Dhigurah, the following modes of transportation may be opted:

Airways: To travel via airways, FLYME Airlines, a domestic airline of Maldives, organizes air transfers from Male International Airport to Dhigurah. This also includes transfers to the island via boat. Being a scheduled domestic flight, the air transfers to Dhigurah Island are made on first–come basis. The air journey takes around 20 minutes time and the following boat ride takes around 30 minutes to reach Dhigurah. Those willing to travel via airways need to check with the airlines for the fares.

Waterways: To travel only via waterways, tickets may be booked for ferries travelling directly between Male and Dhigurah. Operating twice in a week, the tickets cost around USD 35 per person (each way), and it usually takes around 5 hours for one–way journey.
Another ferry service operating between Male and Dhigurah Island via Mahibadhoo may also be considered. For this, tickets need to be booked for Male to Mahibadhoo at a price of USD 35 per person (each way). Further, tickets for Mahibadhoo to Dhigurah Island may be booked at Mahibadhoo only at a price of USD 15 per person (each way). It usually takes around 7 hours for one–way journey to reach Dhigurah Island via Mahibadhoo.