Whale Shark Snorkelling Tour
End of March 2024, we travelled to the Maldives. This was a last-minute trip, so we didn’t organize much nor look too much into the Maldives.
We visited 2 public islands, Dhigurah and Maafushi. We opted for public islands because we weren’t willing to put a 1000€ or so per night to stay in a luxury and private island.
Both islands we visited were different. And while there, we learnt some great tips and this Maldives Itinerary is not following what we did but what rather what we would recommend doing after being there.
One of the attractions we did was a whale shark and Manta snorkelling tour. We did it from Dhigurah, but you can also do it from Maafushi.
In this article, we will tell our story of the Whale Shark Snorkelling Tour. So, if you too are planning a trip to the Maldives and to Whale Shark Snorkelling Tour, then let ‘s dive in this Whale Shark Snorkelling Tour review.
Here is our complete video from this trip :
Table of Contents
Mapping the day
Organising the tour
Organisation of the Whale Shark Snorkelling tour is pretty easy. It doesn’t matter on which island you are you can simply ask your accommodation to book it for you. Most of them either have a tour agency or are in touch with one.
If you are on Maafushi, you can also go and check one of the many tour agencies present on the island. Maafushi as the most touristic island of the Maldives has many tour agencies. And all of them offers the Whale Shark Snorkelling tour.
Cost of the tour
The cost of the tour depends on the island you start from. For instance, from Dhigurah it cost 150 USD per person and from Maafushi 100 USD per person.
The reason for such difference is that even though Dhigurah is much closer to the Whale sharks snorkelling point, the island is less developed and therefor tours and accommodation are much more expensive.
Also, if you do not see the Manta or the Whale Sharks, you can expect to have a discount. We didn’t get the chance to do the Whale Sharks Snorkelling and ended up paying 120 USD per person from Dhigurah.
When to Visit
The Maldives is a year-round destination, with hot and sunny conditions throughout the year. Temperatures remaining reasonably consistent, with highs ranging between 28°C and 32°C and lows rarely dropping beneath 24°C.
There are two seasons in the Maldives:
November to April, the Dry season: It is the peak season, and most resorts runs from January to April which is also the driest time of year. The conditions are optimum for a dreamy Maldives holiday.
May to October: the Wet season: During this time there is a higher risk of rain, however heavy rain tends to be short. With the peak rainfall being typically in June
Therefor it is mostly recommended to travel to the Maldives between January and April. We travelled to the Maldives end of March and we had mostly a great weather. We only got one cloudy day and some rainfall either in early morning or at night.
Where to Stay
Whale Shark Snorkelling Tour (And Manta)
Beginning of the tour
The morning of our Whale Sharks Snorkelling Tour started with some rain, but that didn’t last too long.
After breakfast, once our tummy full, we still had time before the adventures start, so we enjoyed coffee in the terasse in front of our room.
Later, we were picked up by the electric taxi of the island and then boarded our ship for the day. Us and another group of 3 joined in another group that dived in the morning and were now going snorkeling.
Snorkelling with Manta
Our first snorkeling was with a Manta. Once on site, we jumped in the water and went looking for the Manta. We found one but it was pretty deep. It was cool seeing the manta but we weren’t the only one that wanted to see it.
We stayed there for a while and then headed back to our boat. Once everyone on board the adventure continued toward the next snorkelling spot.
The Boat
While we transit to our next stop, let talk about the boat we were on. It was based on a traditional Maldivian design and was quite comfortable as it was big.
There even was a shower on it. And top deck to enjoy the views. But the real bonus was the toilet.
We also got free drinks such as water, juices, tea and coffee and some snacks! We didn’t know it and it was quite a surprise to have all those amenities.
Cruising in the Maldives is nice, and we got to see so many overwaters villa and private island.
Also if you take your trip from Maafushi, it will be on a speedboat as Maafushi is located 2 to 3h from Dhigurah.
Lunch
Another nice thing that we were unaware of is that we would get sandwiches for lunch. There were 2 choices, and one was a vegetarian option, so it was really cool
Dolphins Spotting
Unfortunately, so far, no whale sharks. There was one earlier, but it dived, so the guys on our boat lunched their drone to try finding another one.
In the meantime, we saw a bunch of dolphins, that was super cool.
Snorkeling
As they couldn’t find any whale sharks, they opted to go for another snorkeling point. That time it was only our boat. And we must say that we had such an amazing time there. But boy it is hard to stay long underway.
It was beautiful under the water, we saw lots of fishes, a turtle and even some small blacktip reef sharks. We actually stayed a while there as our team was still flying their drone looking for a whale sharks.
Whale Shark Snorkeling
In the end, they couldn’t find one, but we had such a great time. And one piece of advice, put lots of sun cream and even a t-shirt while snorkeling because that day we burnt!
So, after that we headed back to Dhigurah.
But if you see a whale shark that’s what you can expect:
ضرب الحديد ماحدو سخون Strike the iron while it’s still hot. (Take advantage of the opportunity before it passes you by)
