Fish Head
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily — treat everything here as planning ranges.
Fish Head carries a piece of Maldivian conservation history: once a shark-feeding circus, it was protected in the 1990s and its gray reef sharks stayed on as wild patrols rather than performers. They cruise the up-current terraces in loose formation while enormous schools of fusiliers and bluestripe snapper wash over the ledges. Napoleon wrasse — some of the tamest in the country — inspect divers at arm's length, a legacy of the feeding years. The overhangs drip with black coral and glassfish. Current management and buoyancy discipline decide whether this dive is comfortable or a workout.
The moment you come for: Patrolling gray reef sharks; fearless Napoleon wrasse; fish density that explains the name
Topography: Terraced pinnacle with dramatic overhangs, stone ledges, and black-coral bushes
Current: Exposed mid-atoll position; current sets the shark action and can strengthen without much warning.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Current over an exposed thila; popularity means multiple groups on the reef.
Conservation: Protected marine area since the 1990s; feeding and touching are prohibited.
Nitrox: Worth it here — profiles sit in the range where enriched air meaningfully extends no-stop time (with the training to use it).
Who you'll meet
Giant Trevally
Great Barracuda
Grey Reef Shark
Napoleon (Humphead) Wrasse
Oriental Sweetlips
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★★ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting