Hammerhead Point (Rasdhoo Madivaru)
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.
This is the Maldives' classic dawn gamble, run from Rasdhoo, the small satellite atoll on Ari's northeastern shoulder. Divers roll in before sunrise and hang at 25 to 30 meters in open blue, watching down-slope for the silhouettes of scalloped hammerheads rising from deep water where they spend the day. Some mornings deliver a slow parade; plenty deliver nothing but gray reef sharks and eagle rays on the wall as consolation, and honest guides say the odds have thinned compared with decades past. The dive itself — dark water, no reference, buddy discipline — is a skill test worth the alarm clock either way.
The moment you come for: Dawn blue-water hangs for scalloped hammerheads; wall traffic on the way home
Topography: Steep outer wall falling from a channel corner into deep open water
Current: Pre-dawn blue-water descent off the corner of Rasdhoo Atoll's channel; flow can push divers off the drop quickly.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Deep blue-water descents in darkness, no visual reference, and current off the corner.
Conservation: Sightings are wild and unbaited; nothing is done to attract the sharks.
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
Dogtooth Tuna
Grey Reef Shark
Scalloped Hammerhead
Spotted Eagle Ray
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★☆☆ · Macro: ★☆☆☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting