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Reefs / South Ari / Maamigili
Island reef

Maamigili

One reef, shared by 10 properties on Maamigili. Measured from satellite — the same water whichever of them you book.

Excellent reef Modelled — no in-water survey
Reef Conditions
7.1
Rating
Excellent
Atoll
South Ari
Properties here
10

Generated 2026-07-18 · Modelled from satellite · No in-water survey yet

Reef Conditions · measured from satellite

7.1Excellent

The reef at Maamigili’s island — shared by 10 properties here. Every guesthouse on this island snorkels the same reef, so we score the island, not the doorstep.

Reef cover (modelled)Hard-bottom cover, heat-stress adjusted
6.5
50% of the mapped reef is coral or algae (2.80 km² mapped) · reduced 0.7 for heat stress since the imagery (peak DHW 5.9)
Reef structureThe wall — slope, crest and extent
8.5
43% reef slope (1.50 km²) · reef crest present
Accessibility & easeHow far to the drop-off, and what you cross
6.4
498 m to the drop-off · 43% of the reef is shallow flat to cross
Fish diversity & abundanceNeeds in-water or first-party evidence
Pending
A satellite cannot count fish. We would rather say nothing than guess.
Big encountersNeeds in-water or first-party evidence
Pending
A satellite cannot count fish. We would rather say nothing than guess.

This is Reef Conditions — what a satellite can measure. The full Maldives Index, which adds fish life and big-animal encounters confirmed in the water, has not been awarded to any property yet.

What this is, and isn’t. Measured from the Allen Coral Atlas benthic and geomorphic maps (CC BY 4.0) and NOAA Coral Reef Watch heat-stress records (public domain). Its benthic class is “Coral/Algae” combined — a satellite cannot tell live coral from algae — so this is modelled reef cover, not verified coral health, and never a substitute for being in the water. Imagery vintage 2018-2021; heat stress since then is applied as a penalty.

When to go · South Ari

2species have published seasonality for this atoll — Whale shark, Reef manta ray. Timing is monsoon-driven and cited.

Seasonality & sources for South Ari →
How it compares

Against the rest of the country.

This reef
7.1
Maldives median (297 reefs measured)
6.0

The national median across 297 measured reefs is 6.

Snorkelling & marine life

Marine life

Maamigili · South Ari · a shared island reef

Documented in South Aricited

Whale shark

Present year-round — the single most widely mis-stated fact about Maldivian wildlife. The South Ari protected area works as a resting and development ground for juvenile sharks rather than a stop on a migration, so the population persists instead of arriving and leaving. The record runs to over 6,000 sightings of nearly 400 identified individuals across two decades.

Year-roundSourceIUCN SSC 2023Maldives Whale

Reef manta ray

A northeast-monsoon animal on this side of the atoll — the mirror image of Baa. Rangali Madivaru, on the western flank, sees mantas from about December to April, with courtship and pregnant females concentrated between January and April.

Dec–AprSourceIUCN SSC 2023Anderson et al. 2011
Not established here honest

Turtles — no atoll-level seasonal study exists; treat them as year-round residents rather than a season

Reef sharks — no atoll-level seasonal data

Who snorkels this reef

10 properties on this reef.

They share one reef, so they share one score. Which you pick changes your room, your dinner and your budget — it does not change the water.

Ari Residence Maamigili → Hiyalee Inn Maamigili → Maaniya Palace Maamigili → Oren Maamigili → Ranfaru Inn Maamigili → Shamar Guest House Maamigili → Tranquil by La Cabana Mamigili Maamigili → Vilu Residence @ Maamigili Maamigili → White Sand Inn Maamigili → Wish Maamigili Maamigili →

Where this reef is

3.47581, 72.83655

The pin is the island centroid from our geocoding — this is an island reef, so every property here shares both the reef and this point. Satellite imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics.

Before you get in

Pack for this reef.

Chosen from what we measured here — not a generic list.

Mask & snorkel
The one non-negotiable — a well-sealed mask makes or breaks the reef.
Reef-safe sunscreen
Oxybenzone-free — protects you and the coral, and it’s expected on these reefs.
Rash guard / UV top
Hours on the surface add up; covers you and cuts the sunscreen you need.
Fins
The drop-off is about 498 m out — fins make that swim, and holding position in current, far easier.
Dry bag
Keeps phone, room key and a towel dry on the walk out to the reef.

The Reef Code

Non-negotiable. These reefs take decades to grow and seconds to damage — the same rules apply on every reef in the index.

01
Never touch or stand on coral
It’s a living animal — a single footstep can undo decades of growth.
02
Keep your distance from wildlife
No touching, chasing, riding or cornering turtles, sharks, rays or mantas. Hover and let them come to you.
03
Reef-safe sunscreen only
Oxybenzone and octinoxate bleach coral. Cover up with a rash guard where you can.
04
Fins up, float horizontal
One careless fin-kick snaps fragile branching coral and clouds the water for everyone.
05
Never feed the fish
Feeding unbalances the reef and changes natural behaviour for good.
06
Take only photos, leave only bubbles
No collecting shells, coral or sand — living or dead, it stays on the reef.