South Ari Atoll (Maamigili)

What is SAMPA, the 56 km² area protected in South Ari since 2009?

The government of the Maldives declared the South Ari Marine Protected Area, or SAMPA, on June 5, 2009, by a directive of the Ministry of Environment under the 1993 environmental protection law. It stretches one kilometer out from the reef crest of all the islands between the northwest corner of Rangali reef and the northern tip of Dhigurah reef, 5,610 hectares in all, and it is managed by the Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA, with rangers on the water. The management plan adopted in 2025 made boat registration, propeller guards from June 30, 2025, and guide licensing mandatory. Entry is still free, but the ministry can introduce a fee.

Why do whale sharks stay in South Ari all year?

What makes South Ari unique is residency. Elsewhere, whale sharks pass through with the plankton; here, they stay. Males account for 72.5% of sightings, almost all juveniles of 4 to 8 meters, and the same animals come back year after year. The Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme has identified more than 700 of them by their spot patterns since 2006, with more than 8,000 encounters logged. The area probably serves as a transition habitat between youth and maturity. Its economic value has been put at US$9.4 million a year, from 65,000 visitors who come for these animals, and the propeller injuries seen on some of the sharks explain the strict boating rules.

What are the whale shark rules in South Ari?

In the water, keep 3 meters from the head and body and 4 meters from the tail. Never move ahead of the gills, never cut across its path, and never touch or hold on to it. Flash, selfie sticks and bright lights are banned, as are lights that attract animals at night. No more than sixty people, guides included, can be in the water with the same shark, each for fifteen minutes when other boats are waiting in the contact zone, and a SAMPA-licensed guide goes with every group of six. Boats stay under 10 knots in the area, 5 knots within 250 meters of an animal and 2 knots within 50 meters, and activities stop from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The EPA penalizes violations.

Should you snorkel or dive with the South Ari whale sharks?

In South Ari you meet the whale shark at the surface, and snorkeling is the normal way to see it: a boat search along the outer reef, a gentle entry as soon as an animal is spotted, then swimming parallel at its pace, which is slow but steady. On scuba, the Dhigurah and Maamigili dive centers dive the outer wall, Maamigili Beyru or Dhigurah Beyru, between 10 and 30 meters: whitetip reef sharks, turtles, reef schools, and sometimes the big spotted shadow passing overhead, to be kept at 20 meters as the management plan requires. Photographers prefer snorkeling, with no flash, on a calm dry-season morning.