Coral garden
Dive site · Maldives
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
75Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: Sea 0.5 m, Visibility about 15 m, Water 29 °C
Tue 3 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 75 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 77 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 74 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 75 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 276, good
- Tue 372, good
- Wed 472, good
- Thu 575, good
- Fri 677, good
- Sat 776, good
- Sun 874, good
- Mon 975, good
- Tue 1069, good
- Wed 1176, good
The site in six facts
- Down to 25 mits deepest
- From the shorehow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 29 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- Faces SWswell from there reaches it
- Best in Mar7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 76, good | 0.6 m | 3 kn | 5kn | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 72, good | 0.6 m | 6 kn | 10kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 72, good | 0.7 m | 3 kn | 7kn | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 75, good | 0.6 m | 4 kn | 7kn | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 77, good | 0.5 m | 2 kn | 4kn | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 76, good | 0.5 m | 3 kn | 9kn | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 74, good | 0.6 m | 6 kn | 11kn | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 75, good | 0.5 m | 7 kn | 14kn | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 69, good | 0.5 m | 5 kn | 10kn | 28°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 76, good | 0.5 m | 6 kn | 10kn | 28°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:39 +0.2 mLow 12:21 −0.1 mHigh 17:30 +0.0 mLow 23:44 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 07:07 +0.2 mLow 14:21 −0.1 mHigh 20:56 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 02:18 −0.1 mHigh 08:51 +0.2 mLow 15:42 −0.2 mHigh 22:32 +0.2 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best in Mar
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site and its town
Coral garden on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More diving near here
5 places
- Bungalow 78 exit 0.4 km away
- Exit 0.4 km away
- Main jetty exit 0.4 km away
- Embudu Kandu 2.1 km away
- Embudu Channel / Embudu Express 2.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Coral garden
A reef dive. It goes down to 25 m. You get in from the shore. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces SW: swell from the SW reaches it, and wind from the NE blows out to sea. 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 0.3 km away. The sea is about 29°C in January, its coldest month (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm), and 30°C in April, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). For Advanced divers the best month is usually March, with about 7 good days in 7; in June and July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Male. Within 5 km we also list 6 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 25 m.
- Getting in From the shore.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 0.3 km away.
Water about 29°C: rash vest or 1 to 2 mm. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 15 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Feb, Mar and Apr (about 15 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,330–US$2,630 each
about US$1,330–US$2,630 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to MLE, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$906–US$1,880 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$188–US$315 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$208–US$389 |
| Total | about US$1,330–US$2,630 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Male
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 20 min by car · 144 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Male its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$67 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 27h 20m
About 27h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MLE, changing at İstanbul Airport (IST), then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → MLE on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Male · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Male · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Diverland Embudu 0.3 km
MA Services 9.8 km
Ocean Junkies Dive centre 14 km
Dive Club Maldives 15 km
Eco Dive Club 16 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Too few records at this site itself, so these are the animals divers and surveys have recorded at other sites within 25 km in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it there, not that you will.
Aetobatus ocellatusRay
Seen in 13 records, mostly Jan.
Redtoothed triggerfish Odonus niger
Seen in 26 records, mostly Jan.
Natal lightfoot crab Grapsus tenuicrustatus
Seen in 12 records, mostly Jan to Mar.
Titan triggerfish Balistoides viridescens
Seen in 7 records.
Culcita schmideliana
Seen in 5 records.
Pearsonothuria graeffei
Seen in 5 records.
Crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci
Seen in 4 records.
Lined Bristletooth Ctenochaetus striatus
Seen in 4 records.
Bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii
Seen in 4 records.
Acanthogorgia flabellum
Seen in 3 records.
Coenobita rugosusLand hermit crabs
Seen in 3 records.
Checkerboard wrasse Halichoeres hortulanus
Seen in 3 records.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO) and GBIF.org (1 November 2026, doi:10.15468/dl.jeesns), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS and GBIF; common names from the Catalogue of Life, the GBIF Backbone and Wikidata. Largest datasets here: Programme CROMIS: carnet de plongée en ligne de la FFESSM-Observations d'espèces subaquatiques collectées par les utilisateurs de CROMIS; iNaturalist Research-grade Observations; CAS Invertebrate Zoology (IZ); CAS Ichthyology (ICH). Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.