Outrigger Maldives House Reef: A Snorkeler’s Review 

All of my snorkeling guides include my personal ratings. I realize this will be subjective, but it does give you a sense of what to expect.

Please see my snorkel rating key for interpretation.

We spoke to the dive shop and asked where to snorkel. They provided us with this nice map to show us where the entry/exit points in the reef are located.

If you love snorkeling, I strongly suggest staying in the Overwater Villas with Private Plunge Pool. I’ve marked the location of our villa on the map. See my full Outrigger Resort review here if you want to know what it’s like staying in one of these rooms.

We initially swam out to the reef directly from our villa.

However, we later discovered there was a platform and ladder at the end of the pier, which led into the water. That’s the closest you can get to the reef, which requires only a short swim.

ROOM TIP:  The further you stay at the end of the pier of the Overwater Pool Villas, the closer you are to the drop-off at the reef.

I included this Google satellite map to show there are clear cuts in the reef to help you navigate to those entry/exit points.

Also, look for the buoys that mark the entry/exit points.

I created three routes. Refer back to the snorkel map for orientation.

Route #1 is quite a swim. Start at the end of the pier at the Overwater Villas with Private Pools and snorkel clockwise to the right and exit at the reef cut right in front of the property’s swimming pool. You’ll deserve a hearty lunch after this snorkel.

Route #2 is short and sweet. Start at the end of the pier again and snorkel counterclockwise and exit at the next reef cut BEFORE you hit the Sunset Jetty.

Do NOT swim past the Sunset Jetty. This is where the boats go back and forth.

Juvenile sharks love to hand out underneath that jetty, and there are usually LARGE schools of fish. This is also where we saw a nurse shark!

There’s also a deep sandy area in between the overwater pool villas and the jetty where the stingrays love to bury in the sand.

Route #3 is another fun swim. Walk through the property and enter the water at the Sunrise Jetty (photo below). The snorkel counterclockwise past Moodhu Grill and exit at the reef cut in front of the swimming pool. This is where we saw a turtle and lots of schools of fish.

By the way, if you are nervous about snorkeling on your own, the Outrigger does offer a 1-hour guided house reef snorkeling tour for $70.

Now, the fun part!

All snorkeling photos were taken with my favorite underwater camera.

If you need help identifying fish in the Maldives, do not miss my fun Maldives Fish Chart.

Here is what we saw on Outrigger’s House Reef:

The South Ari Atoll in the Maldives is one of the best places in the world to snorkel with whale sharks. And the Outrigger Maldives Maafushivaru Resort is located in the South Ari Atoll!

So of course, we had to sign up for the Whale Shark tour during our stay! The tours do not operate every day, so make sure to book with Outrigger’s dive shop as soon as you can to avoid disappointment.

Sightings are not guaranteed, but we were lucky and able to snorkel with this majestic, massive 40,000 pound fish for a good 5 minutes. They are fast!

This was our second experience snorkeling with whale sharks. Our first was at Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

This underwater adventure is #16 on my couples’ bucket list for exceptional travel experiences. 

To make this experience even better, we saw a playful pod of dolphins on our return trip back to the resort. Pretty special day.

The Outrigger also offers a Manta Ray Excursion. We did not do this tour, but fellow travelers that we met did and loved it! I saw their video footage, which was pretty impressive.

Sometimes it’s tough to find information on snorkeling destinations. I hope this snorkeling guide helped! We really enjoyed the house reef at Outrigger and would happily stay there again.

Also, if you are traveling across the world to have an exceptional snorkeling experience, do not forget to bring your own fitted snorkel gear. Properly fitted gear will elevate your underwater adventures to a whole new level.

Don’t miss my top 13 snorkel gear items I bring on all my snorkations!

Happy snorkeling!

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Questions about our snorkeling experience at Outrigger Maldives’ house reef?

Let me know in the comments below!