South Ari Atoll is the Maldives' flagship whale shark area and one of the world's most reliable year-round encounter zones. Local research and conservation are led by the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme and the Big Fish Network, which documented over 700 identified whale sharks and more than 8,000 encounters by January 2022. Encounters are possible all year, with practical peaks typically around January to April and again August to October.
