Nurse Shark & Turtle Safari

Year-round, not a narrow season

Nurse sharks and turtles are largely resident rather than migratory, so sightings stay dependable across the year — Constance Moofushi's Nurse Shark Adventure runs year-round, and Sirru Fen Fushi's roughly forty resident turtles live on the house reef year-round.

Booked on-island, sometimes on a fixed schedule

Usually arranged through the resort's dive or watersports centre once you've checked in, though Constance Moofushi runs its Nurse Shark Adventure on a fixed twice-weekly schedule rather than on request.

Generally beginner-friendly

Nurse sharks are bottom-dwelling and docile, and most encounters are guided snorkels rather than dives — no certification needed at resorts like Constance Moofushi.

Hatchling releases add a seasonal layer, where they happen

A handful of resident-turtle populations go further than year-round sightings — Sirru Fen Fushi releases hatchlings seasonally when conditions allow.

Which Maldives resorts have the best nurse shark and turtle safaris?

A few stand out in the evidence we work from. Constance Moofushi runs a twice-weekly, year-round Nurse Shark Adventure that brings guests to a site with around fifty nurse sharks at once, photographed as part of the trip. Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu takes the conservation route with the Olive Ridley Project's Marine Turtle Rescue Centre, open daily for visits and feeding. Coco Bodu Hithi has a reliable turtle and nurse shark spot, Turtle Point, just fifteen minutes from the island, and Sirru Fen Fushi has its own resident population of around forty sea turtles along the house reef. See the roster below for what's confirmed at each resort we work with.

How do I book a nurse shark or turtle safari?

It's usually booked as an excursion through the resort's dive or watersports centre once you're on island, though a few resorts, like Constance Moofushi, run it on a fixed weekly schedule rather than on request. Tell us you're interested before you travel and we'll flag it in your itinerary so it's one less thing to sort out on arrival.

Are nurse sharks dangerous to snorkel with?

Nurse sharks are bottom-dwelling and generally docile, which is exactly why resorts like Constance Moofushi run guided snorkel encounters with them rather than treating them as a diving-only sighting. A guide briefs the group beforehand and stays with you in the water; as with any wildlife encounter, you follow their lead rather than approach the animals yourself.

Is a nurse shark and turtle safari the same as swimming with whale sharks or manta rays?

No — different animals and a different kind of trip. Nurse sharks and turtles are largely resident, so sightings tend to hold steady across the year, as at Constance Moofushi's year-round Nurse Shark Adventure or Sirru Fen Fushi's resident turtle population. Whale sharks and manta rays are migratory and tied to specific sites and seasons elsewhere in the country — a separate excursion worth asking us about on its own terms.