I was there in November 1999 and October 2000.
In my first visit, I stayed at Bandos
www.bandos.com.mv
At this time I made an intro dive, and an another dive at Bandos house reef.
As you understand I was just starting to my dive hobby.
The dive operator was the onlyone found from Bandos.
In year 2000 I already had done cmas* course, so I dived to the wreck of m/v "Maldive Victory". The wreck is located very near to Airport island. The socond dive in this trip was to "Maagiri Rock", not much to see. This time I stayed in the capital island "Male".
I can recommend you NOT to stay in Male, because it is just a crowded city, from where you always have to use boat, when you want to dive (not clean shores). I don't remember the dive operator, but I might find it from my logbook (it's in my home, now I am at work).
I started to freedive after my second visit, so I don't have any freediving experience from Maldives. The Bandos house reef would have been good from freediving. The reef drops very quickly (like a wall) to about 20-25 meters, and there is only a very small current.
I made so small amount of dives, because on both trips I was working in Male. Long workdays in air conditioned room.
Maldives is full of beautiful tiny islands, and I believe all resorts have a dive school. Most of those have good freediving possibilities (recreational freediving, not any organized freediving). The currents may cause troubles, so you have to choose your location depending on that. Some of the islands are so far away from the airport, that you have to continue with a seaplane. Bandos was so near, that the transportation was with a slowboat (dhoni) or with speedboat.