House reef
The house reef is located on the east side of the Island and accessible from the jetty.
The diving school is next to the jetty on the beach and with the buggy it will take only 2 minutes to reach the end of the jetty near the house reef.
The reef drops down fairly quick to a depth of 25 meters were the sandy bottom displays a variety of macro life; garden eels, hermit crabs, shrimps, nudibranches, honeycomb moray eels and bottom dwelling stingrays.
The reef itself is has stony corals and finger corals hosting small reef fish.
The mild currents make it an excellent training reef to make check dives or diving courses.
Kurolhi Thila (25 min. by boat)
A shallow Thila drops from 4 meters to a sandy bottom at 30 meters of depth.
The North -East side is a particular beautiful ‘drop off ‘with small caves and overhangs. Black corals with the long nose hawk fish; scorpion and stone fishes hunt patiently the numerous amounts of glass fishes who seek cover in the overhangs.
Large tunas, Napoleon wrasses and Green Turtles make their appearance between shoals of rainbow runners and fusiliers.
Huvahandhoo corner (30 min. by boat)
At the South-East side of the Atoll the only large channel provides plankton rich water inside the Atoll and the reefs around this area have abundant colored soft and hard corals.
The outside reef next to Huvahandhoo Island is a haven for sweet lips, red & black snappers, surgeon fishes, emperors, banner fishes and red tooth trigger fishes.
The reef gradually slopes down from 5 meters until 10 meters before dropping of the 30 meters
Hard corals are coming back big time at this reef from builder to stony and staghorn to table corals.
Blocks of coral formations are crowded with cleaning fish and deliver their service to all the reef fish available.
Hughes dogtooth tunas and large napoleon families, sometimes 8 together, make this dive site a special experience.
Weeping eye (25 min. by boat)
A beautiful site for drift diving, located at the west side of Ihavandhoo Island.
A 20 meters deep plateau, covered with healthy stony corals, leads to a small thila, completely overgrown with soft corals.
Rich fish life with a variety of eels, including the black cheek, honeycomb and giant moray eel.
Surgeon, parrot, butterfly, banner fishes and yellow versus blue strip fusiliers cloud on top of the little thila.
Kuda Bandu Thila (25 min. by boat)
Fuseliers and yellow snappers on the surface determine the top of the thila on the East side of Ihavandhoo, starting at 7 meters and descending to 25 meters of depth.
On the top of the thila clusters of anemone corals with the skunk anemone fish can be found, large rock formations with lion fishes, moray eels, scorpion fishes and shrimps stand between patches of sand.
The round thila is a heaven of hard corals and on the east side connected through a sandy bridge at 18 meters with a smaller thila at a depth of 20 meters.
Take your time for a relaxed and easy dive and discover a variety of small marine life and stunning hard corals.
Bodu Bandu Thila (25 min. by boat)
Positioned on the North side of Kudan bandu Thila , a larger thila ascens from a depth of 30 meters.
The most interesting part is the North side with a steep reef and several caves with black corals hosting the famous long nose hawk fish.
Napoleons and tunas are cruising by.
One cave at 7 meters has a ‘look through’ and the sun rays reflex on the darting schools of glass fish.
This site is ideal for a night dive, sleeping turtles and napoleon can be discovered in the caves and the orange crumble, yellow sponges decorate the walls full of compacted clumps of Faulkners corals with extended bright orange polyps.
Muladhoo Corner (35 min. by boat)
On the East side of JA Manafaru form 4 large Islands a string and separate the inside of the Atoll with the Indian Ocean.
The South corner of Muladhoo has everything to offer for a thrilling drift dive.
Jack fish, napoleon and bat fish, right at the corner, anemones, gobies, garden eels and stingrays in the channel, red & black snappers, tunas and sharks at the drop off exhibit the best what the Maldives have to offer.
Madulu Caves (40 min. by boat)
The inside reef of Madulu is a beautiful wall, overgrown with small soft corals and sponges, small table corals and builder corals in between, from 2 meters until 25 meters of depth.
Three caves are lined up with their sandy bottom at 20 meters give a good cover for sting rays porcupine and puffer fish.
Banner, lion and angel fish are among the uncountable reef fishes that enrich the already beautiful reef.
This top reef is a challenge for the macro enthusiast, beginners and diving course candidates.
Mattey Muli (40 min. by boat)
The famous divemaster, Mattey, of the safari boat the Sun Set Queen discovered this reef during the expedition trip exploring Haa Alifu Atoll for dive sites.
The South side of the uninhabited Gallandhoo Island offers a nice reef with table corals, sponges, mushroom leather corals and staghorn corals crowded with damsel fishes.
The reef slopes gently down till 30 meters; lobsters, golden brasslets, groupers, goat and angel fishes, eagle rays and napoleon wrasses belong to the possibilities to see during the dive.
Ihavandhoo Thila (25min. by boat)
This shallow thila in Ihavandhoo channel is situated near Ihavandhoo, with the top reef at 5 meters displaying overhangs with colorful soft corals and lobsters.
With the correct current mantas are cleaning on the cleaning station on top of the thila.
The thila is a haven for macro life and with strong currents large amounts of reef fishes inhabit the reef and give away a whirling show.
Gallandhoo Faru (40 min. by boat)
The beautiful Gallandhoo Island has more faces to show us, the East side is particular nice and ideal for beginners, a large shallow reef (10 meters of depth) with patches of fine white sand and clusters of rock formations with hard corals connected with a slope reaching 20 meters of depth.
Black corals, small overhangs, loped pore corals and fan corals give the reef a tranquil appearance.
Green turtles and napoleons are the bigger species among the smaller reef fishes.
Filadhoo Wreck (90 min. by boat)
Next to the local Island Filadhoo lays a 50 year old wreck from the surface till 14 meters of depth.
The wreck is overgrown with a variety of hard and soft corals hosting schools of jack fish, groupers, snappers and fusiliers.
Eagle rays and white tip reef sharks can be seen.
This dive is for beginners and advanced divers a breath taking experience!
Berinmadhoo Kandu (35 min. by boat)
The South corner of Berinmadhoo Kandu is a round reef, starting from the Indian Oceon, gradually bending inside the channel.
With current flowing inside the Atoll, schools of jack fishes, barracudas, snappers, tunas, napoleons, turtles, fusiliers, rainbow runners and white tip reef sharks are concentrated around the immediate corner.
Fringes of table coral formation at the outside reef are occupied by schools of juvenile palette surgeon fishes.
Dighufaruhuraa Beru (55 min. by boat)
Rich plankton attracts manta rays and whale sharks, feeding at the surface during the South-West monsoon.
White tip and grey reef sharks hover around at the drop off accompanied by schools of sweet lips, fusiliers, yellow & blue stripe snappers and surgeon & soldier fishes.
The reef itself is has some hard coral patches but is mainly a sandy slope.
True fisher men tales.
Fisher men from the local Island Huvarafushi have seen humpback and minky whales passing by at the west side of Ha Aalifu Atoll during the East monsoon from December until the end of April.
An American survey group with scientist comes back yearly in this period to observe the migrating whales.
In the same period at the east side of Mulhadhoo whale sharks cruise the outside reef.
Nasfaru (20 min. by boat)
Between JA Manafaru and Ihavandhoo Local Island, one wonderful pinnacle starts from a depth of 6-7 meters.
The top of this round reef, giri, is similar to a plateau with sandy areas crowded of garden eels, small shrimps and gobies.
The reef steeps down like a wall that reaches 25 meters of depth. A large number of stony corals and sea fans decorate the reef and in between the small overhangs, lion fishes and morays mingle with the reef.
At about 15 meters depth, several black coral formations host the famous long nose hawk fish.
But the characteristic of this reef is unique and rare in Maldives: at the depth of about 18 meters, the wonderful ribbon eels show their beauty.
This is relaxing dive for beginners and experienced divers. Don’t forget your camera; you will miss fantastic underwater pictures!
Vagaaru Garden (40 min. by boat)
Close to the local island of Thuraakunu, one exceptional manta point, from the beginning of December until the end of May!
During this period, when the current flow out from the atoll, the outside reef is full of plenty of huge and friendly mantas all around at three different cleaning stations, from 10 to 14 meters of depth.
This reef is quiet shallow and it slopes gently down among luxuriant large table corals and stony corals.
If mantas are not there; Vagaaru is a flourish garden, full of life, from red snappers to jack fishes, eagle rays and honey comb morays, napoleon fishes and school of barracuda.
Ideal for all divers, this is a dive site of enormous beauty!
Uligamu Caves (40m.by boat)
The local island of Uligamu, famous in this atoll for its new sailing boats’ harbor, has a long outside reef very particular.
The top reef is rich of green turtles and around the several coral blocks and table corals, many small reef fishes swim around.
The reef gradually slopes down to a depth of 30 meters, among soft corals and table corals. At the depth of 20 to 26 meters, some sandy bottom caves where one of this allow the swimming through,
stingrays ,nurse sharks, big groupers and lobster are can be found.
In the blue water, schools of fusiliers and jack fishes swim around.
One perfect dive for experienced divers and always rich of surprises!
Rasfushi (20min.by boat)
One round reef, a giri, is grown over with hard and soft corals.
The top reef starts around 8-10 meters and slowly drops down until the depth of about 25 meters.
Rich of sea fans, small shrimps especially at the north side, this reef host different lion fishes, morays and sometimes turtles come nearby.
At the depth of around 18 meters, there is a wide canyon with many huge lobsters.
The sandy bottom of this reef is the ideal place for the leopard shark.
Becky’s Caves (25min.by boat)
This reef is the north side of Madulu Island.
The top reef starts from 7 meters and drops down until 20-25 meters depth, showing all its beauty.
It is a real wall reef, where you can meet napoleon fishes, red snappers and morays, lion fishes and different kind of nudibranches in the small overhangs.
At the depth of 20 meters, one huge recess of the reef shows on one side a wall completely covered of soft corals of different colors; from yellow, pink, white to orange, a real universe of colors!
Bring with you your torch and your camera: one fantastic dive for everybody but one rare show to see!
Farukolhu Kandu (50min.by boat)
On the opposite side of Vagaaru, divided by a wide channel, is Farukolhu.
This long reef starts from 12 meters, full of table corals with many reef fishes.
Very often we can see green turtles on the top reef.
The reef drops down to a depth of 30 meters, but already when you arrive at 23-24 meters depth there are some overhangs with a sandy bottom that host many nurse sharks and big puffer fishes.
Still hard corals and table corals trim the reef.
In the blue water around, school of banner fishes and huge tunas complete the scene.
This is another exciting and amazing dive not to miss. Advanced and Nitrox license is advisable at this dive site.