Joanna James
With clear turquoise waters that hide a wide variety of rare water species, the Maldives is a paradise for diving. Read on as we dive in (pun intended!) to the gems for diving in the country.
Located in the Vavu Atoll, Fotteyo Kandu is quite famed in the world of diving. It is a name that is synonymous with diving excursions in Maldives. Housing an innumerable species of coral and other water species, it further has overhangs and caves that you can swim to. Dive deeper and you will come across more rare coral such as black corals. On the side of fish species, yellowfin tuna and reef sharks are some of the big names you are sure to come across. Close to the centre of the channel is a thila where you can rest from your excursion for a bit.
This little gem is present in the Lhaviyani Atoll. Part of the name is derived from the fact that it has a strong current in the channel. The dive site is pretty famous and resorts such as Baros Maldives offer excursions to the site. The difficulty is ranked at the intermediate level while reef shark, eagle rays and stingrays are known to frequent the area. A unique feature of this site is that it has a terrace at different depth levels. This allows you to recuperate and gaze at the underwater world around you. The reef even has two bays which are home to a number of corals and fishes.
Okobe Thila is well known for its ever present current that spirals you round the thila. It has a maximum of three levels which range between thirty five feet to one hundred and sixty five feet. This beautiful dive site is in the North Male Atoll and is sometimes referred to as Barracuda Giri by the locals. There are plenty of shallow caves that are worth exploring. Lionfishes, scorpionfish and batfish can be seen at the Okobe Thila.
This dive site is well known for its unusual rock formation. A canyon divides the reef into two sections, which should explain the name of this site. The difficulty of this site is thought to be of an intermediate level. Turtles and moray eels have frequently seen in this region, and so has some species of sharks. When diving between both reefs, keep your eyes peeled for big fan corals that jut out of the wall. Broken Rock has a habit of delivering something new to every diver so prepare yourself beforehand for these underwater phenomena!
Not only does Kandooma Thila have a great diving site but it also has beautiful scenery that matches what is under the water. Red bass often frequents the thousands of corals while white tipped reef sharks and grey sharks can be seen here too. Furthermore, Kandooma Thila is a hotbed for turtles. There are many spots at the reef top offering great viewpoints to view these majestic creatures.
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