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The Maldives - Diving Options

Diving Sites

There are numerous recognized diving sites in The Maldives, but Reef Dives, Kandu’s, Thilas and Wrecks are the most important:

Reef Dives
Reefs lay offshore and protect the island from battering waves, they can be approached from the shore through shallow waters. However, once you pass over the reef it quickly slopes down into deep water, the wide edges of a reef appear to be the most fascinating part of a reef to dive. More adventurous divers have the option to visit interesting terraces on the outer reef slopes, where the atoll meets the open sea. Inner reef slopes, in the sheltered waters inside an atoll are generally more gentle dives and feature coral formations with numerous smaller reef fish.

Kandu
Between islands or reefs on the outer edge of an Atoll, there lies a Kandu, a channel which is more suitable for drift diving. The waters inside an Atoll are a breeding ground for plankton, particularly where the waters flow out through a Kandu into the open sea.

Species such as Manta Rays and Whale Sharks are attracted by this rich supply of plankton.

Thilas
A Thilla is a coral formation that rises steeply from the Atoll floor forming a spectacular underwater mountain, which divers can swim around. The top of the Thilla is teaming with reef fish and features hard coral. The steep sides often have recesses, small caves and overhangs, which provide shelter for many small fish. Larger fish visit to feed on the smaller fish.

Wrecks
Many ships have foundered on the reefs that surround the Maldivian islands; however, very few of these wrecks are accessible by the amateur diver - those with historical interest require permission from the government to dive. Those sites with accessible wrecks are mostly outside the atolls and are interesting for the coral and other marine life which colonizes the hilt within the wrecks.