Karibeyru Thila is one of the top diving sites. The diving spot in Maldives known as Kari Beyru Thila is a long, narrow stretch in the North-South plane along the eastern edge of the atoll. There are numerous interesting caves to explore, which are rich in coral growth and marine life. The east side descends to 35 meters, with the west side down to 25 meters. The northern side slops down gently to 30 meters with an abundance of coral blocks towards the top. Fish life is very lively here, with tuna, snapper, stone fish, manta rays, sting rays, napoleon and white-tip as well as grey reef sharks.
As one of the best dive sites in world, the caves also contain a variety of soldierfish, such as the shadow-fin soldierfish, alongside scribbled filefish, trumpetfish and the freckled hawkfish. For divers navigating alongside the reef, you may be able to source the well camouflaged leaf fish, and maybe even the white-banded possum wrasse, or the cheeked pipefish. This detailed dive site map and reef is filled with invertebrates and stunning coral formations as well as picturesque caves and features suitable for divers of all levels – an absolute must for all diving holidays to the Maldives. This dive site Maldives is best experienced slowly, with time to take in all the features on offer. When studying the fauna, be especially careful with buoyancy control as many of the overhangs are very shallow. Try and avoid the overhangs if not in full control.
Where is the Maldives? Talking about the Maldives location, this island is situated towards the southwest of India and Sri Lanka. The Republic of Maldives is basically a cluster of nearly 1190 coral islands, out of which only 200 are inhabited. About 88 islands serve exclusively as resort islands. The island of Maldives stretches 823 km from north to south and 130 km from east to west. Read on to know more about the Maldives geography.
The geographical location of Maldives Island is such that if you view from the top, these coral islands make spectacular patterns as against the depth of the Indian Ocean. Most of its islands are located at a walking distance of maximum 10 minutes. They are hardly a mile long. This place witnesses the merging of beautiful beaches, crystal clear waters and the blue sky and this makes the whole atmosphere very peaceful and serene.
Land Statistics: Coastline: 400 miles (644 km) Area: (land)116 sq miles (300 sq km), (water) 0 sq miles (0 sq km) (TOTAL) 116 sq miles (300 sq km) Highest Point: Unnamed location on Vilingili Island in the Addu Atoll – - 7.87 ft. (2.4 m) Land Divisions: 19 atolls, including: Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa and Vaavu; and the administrative division of Maale. Map of Maldives – Not sure where the Maldives is located? The Maldives is a tropical country located on the India Ocean about 700 kilometres (430 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka and 400 kilometres (250 mi) south-west of India. The islands of the Maldives are spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi), making it one of the world’s most dispersed countries in geographic terms.
Gangehi Kandu is without a doubt one of the best dive sites. Gangehi Kandu is one of the longest channels in the Ari Atoll, with a drift of more than 2.5 km from the channel’s entrance to the end of the top dive site at the inside of the Atoll. When the current is incoming at Gangehi Kandu, the dive begins a bit further out and drifts inside the channel. Once inside the channel, this is where you start seeing the caves and overhangs and a few outcrops away from the reef. These outcrops have interesting features and are covered with excellent hard and soft coral. The bottom of the entire channel at Gangehi Kandu is sandy, making it a perfect resting ground for Stingrays, White Tip Reef Sharks and the Leopard or Zebra Shark which is commonly spotted here at Gangehi Kandu.
Lhazikuraadi (Hakuraa Thila) – Maldives Dive Sites. This stunning dive location is a favorite of divers visiting the Maldives, not only due to its stunning visual beauty but also the plethora of features it has to offer. Lhazikuraadi is a thila about 75 meters in length rising to 2 meters, with many attractions on every side of the reef. On the northeast side is a spot on the reef with caves, overhangs and ledges that decline in small steps from five to 35 meters. The eastern ridge also houses a large cave between 10 and 15 meters with loads of invertebrate life. It is best to bring a torch into this cave to enjoy it to its full potential. On the northern side the reef gradually slopes down to 30 meters. A touch further west you will find a ridge at 25 meters with a sheer vertical drop to about 40 meters.
When enjoying one of the world dive sites, divers should remember to stay close to the reef once they leave the corner. During strong currents at this top diving location, underwater turbulence can be experienced within the channel near the caves and coral blocks. If divers are pushed away from the reef at Guriadhoo Kandu toward the deep blue water, do not try and fight against the current. Instead, they should drift with the current, try ascending to shallower waters and deploy the surface balloon. The balloon should remain visible on the surface until the dive boat has located the diver. Experience Level: Suitable for beginners when the current is not strong, but when currents are strong, the dive is strictly only suitable for experienced divers that can handle underwater turbulence and washing machine-like conditions.
Kandooma Thila is clearly one of the top 10 dive sites. Shaped like a teardrop, Kandooma Thila is one of the most spectacular dives in the South Male Atoll, for scenery as well as for prolific fish life. Subjected to strong currents, a quick descend is necessary at Kandooma Thila. The best dive locations begin at the up-current and dive guides usually set the jumping point a few metres away from the reef. Be prepared to make an open water safety stop and to use a surface balloon, which should be deployed as soon as divers reach shallower water and while making the safety stop. Keep the balloon visible on the surface at all times until the dive boat locates the divers.
Kuda Haa is according to scuba divers one of the best diving sites. Kuda Haa is definitely considered as one of best top diving spots and the highlights of scuba diving in the Maldives. Kuda Haa is best dived when the currents are not strong. Located on the Southwestern side of North Male Atoll, Kuda Haa is a Thila (Pinnacle) consisting of two parts. Both parts are easily visible, and navigating from one to the other is easy. Both parts of the Kuda Haa Thila are covered with delicate corals making Kuda Haa an ideal site to find rare invertebrate species such as Nudibranchs, Flatworms, Leaf Fish and Frog Fish. Divers should be prepared to make an open water safety stop and a surface balloon is necessary.
Also, package prices for cheap diving holidays in the Maldives tend to include numerous extras such as airport transfers, dive transfers, meals plus snacks and select beverages, island visits, sports activities and so on. Most safari boat excursions in the Maldives include free visits to uninhabited islands and, if the weather allows it, dinner is served on the beach. Having an island (almost) all to yourself is an unforgettable experience: once you land on the island and venture away from the shore, you might well come across a variety of exotic birds, flowers and butterflies. On a few islands, you can even find remains of old settlements and temples. As mentioned at the beginning, diving from a liveaboard in the Maldives is easy. During the trip, there is no need to carry back and forth diving equipment, because all diving equipment is stowed directly on the “Dive Dhoni”, a refitted traditional Maldivian fishing boat, which acts as a floating dive base and accompanies the mother ship.
You are almost likely to see several diving maldives whales sharks here, which also thrive on this planton. Diving Hanifaru Bay is just one of the many places where you can enjoy shark diving in Maldives. Maldives shark diving is possible throughout the archipelago, where you will see many different species of sharks, although whale sharks are perhaps the biggest attraction to divers in the diving Maledives, because of their enormous size and docile nature. If youâre keen on shark diving Maldives, youâll be interested to know that you can also expect to see a variety of reef sharks and zebra sharks while in the Maldives. The other great thing about diving holidays in the Maldives is that they can be enjoyed year-round. There are several Maldives diving season. The best time to enjoy Maldives scuba diving holidays is between December and March, when the weather is at its driest and the visibility at its best. Diving holidays February is probably the best month of all to enjoy Maldives diving trips, but since most of us donât have the luxury to enjoy holidays in the month of February, Christmas diving holidays are a great idea and you might even see Santa Claus diving!
Karibeyru Thila is one of the top diving sites. The diving spot in Maldives known as Kari Beyru Thila is a long, narrow stretch in the North-South plane along the eastern edge of the atoll. There are numerous interesting caves to explore, which are rich in coral growth and marine life. The east side descends to 35 meters, with the west side down to 25 meters. The northern side slops down gently to 30 meters with an abundance of coral blocks towards the top. Fish life is very lively here, with tuna, snapper, stone fish, manta rays, sting rays, napoleon and white-tip as well as grey reef sharks.
