Pinnacle
down to 42 m
Fish Head (Mushimasmingili Thila)
A protected North Ari pinnacle where grey reef sharks are the main players, alongside schools of batfish and vast schools of fusiliers.
- Experienced
- Grey reef sharks
Advanced≤30 m
Banana Reef
Dive site in Maldives
Curved North Malé reef with caves, overhangs and caverns between 10 and 25 m, and a section known as the 'Washing Machine'.
- Usual dive
- 25 m
- Deepest point
- 35 m
- Level
- Advanced
- Best months
- Dec–May
- Current
- Strong
The dive
A reef dive. Known for manta rays.
Who it's for
Advanced≤30 mSource: divessi.com
Recommended minimum: Advanced (PADI Advanced Open Water, N2).
- CurrentCurrent can be strong; you need good air management and buoyancy.
- Strong current: dive with a local guide and carry a surface marker buoy.
- The site goes deeper than 30 m: Advanced divers stay above 30 m.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Reef
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
What you might see
- Manta rays
- Napoleon wrasse
Season in Maldives
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Best months: Dec–May.
Source: liveaboard.comWhere is the Maldives?
The point shows the Maldives area, not the exact dive site.
More dives in Maldives
Pinnacle
down to 30 m
Maaya Thila
North Ari pinnacle from 6 m to beyond 30 m; at slack-current night dives, vast numbers of fusiliers arrive on the crown to feed.
- Advanced
- Whitetip reef sharks
Reef
down to 40 m
Manta Point (Lankanfinolhu)
A manta cleaning station near Lankanfushi, busiest in the southwest monsoon (May–September) when mantas move east with the plankton.
- Advanced
- Manta rays
Jetty / pier
down to 25 m
Alimatha Jetty (night)
A night dive off a resort pier in Vaavu where dozens of tawny nurse sharks and Jenkin's whiprays gather.
- Open Water
- Nurse sharks
Drift
down to 30 m
Cocoa Thila
A 400 m South Malé pinnacle sloping to a 30 m drop-off, with grey reef sharks, eagle rays and large schools of fusiliers.
- Experienced
- Grey reef sharks
Drift
down to 25 m
Ellaidhoo House Reef
North Ari house-reef wall from the surface to about 25 m, with a colourful terrace of groupers and moray eels.
- Advanced
- Groupers
About this page
Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.