Baa Atoll & Hanifaru Bay · Maldives · Reef · Wall
Aidhoo
Coral slopes and a vertical wall between 5 m and 30 m
Area photo: Abllo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Aidhoo is an inner-reef site in Baa Atoll that combines coral slopes with a vertical wall, small overhangs cut into its face. Depths run from about 5 m to about 30 m, so the shallow reef and the deeper wall can both be covered on one dive without pushing the profile, and the reef stays within reach the whole way.
Where it is and how deep
5.1889° N, 73.1619° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Two kinds of ground on one dive: sloping coral, and a vertical wall with small overhangs. Take the wall first, while you are fresh and the gas for depth is there — down the face to around 30 m, along it, then back up onto the slope. The overhangs are small, so this is a matter of looking into pockets as you pass rather than swimming under any real structure.
The slopes are where the dive ends and where most of the time goes. They are gentler ground between the foot of the wall and the reef top at about 5 m, worked slowly on the way up to the stop, and they are the part of the site that rewards going at half speed instead of covering distance.
Being an inner-atoll reef rather than an outer one, Aidhoo is dived close in along the structure rather than out over open water. That keeps navigation simple and makes it straightforward to turn the dive at any point and retrace the route back along the slope to where the boat is waiting.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Baa Atoll & Hanifaru Bay: The Hanifaru aggregation runs May–Nov on the south-west monsoon and peaks Aug–Oct; Dec–Apr is calmer and clearer but the mantas disperse.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Aidhoo?+
Depths run from roughly 5 m on the reef top to about 30 m at the base of the wall, so the shallow coral slopes and the deeper wall both fit into one dive.
Sources
- Aidhoo — Scubago
More dive sites in Baa Atoll & Hanifaru Bay
Blue hole
A vertical chimney through the reef with a cave exit
Drift
A drift from a 4 m bay onto a steep wall, mantas Jan–Apr
Pinnacle
Canyons and overhangs cut between 12 and 30 m
Pinnacle
Endemic sponge snail on a protected thila topping out at 7 m
Lagoon
The largest known manta feeding aggregation — snorkel only
Reef
180 m of reef with a pinnacle at each end, 10 m to 30 m
Turtles and whitetips resting under a quiet 10 m pinnacle
A narrow swim-through and mantas on a current-split point
Similar dives elsewhere
Mantas at a cleaning station from December till April
Deep crevices at 16 to 30 m with hammerheads on the drop-off
House-reef wall with caves, table corals and a canyon
Shallow plateau with dense fish and varied coral