Baa Atoll & Hanifaru Bay · Maldives · Reef · Wall
Hirundhoo
Reef from 5 m down to a 35 m wall with overhangs
Area photo: Abllo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hirundhoo is a reef site off the Baa Atoll island of the same name, separate from the Dreamland house reef nearby. It starts at 5 m and drops to 35 m, and part of it is a wall with overhangs beneath it while the rest is broken reef structure, so groups can pick a depth and stay in it.
Where it is and how deep
5.2147° N, 73.1589° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site runs from 5 m down to 35 m, and the wall section is the piece that defines it: the reef stops being a slope and becomes a face with overhangs cut underneath. Drop onto the reef, find the wall, and pick a depth to run along it rather than following the structure all the way to the bottom, since the deep end sits well past a comfortable recreational limit.
Varied reef structure fills the rest of the site, which is what makes a flexible profile work: the wall carries the depth, and the broken ground above it means a shallower plan still dives the same site. That is why Hirundhoo suits divers of different experience levels — the depth here is a choice, as long as it is made on the boat and not halfway down the face.
Bring the dive back up onto the reef for a shallow finish at around 5 m. Coming off the wall early rather than late leaves time to work the broken structure on the top, where the depth is forgiving and the safety stop happens over ground you can see.
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 the Hirundhoo dive site?+
The reef starts at 5 m and drops to 35 m. The wall section carries the depth, and the varied reef structure above it lets divers choose a shallower profile on the same dive.
Sources
- Hirundhoo — Scubago
More dive sites in Baa Atoll & Hanifaru Bay
Pinnacle
Four coral pinnacles 30–50 m apart, from 10 m down to 30 m
Reef
Canyons and overhangs from 12 to 30 m, with a shark nursery
Pinnacle
An offshore rock that begins at 19 m and drops to 35 m
A shore-entry slope from 3 m down, with 20–25 m visibility
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
Similar dives elsewhere
An overhang-lined reef from 5 to 40 m with easy navigation
A coral flat to 20 m, then a wall from 20 down to 40 m
Hard coral gardens from 6 m to a 20 m drop-off
Walk-in shore diving with a sheer wall and a garden-eel flat