Haa Alif & Haa Dhaalu Atolls · Maldives · Wall
Baarah Corner
Cleaning stations along the top reef of an 8 to 30 m wall
Area photo: Kirill Flerov · CC BY 3.0
A reef wall off Baarah in Haa Alif running from 8 m down to 25 to 30 m, with boulder and old coral formations on the top and deep overhangs and caverns below. Cleaning stations spaced along the top reef can bring in manta rays and turtles in the right conditions and season, and the changeable current brings grey reef sharks, eagle rays and schools of fusilier, snapper, jacks and batfish.
Where it is and how deep
6.8054° N, 73.2085° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wall begins at 8 m, and the top of it is where the boulders and old coral formations sit, with the cleaning stations spaced along the top reef. The current here is changeable and worth watching for at times, so check it at the start before setting a direction along the wall. From the top the wall drops to 25 to 30 m, where deep overhangs and caverns cut back into the reef.
Give the cleaning stations time: in the right conditions and season, manta rays and turtles come in to be cleaned. Large wrasse, grey reef sharks and eagle rays pass along the wall, and schools of fusilier, snapper, jacks and batfish hold in the current. Going deep early for the overhangs and caverns and then spending the second half at cleaning-station depth on the top reef keeps the profile simple before the safety stop.
Marine life and season
- Manta rays
- Sea turtles
- Reef sharks
- Eagle rays
- Reef fish swarms
- Trevally & jacks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Haa Alif & Haa Dhaalu Atolls: January to April is calm and clear with visibility to 30 m; the far north is dived most of the year, with June and July the roughest months of the southwest monsoon.
Know before you go
- A changeable current runs along the wall: watch for it at the start and be ready for the guide to reverse or shorten the route.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Baarah Corner?+
The reef wall runs from 8 m down to 25 to 30 m; the cleaning stations for mantas and turtles are on the top reef, with overhangs and caverns lower down.
Sources
- Baarah Corner — Scubago
More dive sites in Haa Alif & Haa Dhaalu Atolls
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Pinnacle
Leopard sharks sheltering on the sand at nearly 30 m
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Up to 30 manta rays reported over one cleaning-station boulder
Pinnacle
Open-ocean thila pair, advanced divers only
Cave & cavern
A 60 m wide cave mouth with sleeping nurse sharks inside
Wreck
Four chimneys stand out of the water above an 80 m wreck
Pinnacle
Open-water descent to 30 m, then circle the thila upward
Three pinnacles dived deep-to-shallow, from 35 m up to 15 m
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Easy wall from a 5-8 m reef top down past 30 m