Haa Alif & Haa Dhaalu Atolls · Maldives · Pinnacle
Heaven and Hell (Theefarido Thila)
Three pinnacles dived deep-to-shallow, from 35 m up to 15 m
Area photo: Kirill Flerov · CC BY 3.0
A long, narrow thila made up of three separate pinnacles off Theefaridhoo in Haa Dhaalu, dived as a deep profile that starts at 30 to 35 m and finishes on the shallowest part at 15 m. The operator recommends nitrox. It is a good site for tuna and eagle rays, with manta rays sometimes passing when the conditions are right.
Also known as Theefarido Thila.
Where it is and how deep
6.7266° N, 73.0446° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
This is the deep dive of the area, and it is planned as one: you start at 30 to 35 m and work upward, so the deepest part of the thila comes first while your no-decompression time is longest. The operator recommends nitrox for the profile. The thila is long and narrow, built from three separate pinnacles, and the route follows them along the formation as you shallow.
As you move from pinnacle to pinnacle and shallow up, watch the blue as much as the rock: this is a good site for tuna and eagle rays, and manta rays turn up when the conditions are right. The dive finishes on the shallowest part of the thila at 15 m, which gives a long, gentle end to the profile before you leave the reef for the safety stop and the boat.
Marine life and season
- Tuna
- Eagle rays
- Manta rays
| 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.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Heaven and Hell in the Maldives?+
The dive starts at 30 to 35 m and finishes on the shallowest part of the thila at 15 m, so it is a deep, advanced profile that the operator recommends diving on nitrox.
Sources
- Heaven and Hell / Theefarido Thila — Scubago
More dive sites in Haa Alif & Haa Dhaalu Atolls
Wall
Large overhangs on the wall with sleeping stingrays and turtles
Pinnacle
Leopard sharks sheltering on the sand at nearly 30 m
Wall
Cleaning stations along the top reef of an 8 to 30 m wall
Pinnacle
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
Similar dives elsewhere
A narrow swim-through and mantas on a current-split point
Three soft-coral pinnacles that work as a cleaning station
An estimated sixteen resident grey reef sharks
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Two protected manta cleaning stations on a plateau of coral blocks