A thila 25 minutes by boat from Rahaa whose top starts at just 3–4 m and descends to about 28 m, with a sloping coral plateau off its south-east side. Coral blocks, black coral trees, groupers and fusiliers give the site its name — the draw is fish life and coral structure across a wide depth range.
Where it is and how deep
1.8083° N, 73.3313° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The top of the thila starts at 3–4 m, close enough to the surface that the last minutes of the dive are over live coral, and the reef descends to about 28 m. The full spread from near-surface to 28 m makes it a classic multilevel profile: start deep, work gradually shallower, and finish the dive on the top of the thila.
South-east of the thila lies a sloping coral plateau, and this is where the site's inventory sits: coral blocks, black coral trees, groupers and fusiliers. There is no published current rating, so ask the dive centre about conditions on the day; the boat run is about 25 minutes from Rahaa on the south of the atoll.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good |
Season follows Laamu Atoll: Pattern is Maldives-wide: calm seas and the clearest water Jan–Apr; the southwest monsoon brings rain and rougher seas Jun–Nov. Mantas are recorded at Hithadhoo Corner in every month.
Sources
- Scubago — Fish Thila — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide
More dive sites in Laamu Atoll
Pinnacle
A free-standing boulder at 16–32 m grown with a large black coral tree
Channel & pass
Eagle rays and sharks in a protected channel at one to two knots
Reef
Laamu's easy option: 13 m average, current under one knot
Channel & pass
A liveaboard channel averaging 20 m with a 40 m maximum
Channel & pass
A drop-off at 18 m falling to 40 m, started wall-side or in the blue
Channel & pass
Grey reef and whitetip sharks over a 14–16 m channel floor
Coral garden
Calm 12 m coral boulders made for first dives and refreshers
Similar dives elsewhere
A soft-coral plateau at 10–15 m and caverns down to 30 m on one thila
Overhangs on one side, a hard-coral garden on the other
A circular giri you can swim right round, top at 1 m and coral to 20 m
Shallow top reef from 5 m, with anthias over the safety stop