The channel north-west of Mavaah island, with a bottom at 14 to 16 m that drops off into open ocean. Grey reef and whitetip sharks are reported here along with groupers and triggerfish, and when the current is slight the site is open to all levels of diver; when it runs harder it belongs to divers used to moving water.
Where it is and how deep
1.9135° N, 73.2439° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The kandu sits north-west of the island of Mavaah, and its bottom runs at about 14 to 16 m before dropping off into the open ocean — a short profile by channel standards, with the working depth on the channel floor and the drop-off as the main feature. When the current is slight, Scubago notes, all levels of diver can take part.
The animals are the point: grey reef sharks and whitetip reef sharks are reported here, with groupers and triggerfish on the reef. As everywhere on Laamu's rim, the tide decides the character of the day — pick the slack with the operator, and treat a running channel as a drift for divers comfortable in flow.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- 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 — Maava Kandu — 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
Pinnacle
Groupers and black coral trees on a thila topping out at 3–4 m
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
Coral garden
Calm 12 m coral boulders made for first dives and refreshers
Similar dives elsewhere
A channel protected for its grey reef and whitetip sharks
Advanced channel drift with sharks between 22 and 30 m
Schools of grey reef sharks in a channel cut with caves from 8 to 40 m
Collapsed reef blocks sheltering sharks in a protected channel