Lhaviyani Atoll · Maldives · Wreck · Channel & pass
The Shipyard
Two coral-covered wrecks, SkipJack1 and SkipJack2, in a channel with sharks
Area photo: asands from London, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0
Two shipwrecks about 40 years old lying together in a Lhaviyani channel, one upright and one on its side at around 30 m, both heavily overgrown with soft and hard corals. The nutrient-rich current that runs through the channel brings nurse sharks and grey reef sharks past the hulls, while sweepers, butterflyfish, damsels and Napoleon wrasse live on the wrecks themselves.
Also known as Gaavathugandu.
Where it is and how deep
5.4857° N, 73.4021° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The Shipyard, also called Gaavathugandu, is two wrecks in one channel, and the dive is a tour of both. PADI lists the vessels as SkipJack1 and SkipJack2: one caught fire on its way to being deliberately sunk, the other ran into trouble on a voyage from Colombo and went down just before reaching land. One vessel sits upright; the other rests on its side at around 30 m, the deepest point of the dive and the place to visit first while you have the most bottom time.
Both wrecks are heavily colonised by soft and hard corals, fed by the nutrient-rich water pushing through the channel. Schools of yellow sweepers hang around the structures with butterflyfish and damsels, and Napoleon wrasse patrol the hulls. Work along the wreck on its side, then rise to the upright vessel for the shallower part of the dive.
The channel itself is where the bigger animals appear: nurse sharks and grey reef sharks are drawn by the same current that feeds the coral, so keep an eye on the open water between and beyond the two hulls. Finish on the upper structure of the upright wreck and ascend from there.
The wreck
- Vessel
- SkipJack1 and SkipJack2
- Type
- Two vessels, type not published
- Cause
- SkipJack1 caught fire on its way to being deliberately sunk; SkipJack2 sank just before reaching land after problems on its route from Colombo
- Lies
- One upright, the other on its side at around 30 m
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Napoleon wrasse
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Lhaviyani Atoll: Iruvai, the dry northeast monsoon (Dec–Apr), is calm and clear; the wet Hulhangu monsoon (Jun–Nov) can chop the surface but brings mantas to Fushifaru Thila, peaking Oct–Nov.
Know before you go
- The site sits in a channel with nutrient-rich current flowing through it: stay in the lee of the hulls and plan the deeper wreck at 30 m first, before working shallower.
Questions divers ask
How deep is The Shipyard in Lhaviyani Atoll?+
The wreck resting on its side lies at around 30 m; the second vessel sits upright and forms the shallower part of the dive.
What sharks are seen at The Shipyard?+
The channel attracts nurse sharks and grey reef sharks, drawn by the nutrient-rich current that also feeds the coral on the two wrecks.
Sources
- Diving sites Maldives - Northern Atolls - Lhaviyani Atoll — Dive The World
- The Shipyard — PADI
More dive sites in Lhaviyani Atoll
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Healthy hard coral from a 5 m top down to about 30 m
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Overhangs on a 5 m to 30 m thila dived for macro life
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Grey reef sharks in schools of 20 or more on an incoming tide
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A strong-current channel corner reaching 30 m
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Overhangs on one side, a hard-coral garden on the other
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A 20-minute channel crossing between corners at 12–30 m
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