
Lhaviyani Atoll · Maldives · Pinnacle
Thin Sehli Thila
Coral blocks and cleaning stations on a 5 m to 25 m mount
Area photo: asands from London, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0
A thila 10 minutes west of Le Méridien Maldives, an underwater mount that does not reach the surface. The dive begins at around 5 m and descends gradually to 25 m on all sides, past coral blocks and cleaning stations, with plenty of reef life to work through on the way round.
Where it is and how deep
5.2769° N, 73.5608° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Thin Sehli Thila is a short 10-minute boat ride west of Le Méridien Maldives. A thila is the Dhivehi word for an underwater mount that does not reach the surface, and this one begins at around 5 m and descends gradually to 25 m on all sides, so the profile is a circuit: drop onto the top, head for the depth the group has planned and work your way around the reef.
Coral blocks on the reef act as cleaning stations, so pause at each block and watch for a while before moving on. The gradual descent means you can spiral up the mount as bottom time runs down, finishing on the 5 m top for the safety stop with the reef still in view below.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| 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.
Sources
- Thin Sehli Thila — Scubago
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