Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls · Maldives · Pinnacle · Reef
Fish Head
An estimated sixteen resident grey reef sharks
Area photo: John Hepburn · CC BY 4.0
Fish Head is a small pinnacle in Ari Atoll, cut with caves and overhangs, that rises from 35 metres to within 10 of the surface. It holds marine protected area status and it is known for its grey reef sharks — an estimated sixteen residents — which patrol the pinnacle alongside humphead wrasse, batfish and schooling fusiliers.
Also known as Mushimasmingili Thila, Mushi Mas Mingili Thila.
Where it is and how deep
3.9360° N, 72.9131° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The pinnacle is small enough to work as a single feature, so the dive is built around holding position on it rather than covering ground. You drop onto the top at around 10 metres and follow the flank down, and the sides are cut with caves and overhangs that give both the fish and you somewhere out of the flow. The deepest part of the site is 35 metres.
The sharks are the reason people come. An estimated sixteen grey reef sharks are resident here, and they work the pinnacle in the current, which is where you settle in and watch. Humphead wrasse move along the coral, schools of batfish hang off the edges and fusiliers stream past in numbers, while spotted eagle rays cross the blue. Its marine protected area status is why the site keeps turning up in top-ten lists of Maldives dive spots.
Current is the variable that shapes the dive. It can run strong here, and the answer is to stay in the lee of the pinnacle where the rock breaks the flow rather than swim against it. Divers may need descent and ascent lines, so the drop is controlled and the safety stop is made on a line rather than drifting off the site. Plan the profile from the top down and keep the pinnacle in sight.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Napoleon wrasse
- Eagle rays
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls: The seas are calmest from December to May, but manta numbers peak from August to November.
Know before you go
- The current can be strong and unpredictable: work the lee of the pinnacle where the rock breaks the flow, and use the descent and ascent lines rather than drifting off the site on the stop.
Dive videos
Diving Maldives: Fish Head 4K · Jamie Turner on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Fish Head?+
The pinnacle's shallowest point is 10 metres and the site bottoms out at 35, so the profile is yours to set. Much of the shark traffic works the upper part of the pinnacle, which keeps the average depth well above the maximum.
Do you need to be an advanced diver at Fish Head?+
It is not a first-week site. The range runs to 35 metres and the current can be strong, with descent and ascent lines used for the safety stop, so an advanced certification and real comfort in moving water are the sensible entry point.
Sources
- Diving Sites Maldives - Ari Atoll — Dive The World
- Fish Head (OSM) — OpenStreetMap
In The Logbook
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More dive sites in Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls
Pinnacle
Ocean-facing pinnacle at the mouth of Bathala channel
Mantas at a cleaning station from December till April
Reef
A canyon cut diagonally through the middle of a channel reef
Pinnacle
South-side overhangs with gorgonian fans and black corals
Glassfish packed into the wheelhouse of a sunken trawler
Pinnacle
A pinnacle eroded into five separate pieces, 12 m to 40 m
Grey reef sharks hunting in the blue around a tiny volcano-shaped top
Wreck
Upright cargo wreck, deck at 21 m and sand at 28 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Three soft-coral pinnacles that work as a cleaning station
Two basalt organ pipes 25 m tall, one pierced by a cave
Turtles and whitetips resting under a quiet 10 m pinnacle
A 400 m ridge from an 8 m top down to about 35 m