Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls · Maldives · Pinnacle · Pelagic & blue water
Hafusa Thila
Grey reef sharks hunting in the blue around a tiny volcano-shaped top
Photo: Jean-Paul Boerekamps · CC0
Hafusa Thila is a classic Maldivian thila in northern Ari Atoll: a small rounded top that widens like a volcano down to sand. Strong currents often run across it, and the moving water brings grey reef sharks hunting over the pinnacle among schools of fusiliers and tuna.
Also known as Hafsa Thila, Hafza Thila.
Where it is and how deep
4.1292° N, 72.8382° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The top of the pinnacle is very small and rounded at around 10-15 m, and the thila widens with depth to a sandy bottom at around 30-35 m. When the current is too strong, the dive starts on the top of the pinnacle, sometimes with a reef hook, because a diver swept off it can easily lose sight of so small a reef.
From the top, the action is in the blue: grey reef sharks feed on reef fish, octopi and crustaceans, schools of fusiliers are hunted by large tuna, and surgeonfish play in the bubbles. Divers shelter at the pinnacle top or behind the structure and finish with a safety stop in blue water.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Reef fish swarms
- Tuna
- Octopus & cuttlefish
| 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
- Strong current can sweep divers off the small pinnacle, so the dive often starts on its top with a reef hook.
Dive videos
Hafza Thila - Malediven · PeuserPictures on YouTube
Sources
- Ari Atoll diving — Dive The World
- Diving in Hafza Thila Maldives — Divebooker
- Hafsa Thila (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap contributors
Photo credits
- One grey-brown nurse shark resting on the sandy bottom beneath a rocky overhang, its mouth close to the sand by Jean-Paul Boerekamps, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls
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Wreck
Upright cargo wreck, deck at 21 m and sand at 28 m
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Big pelagics turn up on the pinnacles when the current runs.
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